Category: General

Happy New Year to you, your families, and all Area Tribal Members! There is so much for us to be excited about as we enter this New Year and decade I was happy to get some information out today as follow up to the various conversations we have had recently regarding our Tribal Business operations. I’d like to cover a couple of topics that have come up over the Holiday Season:

Christmas Eve Buffet – Crab Event in the Dells

So much was learned at our Dells property over the Christmas Holiday! We brought back the crab event in the buffet for the Holiday. Patrons went through 1700 pounds of crab in four hours! We ran out of crab, and as this was the first time through with our ordering process, we now know that patrons actually eat 3-4 pounds of crab per person instead of the amount we had thought folks would consume based on what we had seen with this type of event in the past. The entire Team at the Dells pitched in to make sure that all Patrons coming for this event on Christmas Day were greeted and told that we would be substituting Prime Rib for the crab and we also offered this to them at a reduced price. Frankly this offer went over very well too! Net Revenues for our Hospitality area (Food& Beverage) Christmas Eve were up over 1100% – this makes sense because in the previous year we were not open on that day. Fun thing – net revenues for Hospitality on Christmas Day were up 46%, with New Year’s Eve following suit at a 27% increase. Please help us spread the word – on January 22nd we have ordered 2 tons of crab for the next event at the Dells. We also plan to spread this event into both the Black River Falls and Wittenberg venues over the next two months. This will mean that we will have this event at all properties that are managed by our Spectra business Team Members! I have seen pictures of the uneaten food that was left on the tables on our maiden voyage. As such, new processes will be put in place to manage the amount of food people are given at any one time. Still very much all you can eat and now mindful to stop the waste of food. I know all are interested in providing the best we can at a price that balances the cost of providing that service. I will keep you apprised as to how these events proceed at our other Enterprise Hospitality (Food and Beverage) properties. We are watching closely the operational costs associated with these kinds of events so truly appreciate your help getting the word out.

Eagle Summit Closing

On January 6th, 2020 the Eagle Summit in the Dells was closed. Analysis on the revenue side, indicated that the trend for this venue was not rebounding from a downward slope. Many different kinds of marketing, as well as augmented customer enhancements, did not do the trick as the Team at the Dells was not able to get folks to come up to the second floor. For those of you who know the Dells property you also know that taking an escalator up to this location really has not done the job in helping our customers make this a destination when they visit. One nice aspect to all the attention paid to working to make this location profitable was that we were able to study who was playing in that location. We learned that the play that was occurring in that area, for those over 21, actually migrated to our full casino facility. We also learned that 18-21 year old players were willing to play in our bingo area. That grouping of customers totaled just 3.62% of all customers who had played in that Eagle Summit space. So what’s next with this space? A full study of all of the customer space, starting in the parking lots, will be undertaken so that our Tribe enhances the total customer experience throughout the facility. Also, as the escalators are going to be serviced and upgraded, you will see that this 4-month project will also be one we all have to manage through as we help our customers navigate our property. Given the age of our escalators it is critical that we get this done in our slower period of yearly operation. From time to time I will share articles and / or books that I am reading that have had an impact on me. I have attached one here.

As our Tribe continues to change and grow forward I believe it is important to provide diverse perspectives in thought. Simply put more and more demands will be placed on all of us as our customers, employees, and circles on influence become more diverse. It is not what happens to us but rather how we respond that makes all the difference in our personal growth.

Our Tribe will become the Employer of Choice in the Markets in which we operate. These kinds of readings will help all of us broaden our hearts. In the end that is what will make each of us better. I welcome your thoughts after you have had time to review. Feel free to share with your Area Tribal Members if you believe it will help them learn more about some of the current discussion items in play in our Department of Business

Know I appreciate all the prayers and good thoughts for the success of our Department of Business (DOB.) When our DOB succeeds all our Tribal Members, here today and those yet in the future, also succeed!

God bless and all the very best for a wonderful 2020 and new decade!

By Ken Luchterhand

Now that winter has arrived and the snow has been falling, Ho-Chunk Elders can take advantage to a service available to them.

Snow removal assistance is available to assist Ho-Chunk enrolled Elders age 60 and over, but there are some conditions that must be met, according to Ho-Chunk Tribal Aging Services Division Director Greg Blackcoon.

Snow removal will generally begin in the early morning hours when there is at least three or more inches of snow after it has stopped snowing. Attempts to plow out driveways of Elders with extreme medical needs will be made in a timely manner.

The Tribal aging Unit and Department of Housing plow drivers will not begin snow removal until the county or township have begun their plowing.

In some cases, plowing can be delayed or denied based on extreme weather or dangerous road conditions.

Elders will be responsible for moving any vehicles or other items in the plow pathway before the plow truck arrives. All pets must in kept indoors or tied out of the area to be plowed.

Well casings, septic vents, utility boxes, and water pipes must be properly marked so that the plow driver is aware of the structures and damage does not occur.

People should be patient when waiting for a snow plow and driver to arrive, since there is a large area to cover and limited amount of people to perform the plowing.

If the driveway is plowed by someone else before the TAU plow truck arrives, the TAU appreciates a call so that an unnecessary trip is avoided.

Applications for snow plowing services can be obtained by contacting any Tribal Aging Unit. A new application must be filled out each year and applications are usually available through a local TAU site each October.

A copy of the snow plowing policy is available at each Tribal Aging Unit and here.

Wisconsin Gun Deer Hunting Season starts this Saturday November 23rd and runs through Sunday December 1st 2019. Ho-Chunk Nation (HCN) DNR encourages all hunters to be informed in the event they wound a deer and the animal runs on to private property. The hunter must contact the land owner, prior to entering private property to retrieve a wounded animal. For permission to enter HCN land, non tribal members need to contact the Chief of Police Earl Le Mieux or HCN-DNR Executive Director Tina Brown [contact information is found at the bottom of the article]

Deer gun hunting also requires hunters to maintain the utmost discipline in safety through the use of a fire arm, and personal protection from the elements, avoid getting lost, and overall safe hunting practices.

The Ho-Chunk Nation Website (News & Updates) is an excellent resource that provides the Hunting App and the Hunting packet, showing all Ho-Chunk Nation Hunting lands.

Be Safe-Shoot Straight-Good Luck!

Contact Information:

• HCN Chief of Police Earl Le Mieux 715-299-0398
• HCN Department of Natural Resources Tina Brown 715-299-4672

PRIOR TO ACCESSING PRIVATE PROPERTY TO RETRIEVE A WOUNDED ANIMAL, STATE LAW REQUIRES A HUNTER TO CONTACT THE PROPERTY OWNER, (WISCONSIN STATUTES 943.13)

Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Natural Resource

By Ardith Van Riper

The Ho-Chunk Nation Language Division along with the participants from the UW-Madison Tribal Libraries Archives and Museums (TLAM) class hosted a thank you luncheon on May 9 at the Language Division Office in Mauston. 

Their unique partnership celebrates its third year of work on the Ho-Chunk Nation Digital Library project that helps the Nation curate and use its language resources while providing the UW students with a service learning project involving an actual working collection of materials.

The success of this project is primarily due to Omar Poler, instructor of the TLAM class at UW-Madison; Janice Rice, retired UW librarian and member of the Ho-Chunk Nation; and the students from the last three spring semesters’ TLAM classes.  George Greendeer, who has previous genealogy work experience with the Nation’s Enrollment Division and co-authored People of the Big Voice: Photographs of Ho-Chunk Families by Charles Van Schaick, 1879-1942, was hired back in December as the Project Specialist.

TLAM is an effort at UW-Madison to bring indigenous information to library and information science education through coursework, service-learning, continuing education, community-building, networking, resource sharing, and long term partnerships with Native American cultural institutions.  The TLAM course runs every spring.

This spring, the TLAM class worked in groups on the Ho-Chunk Nation Digital Library project.  Kristen Maples, Amy Sampson, and Alicia Eldridge worked with the Ho-Chunk elders.  The elders provided translation and background information on audio and video recording for the students to include in the catalog.  These elders were Maxine Kolner, Andy Thundercloud, Georgia Lonetree, Elliott Garvin, Hope Smith, and Richard Mann.

Elders who are recorded on the audio or video reviewed to date are Kenneth Funmaker, Sr., Edward Lonetree, Jr., Corina Lonetree, Sidney Hall, Ardella Quackenbush, Bill O’Brien, Merlin Redcloud, Gordon Thunder, Annabelle Lowe, Maxine Kolner, Lila Blackdeer, Wayne Falcon, Rebecca Greendeer, Tom Hopinkah, Myron Lowe, Eugene Cloud, George Stacy, Cecil Garvin, Larry Garvin, Richard Mann, Dennis Funmaker, Sr., Chloris Lowe, Velma Lewis, Arvid WhiteEagle, Carlos Funmaker, and John Greengrass.

UW-Madison studentsAlianna Bozhardt, Alicia Eldridge, and Kristen Whitson worked on policy.  Policy included Deed of Gift form, Donor Guide, and applicable copyright and intellectual property law. 

Justin Cornille, Samantha Wolfe, and Sarah Drake worked on cataloging.  Kristen Whitson and Sarah Drake worked on scanning.  Dani Fulwilder worked on archival.

The Digital Library project began three years ago with planning on what needed to be done to catalog, digitize, and archive the Language Division’s audio, video, and written documents.  The initial steps were sorting and organizing material.  Then converting all the Nation’s audio and video recordings and scanning the hard copy written documents into digital files.

Each item is meticulously cataloged using 36 fields of keywords and descriptor details, which are being filled in as the group of students and Nation staff make their way through each item. 

Items are then uploaded to the Mukurto (MOO-koo-too) management system after the cataloging process has been completed.  This management system is where users will be able to search online and see items that are in the Language Division’s collection.  The total number of files in the catalog exceeds 1,000, and that number will be more significant when the site goes live.

“Users will be able to create an account, and then the users will be grouped into what are called communities.  They’ll be levels of access.  Depending on the type of material and subject matter, we can group people by user class group and then assign them the kind of access that we want them to have,” said Division Manager Adrienne Thunder.

“We can even change the setting so that only students and mentors from the Language Apprentice Program can access these materials or only employees of the Language Division.  There is no limit to the number of layers we can create,” said linguistics student Andrea Cudworth.

Thunder says tribal members will have specific access that the general public wouldn’t have.  Eventually, this will all go through the Language and Culture committee to determine the accessibility of the items.

The Nation benefits from having language resources made more accessible, better accounting of materials, and preservation of the original materials.  Some language resources include audio and video capturing the spoken Ho-Chunk language, children’s books in the Ho-Chunk language, photos of Ho-Chunk ancestors, Ho-Chunk dictionary, photos of Ho-Chunk crafts, Ho-Chunk language lessons, and the collection keeps growing.

The project provides valuable professional and learning experiences for UW-Madison students.

“All of us are library and information study students that means we are studying to become librarians and archivists.  I have to tell you that for me, I am in archives to do exactly what we got to do here.  This has been a very fulfilling experience,” expressed UW-Madison Graduate Student Kristen Whitson.

Project Specialist George Greendeer said, “They (students) cataloged 500 items, documents.  We were only expecting 300 for the semester because they had a lot of other stuff to do for their course study.”

The luncheon celebrating this work started with Division Manager Adrienne Thunder speaking and elder Maxine Kolner saying a prayer over the food.  Janice Rice and Andrea Cudworth were each presented with a certificate of appreciation and a blanket for their efforts on the project.

The UW-Madison students prepared the food shared with Language Division staff and honored guests at the luncheon.  The students who worked with the elders presented the elders and George Greendeer with homemade mini loaves of breads.  Staff at the Language Division office were also gifted with an Instant Pot by the UW-Madison students.

Kelly Jo Funmaker attended, representing the Office of the President, and extended gratitude to the individuals who assisted in the project. 

“I know that this one of the President’s top priority, not even for the Ho-Chunk Nation but himself also.  I know that he would be very proud and very happy with what is going on today,” said Funmaker.  

“The fact that they’ve (UW-Madison students over the past three years) not only categorized all of the material, digitized all of the material, and now we are to the point where we are starting to populate the site that’s going to developed for real use,” explains Thunder.

Some of the UW-Madison students have volunteered to return in the summer and continue their work.

Thunder says this work, as much as has been done, is only the beginning. “In the future, the Division hopes to add to the collection with contributions of materials collected by other libraries and museums, tribal and public personal collections, and the Division’s own continuing language revitalization work.”

The Nation’s Mukurtu database will house a vast collection of resources to aid us in the coming years as our Hoocak-first speaker availability declines and our new learners are adding to their knowledge and increasing their use of our language.

This article was previously published in the Hocak Worak

by Ardith Van Riper

Mad Dog and Merrill were at the Neesh-La Powwow grounds on Friday, August 23 filming.  They were joined by Ho-Chunk Chef Elena Terry and prepared Indigenous foods and drink.

Mad Dog & Merrill are self-proclaimed “grillologists” and entertain thousands with the finer points of grilling.  They travel the country performing in front of live audiences and host a TV show.

“We are doing a Native American cultural series with our good friends at NATOW,” said Mad Dog.

The Ho-Chunk Nation and Native American Tourism of Wisconsin (NATOW) sponsored the event.

“NATOW works with the 11 tribes of Wisconsin to promote and market cultural tourism in a way that is sensitive to our culture and those things that we hold sacred to us,” said Apache Danforth, Tribal Tourism Development Director.

“We partner with shows like Mad Dog & Merrill.  They are a nationally syndicated show.  That is one way NATOW can promote and market events like this, things that are happening in Native Wisconsin, the powwows, and any events that are open to the public.

“We purchased four episodes of this show and we brought one here.  One is going to Bad River, the other is going to St. Croix, and at the end of September there are Treaty Days in Madeline Island. Should be fun!”

Merrill asked Elena Terry what an Indigenous Food Chef is.  She responded with, “We work on re-introducing Indigenous ingredients into daily life of our communities, not just tribal members.”

While on camera, they grilled bison steak from Oneida and prepared bison burger mixed with blueberries on a cedar plank and an alder plank.  Also on the grill were onions and peppers on a maple plank.

Merrill prepared succotash which includes beans, sweet corn, beef, and squash.  He also made some tea from fresh lemon, fresh ginger, fresh mint, strawberry, honey, and boiled water.

They aimed at preparing Indigenous foods and drink.

“Indigenous foods are ancestral foods.  Foods that are native to the land, foods that we traditionally ate,” said Terry.  “Most recently, we try to get it out there a little bit more and build stronger communities.  It just ties back into the land.”

Elena Terry started Wild Bearies and they went into a discussion about it.

“Wild Bearies is a community outreach catering company that works to reintegrate community members back into our community through food.  We are seed savers.  We grow ancestral ingredients,” explained Elena Terry.  “Then we go out and share that with our community.”

Mad Dog gifted Elena Terry with some seeds.

Public Relations Officer Forrest Funmaker stated, “The Ho-Chunk Nation had a great time working with the Mad Dog and Merrill Show.

“The Nation thanks Native American Tourism of Wisconsin for bringing the grill challenge to the Neesh-La Powwow.

“The Nation would also like to thank Elena Terry for bringing her newfound indigenous chef talents back to the Nation in her busy schedule.

“They all went above and beyond to make the show as Indigenous as possible. They also loved how well pow-wow committee and Ho-Chunk Gaming – Wisconsin Dells worked with getting all the logistics taken care of so that they can produce an off the hook show.”

The episode filmed at Neesh-La Powwow is scheduled to air Sunday, September 22 on WEAU at 10:30 AM.

This article was previously published in the Hocak Worak