It has always been said that you have to know where you’ve been to know where you are going. Embracing this idea, the TLAM class began expanding our minds by discovering the history of the tribes of Wisconsin. Opening Patty Loew’s book Indian Nations of Wisconsin: histories of endurance and renewal started a journey that we would never forget.
Being a non-local of Wisconsin, it was a shock to discover that so many tribes are surrounded by the state. There are eleven federally recognized tribes of Wisconsin: Bad River, Ho- Chunk, Menominee, Oneida, Red Cliff, Lac Courte Oreilles, St. Croix, Fond du Lac, Lac du Flambeau, Chippewa, and Potawatomi. There is also one tribe that is not recognized federally: Brothertown. Each student was assigned a tribe to become acquainted with and bring back for a roundtable.
My contribution to discussion was the Potawatomi. “Keepers of the Fire” the Potawatomi have a strong connection to plants, especially corn, tobacco, pumpkin, beans, and squash. They were one of the 3 brothers: Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi. At one point, the Potawatomi controlled the fur trade. History is fraught with war and the tribes of Wisconsin could not escape this fact. The Potawatomi fought alongside the French from 1754-1763. Different members of the tribe were floating between being neutral and with the Americans during the American Revolution.
Having looked at just a small portion of this history, I see so many relations to other indigenous people. It saddens me greatly that this has continuously happened throughout history to so many people and the justice still hasn’t been dished out. These people are still feeling the ramifications of what others have done to them. When will it end?
-Dorothy Terry