The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska () is one of two

federally recognized tribes This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes are legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United States.

Ho-Chunk The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hocąk, Hoocągra, or Winnebago are a Siouan languages, Siouan-speaking Native Americans in the United States, Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois ...

, along with the

Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin The Ho-Chunk Nation ( Ho-Chunk language: ) is a federally recognized tribe of the Ho-Chunk with traditional territory across five states in the United States: Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. The other federally recognized tri ...

. Tribe members often identify as ''Hoocągra'', meaning "People of the Parent Speech" in their own language. It is a

Siouan Siouan ( ), also known as Siouan–Catawban ( ), is a language family of North America located primarily in the Great Plains, Ohio and Mississippi valleys and southeastern North America with a few other languages in the east. Name Authors who ...

language.

Reservation

By the treaty of 1846 with the United States, the Ho-Chunk Nation was assigned to a vast wilderness area in central

Minnesota Territory The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Minnesota and the w ...

, the Long Prairie Reservation. More than twenty years later, the Ho-Chunk were forced to move from that area to the Winnebago Reservation, established by treaty on 8 March 1865. It is further west, in

Thurston Thurston may refer to: Places Antarctica * Thurston Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Thurston Island, off Ellsworth Land United Kingdom * Thurston, Suffolk, England, a village and parish ** Thurston railway station United States * Thurston County, Neb ...

and Dixon counties,

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, and

Woodbury County, Iowa Woodbury County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 105,941, making it the sixth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Sioux City ...

.Pritzker, 477 The reservation is , of which is tribal trust land."Winnebago Agency."
''US Department of the Interior Indian Affairs.'' Retrieved 11 September 2013. In 1990, some 1,151 tribal members lived on the reservation.

Government

The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska (Ho-Chunk Nation) is headquartered in

Winnebago, Nebraska Winnebago is a village in Thurston County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 916 at the 2020 census. History The first post office at Winnebago was established in 1867, within the Winnebago Reservation established primarily in Thur ...

."Tribal Directory."
''National Congress of American Indians.'' Retrieved 11 September 2013. The tribe is governed by a democratically elected general council. The current administration is as follows: * Chairwoman: Victoria Kitcheyan * Vice-chairman: Isaac Smith * Treasurer: Rona Stealer * Secretary: Lorelei DeCora * Council Member: Eugene DeCora Sr. * Council Member: Kenny Mallory * Council Member: Coly Brown * Council Member: Aric Armell The Winnebago Tribe runs multiple programs to provide services to the tribe and local community, including multiple educational programs aimed at assisting low-income tribe members, a tribal housing program, and the Winnebago Veteran's Association. Additionally, the Winnebago Tribe runs the Winnebago Fire Crew, which serves the Winnebago and other local tribes.

Language

The Winnebago Tribe speaks English and

(), one of the

Western Siouan languages The Western Siouan languages, also called Siouan proper or simply Siouan, are a large language family native to North America. They are closely related to the Catawban languages, sometimes called Eastern Siouan, and together with them constitut ...

; it is part of the

Siouan-Catawban language Siouan ( ), also known as Siouan–Catawban ( ), is a language family of North America located primarily in the Great Plains, Ohio and Mississippi valleys and southeastern North America with a few other languages in the east. Name Authors who ...

family.

Economic development

Ho-Chunk, Inc. is the tribe's corporation; it provides construction services, professional services, and business and consumer products. The Winnebago Tribe also owns and operates the WinnaVegas Casino Resort, hotel, and Flowers Island Restaurant and Buffet, all located in

Sloan, Iowa Sloan is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, Iowa, Sioux City, IA–Nebraska, NE–South Dakota, SD Sioux City metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The populati ...

. Ho-Chunk, Inc. has been recognized several times for exercising good governance and creatively solving issues faced in the tribe. The

Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development The Project on Indigenous Governance and Development, previously named the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, also known as the Harvard Project, was founded in 1987 at Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University. It administ ...

, administered at the

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

, has recognized the tribe's corporation with an Honoring Nations award in 2000, 2002, 2006, and 2015.

Juvenile Services

The tribe worked with the Nebraska Crime Commission to create a comprehensive plan for responding to juvenile safety and crime prevention issues. The most recent revision of the "Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Comprehensive Juvenile Services Plan" lists three primary areas of need: # Responsibility and awareness for youth distributed across the whole community. # A higher level of community organization. # A better coordinated and more comprehensive juvenile justice system.Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Comprehensive Juvenile Services Plan
Nebraska Crime Commission In 2012, the Winnebago Juvenile Justice Planning Team (WJJPT) was formed to assist with youth outreach and public safety. The WJJPT has planned and carried out a variety of public safety initiatives such as school outreach programs and planning a Crisis Intervention Center.

Notable tribal members

Joba Chamberlain Justin Louis "Joba" Chamberlain ( ; ; born September 23, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, and Cleveland Indians. Cha ...

(b. 1985), Major League Baseball pitcher from 2007 to 2016 *

Henry Roe Cloud Henry Roe Cloud (December 28, 1884 – February 9, 1950) was a Ho-Chunk Native American, enrolled in the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, who served as an educator, college administrator, U.S. federal government official (in the Office of Indian Aff ...

(1884–1950), educator, college administrator, US federal government official, Presbyterian minister; first full-blood Native American to attend Yale College *

Angel De Cora Angel De Cora Dietz (1871–1919) was a Winnebago painter, illustrator, Native American rights advocate, and teacher at Carlisle Indian School. She was a well-known Native American artist before World War I. Background Angel De Cora, also writ ...

(1871–1919), artist, educator, and Indian rights activist *

Terri Crawford Hansen Terri Crawford Hansen (born 1953) is a journalist who focuses primarily on environmental and scientific issues affecting North American tribal and worldwide indigenous communities. Hansen, an enrolled Native American citizen of the Winnebago Tribe ...

(b. 1953), journalist *

Frank LaMere Franklin Dean LaMere (March 1, 1950 – June 16, 2019) was an American activist and politician. He was a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska from South Sioux City, and the son of a Gold Star Mother and a combat veteran father. He was a me ...

(1950–2019), activist, advocate, politician ** Lexie Wakan LaMere (16 May 1992 – 3 January 2014), first native to graduate from Senate Page school; youngest delegate in the Nebraska Democratic Party * Renya K. Ramirez (b. 1959), anthropologist, author, and Native feminist * John Raymond Rice (1914–1950), U.S. Army, in service of UN Forces in Korean War * Reuben Snake (1937–1993), chairman of the

American Indian Movement The American Indian Movement (AIM) is an Native Americans in the United States, American Indian grassroots movement which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968, initially centered in urban areas in order to address systemic issues ...

and the tribe, and later president of the

National Congress of American Indians The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American Indian and Alaska Natives, Alaska Native Indigenous rights, rights organization. It was founded in 1944 to represent the tribes and resist U.S. ...

* Lillian St. Cyr, known as Red Wing (1884–1974), an actress of the silent film era

Notes

References

* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

External links

Official Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska website

Ho-Chunk, Inc.
economic development arm of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
Constitution of the Winnebago Tribe, Winnebago Reservation, in the State of Nebraska
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Native American tribes in Nebraska Federally recognized tribes in the United States Populated places in Thurston County, Nebraska Populated places in Woodbury County, Iowa Populated places in Dixon County, Nebraska Native American tribes in Iowa