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August 29, 2001
PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Donna Schmitz, WDNR (608) 831-3005
Susette LaMere, Ho-Chunk Cultural Preservation Department (800) 561-9918
Ho-Chunk Heritage Day at Governor Nelson State Park
WAUNAKEE -- The sound of Ho-Chunk drums will greet visitors to Governor
Nelson State Park next Saturday, September 8. The day-long event,
featuring traditional feasting, story telling, games, and craft
workshops, is a joint effort between the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources and the Ho-Chunk Nation Heritage Preservation Department of
Cultural Resources.
Ho-Chunk Heritage Day will provide the public with the opportunity to
experience Ho-Chunk Culture and to gain a better understanding and
appreciation for the mounds located in the De Jope (Four Lakes) area.
More than 165 years ago, the Ho-Chunk people made summer camps on the
shores of Lake Mendota in an area now known as Madison, Wisconsin. A
thriving village, the Ho-Chunk people fished, hunted, gathered, and
socialized.
Opening ceremonies will begin at 8 a.m. with an invocation by Ho-Chunk
Elder Douglas Long. The schedule of events, which will continue until 9
p.m., will include morning and afternoon presentations on Ho-Chunk
history, traditional planting and food preparation, and dancing. A dance
troupe in full traditional dress will demonstrate drumming and singing
at 10:30 a.m. and again at 2:45 p.m.
Mid-day, Ho-Chunk leaders will join State Park staff in a guided hike to
Governor Nelson's five conical mounds and its 389-foot long Panther
mound. Following the hike at 3:30 p.m. the public is invited to
participate in traditional games like the Moccasin Game, Indian Dice,
and LaCrosse.
At 6 p.m. a traditional meal will be served that will include venison,
smoked bison and salmon, squash, corn soup, fry bread, dried berries,
and wintergreen tea. Contemporary foods will be blanket dogs and Indian
tacos.
The closing ceremony will feature traditional campfire storytelling by
Merlin Red Cloud. Storytelling is an important way of life that passes
history, morals, and creates a connection from one generation to the
next.
Ho-Chunk Heritage Day will take place on Saturday, September 8 at
Governor Nelson State Park located between the towns of Waunakee and
Middleton on Highway M, on the northwest shores of Lake Mendota. There
is no charge for any of the events. All vehicles will require a state
park admission sticker.
For more information, contact Donna Schmitz at Governor Nelson State
Park at (608) 831-3005 or email schmid@dnr.state.wi.us.
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