Aho Wazaniwira,
Egu zige Macek watap wigaja, We are entering into a New Year once again. Although some of the Relatives didn’t make it through the last annual cycle of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, we have great expectations for what lies ahead, individually, as a Clan, and as a Nation, our Great Ho-Chunk Nation.
As we work diligently each day to accomplish positivity within our Government for our Future Generations to use in their best interests. We have many uphill tasks that need follow through on to get accomplished. I will mention some here as the rain is gently falling today and how important the rain is to us and Creation. The purity of it, because all of Creation needs the water to survive. We are always making sincere efforts taking care of Mother Earth to keep the water pure. This goes hand in hand with the food that we put in our bodies. There are plans to continue with planting gardens in our Communities as organic as possible, so we can be putting healthy food in our bodies. Our plants need the pure rain to fall upon them as they go their full cycle to ripen fruits and vegetables which we consume. We need our communities to come out and be a part of the Organic Gardening Projects as they begin. One of the good things about this project is that you will reap what you sow. On the same token, our Nation will be doing the same. We are in the very early stages of setting up our Agriculture Department and the Organic Gardening Project will be used to learn more about this aspect of having an Agriculture Department.
Ho-Chunk Nation Health Department is on the verge of becoming Self-Governance Department. What this means is after all these years of Indian Health Service directing us on how we are going to be spending the dollars we receive from the Federal Government, we will be deciding for ourselves how best this will be done. Thinking back on the infancy of our Government and what we had and what was wanted, to assist all Ho-Chunk people with their Health issues, has been a huge incentive to be Self-Governing and to do this, is a great accomplishment for Ho-Chunk Nation. The foresight our incredible Elders had was perseverance and determination, for that, we must appreciate this milestone. For our generation to see how the Health Department has flourished, must also realize that there was allot of work achieved since our early beginnings to this momentous time. Executive Director of Health, Ms. Ona Whitewing Garvin, Ahuskawiga, along with her Staff put many hours and worked diligently to make this become a reality, for us and our future Generations. We have all required Documents properly signed and by now sent out for this to begin in the very near future.
Our Ho-Chunk Nation Legislature has passed a Resolution to establish a Tribal Coordinating Committee to develop and implement a Tribal Action Plan. The Committee is comprised of 15 Departments and Divisions along with Office of President and Legislature. The purpose of the Committee is to create a plan to combat alcoholism and drug use. The Committee has been meeting since July 2016 to carry out this task. We are nearing the Final Stages of fulfilling the Resolution, present to Legislature and begin implementation. Once again I am reaching out to all our Communities asking for help, this time, in making our Communities safe from alcohol and drugs. This plan can be tweaked to fit needs of individual communities, whose needs may vary from one to another. Several years ago, we set out to "Taking Back Our Communities", we must do this once again. We, the Ho-Chunk People, have done so much work in the last 20+ years to build strong communities and safe communities. We must maintain this direction for our Elders, our Children and Ourselves.
In all that has been taking place with Ho-Chunk Nation in the yesteryears and what is taking place today, we journey into another year Mauna has provided for us. We must continue to make efforts for one another which coincides with what we are met to do while on Mauna’s Creation.
We must hoisep-always….
ai kituti-help one another
nacgewokici-have sincere concern for one another
wogixete-Love one another
wokis’ak-respect each other.
Looking ahead to Great things for Ho-Chunk Nation, our Lands, the Water we need and use always.
Nasanehi
Wilfrid Cleveland
President, Ho-Chunk Nation