Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: Ojibwe Presentation Pipe

This Ojibwe presentation pipe consists of two pieces: a pipe bowl and a pipe stem. It was most likely for spiritual ceremonies. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, the pipe bowl is carved from heavy stone, and has two common images to…

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November 17, 2020

Indigenous Wisconsin / Madeline Island / Ethnicity & Identity / 1787-1848 / Bayfield County / Related Stories / Region 1 - North West / Politics & Government / Ojibwe Presentation Pipe

Ke-che-waish-ke

Ke-che-waish-ke (Great Renewer) (c.1759 – 1855), also known as Chief Buffalo (Peezhickee), and by the French Le Boeuf, led the Lake Superior Ojibwe people of Mooningwanekaaning (Madeline Island). Ke-che-waish-ke was instrumental to signing treaty agreements between the Wisconsin Ojibwe people and the United States,…

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November 17, 2020

Indigenous Wisconsin / Forest County / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / 1877-1900 / 1900-1918 / Nature & Environment / Region 2 - North East / Politics & Government / Society & Religion / Potawatomi Beaded 'Soldier Coat'

Missionaries and Land Rights: The Story of Erik Morstad and the Potawatomi

Some histories are not as straightforward as others, especially when cultures collide. It may come as no surprise that stories about the interactions between Native Americans and white settlers are sometimes one-sided. We can partly attribute this to the European tradition of…

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August 1, 2020

Art & Design / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Indigenous Wisconsin / Military History / Object Histories / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Door County / Ethnicity & Identity / 1900-1918 / Politics & Government / Region 5 - Center East / Potawatomi Beaded 'Soldier Coat'

OBJECT HISTORY: Potawatomi Beaded ‘Soldier Coat’

An elder spokesman for the Potawatomi Indians, Chief Simon Onanguisse Kahquados made a number of trips to Washington, D.C. in the early twentieth century in an effort to regain land that his people had lost through treaties with the United States government in the 1800s. Kahquados wore this coat on his last trip to Washington and also wore it on other important occasions, such as trips to the state capital in Madison where he often spent time researching and presenting information about his ancestry.

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August 1, 2020

Indigenous Wisconsin / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Door County / Curators' Favorites / 1900-1918 / 1918-1945 / Politics & Government / Region 5 - Center East / Potawatomi Beaded 'Soldier Coat'

Chief Simon Kahquados

Chief Simon Onanguisse Kahquados was the last hereditary descendant in a long line of Potawatomi chiefs, his family being one of the oldest known Potawatomi inhabitants of Wisconsin. An engaging speaker, Kahquados often served as an interpreter and provided a wealth of information to the Wisconsin Historical Society regarding traditional Potawatomi culture and history.

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August 1, 2020

Home Furnishings / Indigenous Wisconsin / Object Histories / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Ethnicity & Identity / Everyday Life

OBJECT HISTORY: Cradleboard

Native Americans used cradleboards in North America to protect, carry, and entertain their babies. Cradleboards allowed women to keep babies close to their side. Women carried cradleboards on their backs. They also could rest them against a tree. The cradleboard protected babies from danger and kept them happy. Native tribes made cradleboards in many ways,…

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November 1, 2018