Our Shared Waters
Heex Huu Hoik’oros & Wiigwaasi-JiimaanHo-Chunk Cottonwood Dugout Canoe & Ojibwe Birchbark Canoe
OUR SHARED WATERS, a two-day, multidisciplinary program celebrating Indigenous craft and knowledge about water, food, language, and ecology, offered the campus and wider community an opportunity to learn about the canoes that have navigated Wisconsin’s waters for millennia and the essential role these watercraft continue to play in carrying forward Indigenous knowledge and culture.
The program included workshops for three First-Year Interest Groups, public talks, corn braiding and manoomin (or wild rice) parching demonstrations, and group paddles alongside a dugout and birchbark canoe on Lake Mendota.
Public Talk: Tee Waksikhominak Canoe Conundrum
On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, Bill “Nąąwącekǧize” Quackenbush, tribal historic preservation officer of the Ho-Chunk Nation, and Amy Rosebrough, state archaeologist, presented a public talk on dugout canoes at the outdoor classroom in Alumni Park. Since 2021, eleven ancient dugout canoes have been identified in Lake Mendota– the oldest 4,500 years old. These canoes give a glimpse into the long human history of Teejop and the ingenuity and knowledge passed down by Ho-Chunk and other Indigenous people for millennia.
Canoe Flotilla on Lake Mendota
In a canoe “flotilla,” participants had the opportunity to paddle alongside a cottonwood dugout canoe crafted by Bill “Nąąwącekǧize” Quackenbush– and to witness firsthand how smoothly the dugout glides atop choppy waters!
Corn Braiding and Manoomin (Wild Rice) Parching Demonstrations
Corn braiding and manoomin (wild rice) parching demonstrations led by Dan Cornelius, outreach program manager of the Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center, and students at the shore of Lake Mendota highlighted the vital connection between water, watercraft, and Indigenous foodways.
Public Talk: Bringing Back Anishinaabe Birchbark Canoe Culture
On Thursday, September 26, 2024, expert canoe builder Mino-giizhig (Wayne Valliere) and Tom DuBois, Halls-Bascom Professor of Scandinavian Folklore, Folklore, and Religious Studies presented a public talk at the outdoor classroom in Alumni Park. Mino-giizhig’s apprentice, Michael Cisneros, also joined him in Madison for the day to assist with teaching and facilitating on-the-water activities. Mentorship and the importance of canoes in carrying forward Anishinaaabe language and culture were key themes throughout the day.
Canoe Flotilla on Lake Mendota
Participants had the opportunity to paddle alongside a birchbark canoe, the same that hangs above Four Lakes Dining Hall in Dejope Residence Hall year-round, as a second flotilla on Lake Mendota. The canoe was built by Mino-giizhig (Wayne Valliere) with students from both UW-Madison and the Lac du Flambeau public school during his time as an artist-in-residence at UW-Madison in 2013.
Language Guides
These language guides were created by Makamae Sniffen, Our Shared Future project assistant and doctoral student in the Department of Educational Policy Studies.
OUR SHARED WATERS – HEEX HUU HOIK’OROS & WIIGWAASI-JIIMAAN was made possible by many partners– the Ho-Chunk Nation’s Cultural Resources Division, the Wisconsin Hoofers, the Office of the Chancellor, the Wisconsin Alumni Association, the Center for Limnology, the Division for Teaching and Learning, Earth Partnership, the First-Year Interest Groups Program, the Folklore Program, the Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center, the Reilly-Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment, and the Wisconsin Historical Society. To all who have collaborated on and contributed to this program, you have our deepest gratitude.