All communities have stories that describe their beginning. These stories connect the community to the world at large, and they establish the foundations for group behavior and unity. This traditional history is carefully nurtured, guarded, and passed from one generation to the next, for it serves as the soul of the community. Traditional stories incorporate factual accounts of events and the creative interpretations necessary to engage community members and weave diverse narratives into a coherent whole. Inappropriate behavior is identified and the punishments prescribed; appropriate behavior is extolled and the rewards detailed. These stories prepare individuals for membership in their... more...
![Link to article: Ancient copper mines are discovered in 1848](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Ancient copper mines are discovered in 1848 |
![Link to article: Menominee Vocabulary, 1893](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Menominee Vocabulary, 1893 |
![Link to article: Ojibwe Place Names in Wisconsin, ca. 1890](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Ojibwe Place Names in Wisconsin, ca. 1890 |
![Link to artifacts: Copper tools from Northern Wisconsin, 4000-1,200 B.C.](/turningpoints/images/artifacts.gif) | Copper tools from Northern Wisconsin, 4000-1,200 B.C. |
![Link to artifacts: An Oneota ceramic vessel, ca. 1500-1625](/turningpoints/images/artifacts.gif) | An Oneota ceramic vessel, ca. 1500-1625 |
![Link to book: The sports and games of Indians](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | The sports and games of Indians |
![Link to book: Fr. Baraga's 1853 Ojibwe Dictionary](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Fr. Baraga's 1853 Ojibwe Dictionary |
![Link to book: A Ho-Chunk grammar textbook, 1945](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A Ho-Chunk grammar textbook, 1945 |
![Link to book: A speech by Brothertown Indian leader Samsom Occom, 1771](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A speech by Brothertown Indian leader Samsom Occom, 1771 |
![Link to book: A guide to the Mohican language, 1789](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A guide to the Mohican language, 1789 |
![Link to book: The language spoken by the Brothertown Indians when Europeans arrived in America](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | The language spoken by the Brothertown Indians when Europeans arrived in America |
![Link to book: A modern dictionary of the Menominee language](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A modern dictionary of the Menominee language |
![Link to book: A life of Jesus in Ottawa, 1837](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A life of Jesus in Ottawa, 1837 |
![Link to book: A religious primer in Mohican, 1818](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A religious primer in Mohican, 1818 |
![Link to book: An Oneida prayer-book, 1816](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | An Oneida prayer-book, 1816 |
![Link to book: A missionary's speech in Oneida, 1815.](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A missionary's speech in Oneida, 1815. |
![Link to book: An Oneida spelling book for children, 1820](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | An Oneida spelling book for children, 1820 |
![Link to book: The first book printed in Wisconsin, an Ojibwe almanac](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | The first book printed in Wisconsin, an Ojibwe almanac |
![Link to book: Statistics on government schools for Indians, 1899](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Statistics on government schools for Indians, 1899 |
![Link to book: The language of the Brothertown Indians' ancestors, 1722](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | The language of the Brothertown Indians' ancestors, 1722 |
![Link to book: An Early Archaeological Report on the Old Copper Culture](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | An Early Archaeological Report on the Old Copper Culture |
![Link to book: Report on the Menominee at Termination, 1958](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Report on the Menominee at Termination, 1958 |
![Link to manuscript: The creation narrative of the Ho-Chunk Indians, recorded about 1850.](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | The creation narrative of the Ho-Chunk Indians, recorded about 1850. |
![Link to manuscript: Brief Ho-Chunk Language Vocabularies, 1830-1930](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | Brief Ho-Chunk Language Vocabularies, 1830-1930 |
![Link to manuscript: A Long Ho-Chunk Vocabulary, 1880](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | A Long Ho-Chunk Vocabulary, 1880 |
![Link to manuscript: Brief Potawatomi Language Vocabularies, 1920-1932.](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | Brief Potawatomi Language Vocabularies, 1920-1932. |
![Link to manuscript: American Indian language manuscripts at the Wisconsin Historical Society, 2010](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | American Indian language manuscripts at the Wisconsin Historical Society, 2010 |
![Link to manuscript: Alfred Bridgman's English-Menominee word list from the 1870s](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | Alfred Bridgman's English-Menominee word list from the 1870s |
![Link to manuscript: Frank Bridgman's Menominee vocabulary, 1878](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | Frank Bridgman's Menominee vocabulary, 1878 |
![Link to manuscript: Journals, 1824-1831, of Rev. Cutting Marsh, missionary to the Stockbridge (Mohican) Indians.](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | Journals, 1824-1831, of Rev. Cutting Marsh, missionary to the Stockbridge (Mohican) Indians. |
![Link to manuscript: Journals, 1831-1836, of Rev. Cutting Marsh, missionary to the Stockbridge (Mohican) Indians.](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | Journals, 1831-1836, of Rev. Cutting Marsh, missionary to the Stockbridge (Mohican) Indians. |
![Link to manuscript: A missionary's handwritten dictionary of terms in the Sauk language, 1834](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | A missionary's handwritten dictionary of terms in the Sauk language, 1834 |