Our Shared Future
The University of Wisconsin–Madison occupies ancestral Ho-Chunk land, a place their nation has called Teejop (day-JOPE) since time immemorial.
In an 1832 treaty, the Ho-Chunk were forced to cede this territory.
Decades of ethnic cleansing followed when both the federal and state government repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, sought to forcibly remove the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin.
This history of colonization informs our shared future of collaboration and innovation.
Today, UW–Madison respects the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation, along with the eleven other First Nations of Wisconsin.
Heritage marker atop Bascom Hill, Madison WI
Historically, the Ho-Chunk people inhabited the land that the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the entire city of Madison occupy. This transition in occupation is often dressed up under the guise of manifest destiny. The truth is much, much uglier. But this truth is one everyone should be aware of and confront.
This is a brief summary: After more than 12,000 years of inhabiting this region, the Ho-Chunk people were forced to cede much of their homeland on September 15th, 1832, by treaty. After that, the government of the United States, the government of the State of Wisconsin (est. 1848), and the growing immigrant populations forcibly removed the Ho-Chunk people from this region, along with most other tribal nations from their respective homelands. This was done by systematic campaigns of ethnic cleansing and cultural genocide, thus clearing the way for sale and taxation of that land and its resources by the US and state government colonizers to immigrant colonizers.
It is essential that we, the colonizers, admit culpability for that history, accept the horrible consequences that history has had on native peoples, their religion, language and culture, and acknowledge that native people have had to carry the burden of those truths through time while we prospered on their lands and with their resources.
While nothing can change that past, we all share a future. It is essential to understand that colonization is ongoing. The negative effects colonization has on native peoples in this state and across the United States is substantive, past and present. It is up to us, as colonizers, to find the hidden truths in our shared history, make these truths well known, and do what we can to support, include, and respect native peoples as we move forward together.
How I intend to make a difference:
- Study indigenous ways of knowing & incorporate these techniques in future educational projects.
- Empower more Native American students to become veterinary professionals.
- Increase Native American student & staff representation at the UW Madison SVM.
- Increase access to veterinary care within tribal communities.
How you can make a difference:
- Educate yourself about the native peoples of Wisconsin and visit their communities. You can start by following this link: local tribal nations.
Learn more about the Ho-Chunk Nation by visiting their website.
Learn more about the original history (Ho-Chunk history) of the area now known as the UW Madison campus by attending a local walking tour.
Learn more about the Ho-Chunk language and culture here:
Learning the Ho-Chunk Language
Learn more about Native student organizations here on campus:
American Indian and indigenous studies student organizations
There is a new non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance Indigenous representation in veterinary medicine, foster connections among Indigenous professionals, support Indigenous veterinary students, and cultivate Indigenous leadership within the veterinary profession. The organization is called Natives in VetMed (NIVM). Learn more about the organization here:
“Things which do not grow and change are dead things.”
Louise Erdrich - Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa (author, poet, owner of Birchbark Books)