Indigenous Wisconsin
Celebrate Indigenous Histories and the First Nations in Wisconsin
Explore and learn about the histories, cultures, and contemporary statuses of the Native Nations and Indigenous people who call Wisconsin home.
Browse featured resources from the Wisconsin Historical Society and our partners, including high quality educational material for teachers, as well as books written by and about Native people from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
Passages Exhibit
Ojibwe migration to the place where the food grows on water
Madeline Island Museum | La Pointe, WI
Travel to the ancestral homeland of the Lake Superior Anishinaabe and discover passages through time and place that have long identified Madeline Island as a powerful hub of connection, travel, culture and history.
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Wisconsin Historical Society Resources
Wisconsin Historical Society Press Books on Native History and Culture
Book by
Carol Cornelius
(Oneida/Stockbridge Munsee and Montauk, Turtle Clan)
Book by
JP Leary
(Cherokee & Delaware)
Book by
- Tom Jones (Ho-Chunk)
- Michael Schmudlach
- Matthew Daniel Mason
- Amy Lonetree (Ho-Chunk)
- George A. Greendeer (Ho-Chunk)
Book by
Patty Loew
(Bad River Ojibwe)
Book by
Thomas Pecore Weso
(Menominee)
Book by
Thomas Pecore Weso
(Menominee)
Book by
Raymond Kaquatosh
(Menominee)
Book by
Louis V. Clark 'Two Shoes'
(Oneida)
Ojibwe Coloring Book Series by
Cassie Brown
(Keweenaw Bay Ojibwe)
Book by
Nancy Oestreich Lurie
Book by
Diane Holliday
Book by
Karyn Saemann
Book by
Mike Hoeft
Book by
Robert A. Birmingham & Lynne G Goldstein
Book by
Robert A. Birmingham
Book by
Geri Schrab & Robert Boszhardt
The Mendota Canoes
Connecting Past & Present
The Wisconsin Historical Society, in partnership with Wisconsin's Native Nations, is preserving a pair of historic dugout canoes recovered from Lake Mendota. Testing revealed the first canoe is 1,200 years old and the second 3,000 years old.
Learn MoreOjibwe Storytelling Series
Winter is storytelling season
Free Virtual Storytelling
In Ojibwe culture, winter is storytelling season. The Wisconsin Historical Society celebrates by featuring Ojibwe storytellers in a virtual series launched in early 2022.
View the Recordings Online
Native Nations of Wisconsin
Forest County Potawatomi
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
 Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.png)
Tribal Centers & Cultural Museums
Cultural Center, Library, & MuseumForest County Potawatomi
George W. Brown Jr. Ojibwe Museum & Cultural CenterLac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Ho-Chunk Nation Museum and Cultural CenterHo-Chunk Nation
LCO Tribal Museum & Visitor CenterMenominee Cultural Museum
Menominee Nation
Moka’aangiizisiban Tribal Museum
Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Oneida Nation
Resources for Teachers & Administrators
Fact Sheet for American Indian Studies in Wisconsin (via WI DPI)
State Statutes for American Indian Studies in Wisconsin (via WI DPI)
Markers, Monuments, and Meaning - Wisconsin's Built Environment
Learn about the role of monumental art in Wisconsin and investigate the current controversy over historical monuments and markers with panelists Aaron Bird Bear (Mandan, Hidatsa, Dine) and Kacie Lucchini Butcher.
Moderated by Christian Øverland, the Ruth and Hartley Barker Director and CEO of the Wisconsin Historical Society, and Dr. Robert Smith, professor of history and director of Marquette University’s Center for Urban Research, Teaching, and Outreach.
September 30, 2020
Highlighted Resources from our Partners
Walter Bresette
Red Cliff Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe)
Walter led rallies in the 1980s and 1990s to educate others on how the rights the Ojibwe retained in 1800s treaties with the United States still hold true today.
From the Wisconsin Biographies series
Chief Oshkosh
Menominee
Chief Oshkosh faced difficult choices as he led his people through trying times. He spoke out for the health of his people and the conservation of their forest.
From the Wisconsin Biographies series
Explore Wisconsin's History
You can find out more about our history in these pages focusing on other monthly celebrations!
