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Winnebago Men and Women, 1910 ca.

Posed studio group portrait in front of a painted backdrop of Winnebago Indian men and one young woman. Each of the men is holding a mounted bird of some species. View the original source document: WHI 105911

Winnebago Indians called themselves "Hochunkgra." A Siouan people, they once occupied the southern half of Wisconsin and the northern counties of Illinois. The Black Hawk War of 1832 and a series of treaties forced the Winnebago out of their homeland, and they were removed to reservations in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and finally to a portion of the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska. With each removal, small bands of Winnebago returned to Wisconsin, with the largest settle­ment in Jackson County. A historic marker lies Rest Area No. 5, eastbound lane I-94, 2 mi. SE of Osseo, Trempealeau County. About seven miles east of Black River Falls is the historic Winnebago Indian Mission, founded by the German Reformed Church in 1878. The Mission included about half of the Winnebago population of Jackson County, the pow-wow grounds, Indian Cemetery and Mitchell Red Cloud Memorial. Tribal tradi­tions are preserved through the clan system, the Medicine Lodge, and War Bundle Feast. To learn more about the current tribes in Wisconsin and Nebraska descended from the Winnebago and their histories, visit the links below.

Learn More

Visit the Ho-Chunk Nation's website

Visit the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska's website

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Source: McBride, Sarah Davis. History Just Ahead (Madison:WHS, 1999).