Land Acknowledgement

Our events occur on the sacred ancestral land of the Ho-Chunk People.

In an 1882 treaty, the Ho-Chunk were forced to cede this territory. Decades of ethnic cleansing and repeated but unsuccessful attempts to forcibly remove the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin followed.

With great respect, the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin acknowledges and celebrates the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation and the 11 indigenous First Nations within what is now the State of Wisconsin.

The Ho-Chunk Nation translates to “People of the Big Voice” or “People of the Sacred Language.” The Nation is comprised of twelve clans: the upper clans, “those from the sky” (Thunder, Warrior, Eagle, and Pigeon), and the lower clans, “those on the earth” (Bear, Buffalo, Deer, Wolf, Elk, Fish, Water Spirit, and Snake). Each clan has distinct responsibilities, such as judicial matters, health and safety, and civic governance.

The Ho-Chunk Nation’s ten million acres of ancestral land remain recognized in treaties between the United States and the Ho-Chunk Nation. “Teejop” in Ho-Chunk translates to “Four Lakes,” which refers to lakes Mendota, Monona, Kengonsa, and Waubesa, all connected by the Yahara River in the Madison Area.

Cover photo: Barred Owl by Dexter Patterson