Highlights Archives
Images of the Ho-Chunk on Exhibit
The latest exhibit at the Wisconsin Historical Museum examines nearly 150 years of the Ho-Chunk people as documented through the lenses of three photographers. This exhibit, Images of the Ho-Chunk, features 1860s photographs by James F. Bodtker, turn-of-the-20th-century images by Charles Van Schaick, and recent images by Ho-Chunk photographer Tom Jones. Bodtker and Van Schaick were non-natives, documenting Ho-Chunk people who came to their studios to have their portraits taken. Tom Jones is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and uses his images to help educate non-natives about the lives of his people. Ho-Chunk jewelry, ribbonwork and other objects from museum's collections complement the images. The exhibit runs through Saturday, November 21.
The History of an Ancient People
The Ho-Chunk or Ho-Chungra people, meaning "people of the big voice" or "people of the sacred language," have lived in the Great Lakes region for thousands of years. Previously known as the Winnebago, a name given by the Sauk and the Fox, the Ho-Chunk inhabited the land, hunting, gathering and farming to sustain their needs. At one time the Ho-Chunk held title to more than 10 million acres of land in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota.
In 1836 the United States government forcibly removed the Ho-Chunk from their remaining land in southern Wisconsin. For the next 50 years the Ho-Chunk fought these removals to Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota. Eventually, treaties ceded the entire Wisconsin homeland and scattered the people onto parcels throughout the state.
As a sovereign nation today, the Ho-Chunk Nation has more than 6,000 enrolled tribal members. The nation does not have a reservation; rather it owns approximately 5,400 acres of land throughout the state of Wisconsin.
:: Posted November 2, 2009
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