Tribal Relations

map that shows the extent of tribal lands today and circa 1800 in the Midwest

Posoh, Haho, Boozhoo, Bosho, Shekoli, Koolamalsi, Aquy*,

Welcome to Teejop, an extraordinary cultural and agricultural center with thousands of years of human story.  Teejop (or Four Lakes in Hoocąk language) is where the University of Wisconsin-Madison main campus is located, but with UW-Madison research and agricultural stations, UW Health clinics, and Division of Extension offices located in each county, UW-Madison is located throughout Wisconsin with many connections to the 12 American Indian Nations of Wisconsin.

Within the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Office of University Relations, and in partnership with the Division of Extension, the Office of Tribal Relations works to foster strong ties between the the 12 First Nations of Wisconsin and the University. Find out more about Tribal Relations.

  • In December 2021, The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved a new policy to develop strong, collaborative relationships with the sovereign American Indian tribes in Wisconsin. The UW System Tribal Consultation Policy reflects UW System’s commitment to government-to-government relationships with the Tribal Nations, including regular communication related to research, agreements, initiatives, and policies that have an impact on the Tribes and individual members.
  • Although separate from state government offices, Tribal Relations at UW-Madison works to forward awareness of Executive Order #18 issued in April 2019, by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers affirming the sovereignty of the 11 federally recognized Tribal governments in Wisconsin and the government-to-government relationship that exists between the State and Tribal Nations. Executive Order #19 is a continuation of the work set in motion by Executive Order #39 of 2004, which established the State-Tribal Consultation Initiative.
  • Tribal Relations celebrates Executive Order #50 which established the second Monday in October to be Indigenous Peoples Day in Wisconsin.

Waewaenen, Pinagigi, Miigwech, Igwiyen!, Yaw^ko, Anushiik, Kôkicash* for visiting the Office of Tribal Relations website.

Note on Languages

The 12 Native Nations of Wisconsin speak seven languages from three language families. “Hello” and “Thank you” are above in

  1. Bodwéwadmimwen/Neshnabémwen (Potawatomi)
  2. Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk)
  3. Huluníixsuwaakun (Munsee)
  4. Mã’eekuneeweexthowãakun (Mohican)
  5. Mamāceqtaweqnaesen/Oma͞eqnomenēweqnaesen (Menominee)
  6. Ojibwemowin/Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe)
  7. Ukwehuwehnéha (Oneida)

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Office of Tribal Relations Priorities

Members from numerous Native American tribes participate in a grand entry drumming and dance ceremony during a Spring Powwow at the Stock Pavilion at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on April 6, 2014.

Respect

For 13,500 years, humans have thrived in what is now known as Wisconsin. The Menominee and Ho-Chunk Nations each have creation stories rooted here. Tribal Relations recognizes the distinct cultures, lifeways, and sovereignty of the 12 American Indian Nations in Wisconsin today and engages each with the respect accorded to state and federal governments.

Kasey Keeler, professor in the School of Human Ecology, discusses the Native American heritage of the UW during the Chancellor's Convocation for New Students, a Wisconsin Welcome event held at the Kohl Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Sept. 3, 2019.

Revitalization

The US, as a settler colonial society, focused on the dissolution of Indigenous languages, cultures and nations for almost 100 years until the passage of the 1975 Indian Self-Determination and Educational Assistance Act. Tribal Relations recognizes the cultural and linguistic revitalization movements of the 12 Native Nations of Wisconsin and works to address tribal priorities shared with our university.

Wisconsin tribal leaders and officials from the University of Wisconsin-Madison are pictured in a group photo during a Native Nations Summit held at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, Wis., on May 10, 2019.

Reconciliation

The University of Wisconsin–Madison, as a public land grant university, benefited from the dispossession of Ho-Chunk, Menominee and Ojibwe ancestral lands through violence-backed land cessions. Tribal Relations works to educate the university community of the Indigenous histories and cultures of the western Great Lakes and works to establish long term relationships for mutual benefit with the 12 First Nations of Wisconsin.

American Indian Nations of Wisconsin

Campus Resources

More campus resourcesResources for Native American studentsCampus units serving Native American interests

Contact Us

Please contact Aaron Bird Bear, UW–Madison's Director of Tribal Relations, if you have additional questions.

Aaron Bird Bear, then assistant dean for Student Diversity Programs and now Director of Tribal Relations, helps Demetria Abangan-Brown Eagle (right) to create a crayon rubbing on paper during a heritage marker dedication ceremony for the "Our Shared Future" plaque on Bascom Hill at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on June 18, 2019.