An Analysis of the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin

Our assumptions about the Ho-Chunk tribe were probably what most non-Native Americans would say about the culture: The Ho-Chunk are a proud tribe of people who lived in harmony with land, until they were wrongfully forced off of it by whites. Ever since, they have faced massive amounts of undeserved discrimination, and are still struggling to gain the quality of life experienced by most whites today.

The history of the Ho-Chunk is one tainted by many years of mistreatment. The Ho-Chunk, formerly known as the Winnebago, are a group of native peoples from the area around Wisconsin and Illinois. The name "Winnebago" was given to them by neighboring tribes. The term translates into something like "people of the stinking water." The less common English name for the tribe is "Ho-Chunk" which means "big fish people", probably referring to the once abundant Sturgeon in Lake Winnebago. In November 1994, results from the Ho-Chunk Nation secretarial election approved the revision of the Constitution and the proper name of the tribe changed to the Ho-Chunk Sovereign Nation, or "People of the Big Voice" which is what they call themselves today (Culture History Page).

Since the early 1800s, the Ho-Chunk have faced many hardships. In addition to losing much of the tribal population to European disease, the tribe was forced to leave their lands multiple times by the U.S. government. When miners came to southwestern Wisconsin in pursuit of lead and rich farmland, the Ho-Chunk were forced to sell their land, even though the U.S. government had recognized them as a sovereign nation and promised to keep whites off. They were put on reservations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. Many Ho-Chunk refused to live on the poor areas forced upon them and some returned to Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Ho-chunk do not live on reservations, but rather occupy their original lands which they had to repurchase (Ho-Chunk Culture...).

As of 2003, there are two Winnebago tribes recognized by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. They are the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. Today, there are about 6,159 members of the Wisconsin Ho-Chunk Sovereign Nation, which hold about 2,000 acres of tribal land (Culture History Page).

The Ho-Chunk also have a rich and diverse cultural history. Probably the most interesting cultural phenomenon is the powwow, which is a get together involving music, food, and ceremonial dance. Anyone who has an interest is welcome. The Ho-Chunk hold theirs on a biannual basis in Black River Falls. Here is a description of one particularly large powwow occurring in Tulsa, Oklahoma: "Afternoons and evenings become a jumble of events filled by hours of dancing, giveaways, and contests...visiting princesses and other powwow royalty are introduced...