Tribal Relations

Carla Vigue, tribal relations director in the Office of University Relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is pictured in a portrait at the The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery Building on Jan. 6, 2023. (Photo by Althea Dotzour / UW–Madison)

Carla Vigue named director of tribal relations

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Members of the Ho-Chunk Nation are pictured 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.

Our Shared Future

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Aaron Bird Bear Retires

In his 20 years of service, Aaron Bird Bear changed the way we understand campus. More
UW-Madison students sing a welcome song during a Native November feast event held in the at the Multicultural Student Center in the Red Gym at University of Wisconsin-Madison on Nov. 12, 2018. (Photo by Bryce Richter /UW-Madison)

Upcoming Events

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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.

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