A collection featuring diverse voices defining the story of Wisconsin and essential to our national narrative.

Part of the Voices collection

First Nations Stories

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Two women from the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin smile for the camera while in a kitchen making Oneida white corn soup.

Connect to programming and resources that bring visibility to First Nations and Indigenous populations in Wisconsin and across the globe, and the historical debts owed to original occupants of these lands. Native American, First Nations and American Indian are terms used interchangeably, with use determined by personal preference. If possible, use a tribal nation’s name and self-reference. The term Indigenous generally refers to those peoples with pre-existing sovereignty who lived as communities prior to contact with settler populations.

Land Acknowledgment Statement

A map of Wisconsin's Tribal Lands

PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio broadcast to the homelands of 12 Native American nations and their people. We acknowledge their resilience, ingenuity, contributions, and inherent sovereignty. And we remain committed to collaboration with these nations to ensure the public media landscape includes these stories and perspectives now and in the future.

Featured

University Place

The Ho-Chunk Struggle Against Removal, 1828-1875

Stephen Kantrowitz, Professor in the Department of History at UW-Madison, explores the 19th century Ho-Chunk victory over forcible exile from their Wisconsin homeland.

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PBS WISCONSIN EDUCATION

Wisconsin First Nations

Wisconsin First Nations

Resources providing educators with accurate and authentic educational materials to teach about the American Indian Nations of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Biographies: Walter Bresette

Wisconsin Biographies: Walter Bresette

Walter Bresette of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe) embodied an intelligent, inclusive model of activism and education.
Wisconsin Biographies: Chief Oshkosh

Wisconsin Biographies: Chief Oshkosh

Chief Oshkosh was crucial to the Menominee staying in their homeland and developed forest management practices used widely today.
The Ways

The Ways

Hear stories of culture and language from First Nations community members around the central Great Lakes.
Re/sound: Wade Fernandez

Re/sound: Wade Fernandez

Wade Fernandez lives on the Menominee Reservation in Northeastern Wisconsin and tours internationally performing his music, finding inspiration in nature.
State Statutes For American Indian Studies

State Statutes For American Indian Studies

Act 31 requires public instruction on Wisconsin’s eleven federally-recognized American Indian nations and tribal communities.
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WISCONTEXT

Wisconsin's Act 31

Wisconsin's Act 31

Learn why Wisconsin's schools teach native and indigenous history and culture.
Tribal Sovereignty and Native American Gaming

Tribal Sovereignty and Native American Gaming

Explore the history and long legal path of tribal gaming in Wisconsin.
Preserving Native Languages

Preserving Native Languages

Wisconsin linguists and teachers work to build future generations of fluent speakers.
Wisconsin's Remaining Effigy Mounds

Wisconsin's Remaining Effigy Mounds

Wisconsin burial sites provide a crucial window into the re-Columbian period.

PBS Wisconsin News

Ancient Human Remains Unearthed

Ancient Human Remains Unearthed

Ancient Native American human remains have been unearthed at the proposed Kohler Golf Course site.
Wisconsin State of the Tribes

Wisconsin State of the Tribes

History is at the heart of Wisconsin's 2021 State of the Tribes address delivered by John D. Johnson, Sr.
Wolf Hunt

Wolf Hunt

An Ojibwe treaty rights group decries the Wisconsin wolf hunt process in terms of ``extreme disappointment.``
Wolf Hunt Dynamics and Impact

Wolf Hunt Dynamics and Impact

How Wisconsin's first regulated wolf hunt since 2014 will affect the state's wolf population is a guessing game for wildlife specialists.
Violence Against Indigenous Women

Violence Against Indigenous Women

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force held its first meeting to chart a course for the group.
Pandemic Nursing Home Regulations

Pandemic Nursing Home Regulations

The Oneida Nation got ahead of the state on nursing home regulations for the coronavirus.

More Indigenous Voices From PBS

Wisconsin First Nations communities have shared struggle with Indigenous cultures across the world. The term Indigenous generally refers to those peoples with pre-existing sovereignty who lived as communities prior to contact with settler populations. Indigenous is a broadly inclusive term owing to Indigenous peoples’ presence on every continent in the world, fighting to remain culturally, economically, and politically intact amid ongoing dispossession and erasure. What follows is a selection of PBS National content that represents the diverse voices of Indigenous communities across North America and worldwide.

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Watch Native America With PBS Passport

Native America : From Caves to CosmosPBS Wisconsin Passport

Native America

From Caves to Cosmos

Ancient clues and modern science answer the question: who were America’s First Peoples?

Native America : Nature to NationsPBS Wisconsin Passport

Native America

Nature to Nations

Explore the rise of great American nations, from monarchies to democracies.

Native America : Cities of the SkyPBS Wisconsin Passport

Native America

Cities of the Sky

Discover the cosmological secrets behind America’s ancient cities.

Native America : New World RisingPBS Wisconsin Passport

Native America

New World Rising

Discover how resistance, survival and revival are revealed.