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Our History:
Triumph over Adversity
Our Tribe, the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, is a Native American Tribe whose
rich history and residency in the area now known as the State of Wisconsin, along with part of the State of Michigan and Illinois, spans over 10,000 years. At the start of
the Treaty Era in the early 1800's, our Nation occupied a land base estimated at 9.5 million acres; however, through a series of seven treaties entered into with the
United States Government during the 1800's, our Tribe witnessed its land base erode to little more than 235,000 acres. Our Tribe experienced further setbacks in the 1950's
with the U.S. Congress passage of the Menominee Termination Act, which removed federal recognition over our Tribe and attempted to deprive our people of their cultural
identity. Fortunately, our Tribe won back its federal recognition in 1973 through a long and difficult grassroots movement that started among our people and culminated with
the passage of the Menominee Restoration Act (Public Law 93-197).
Our Reality:
We've Lost Part of Our Past
Today, our Tribe and over 4,500 of our 8,419 members can be found on the Menominee Indian Reservation, which is located in Northeast Wisconsin, approximately 45 miles northwest
of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Our people remain a proud and resilient people. We are dedicated to preserving our language, culture, heritage, spirituality, and what little remains
of our ancestral lands. Like all Americans, we honor and value our past, and endeavor to bestow upon our future all that our ancestors have given us.
Unforunately, today our people find that in addition to losing our native language, many precious remnants of our past are scattered throughout the United States in museum displays
and basement, andin other federal, state and private archives. Those precious remnants include human remains of our ancestors, sacred objects, arts and crafts, other artifacts,
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and pictures and documents that are very dear to us. Given the widespread distribution of these objects, our people are unable
to experience their past, much less study about it. And without a museum of our own to help store, curate, and catablog such objects, or to help promote our language, our people
will never get a chance to know the full richness of our history.
Our Dream:
Preserving Our Legacy
We propose to construct a museum to help preserve our long and beautiful history. The museum will be a two-story structure shaped like the Menmoniee Medicine Lodge, which
is the traditional healing lodge of our people, and will provide 7,500 square feet of classroom, exhibit, office and storage space. The museum will allow Menominee museum
curators to safely and securely store sacred objects, arts and crafts, other artifacts, and pictures and documents of our Tribe, and ceremonially lay to rest the remains
of our people stored in other museums and facilities. The museum will also allow us to preserve our language by providing vital classroom space. Although the facility won't
have the capacity to store all Menominee artifacts and cultural items, the base structure will serve as the foundation for future expansion.
Our Hope:
Others Will Believe and Assist in the Cause
We are soliciting tax-deductable donations to help in teh construction of the museum. Donations provided will help construct the facility, exhibits, stoarage areas, fire
suppression systems, and the needed infrastructure to convert the Menominee Nation's dream into a reality. All donations received in excess of the Menominee Nation's goal of
$750,000 will be used to help landscape the facility, add parks and recreation areas, and create classrooms designed to provide interative media to visitors and classroom
children.
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