University of Wisconsin-Madison: Building of Ho-Chunk structure on campus promotes awareness of Indigenous land history

About two dozen campus volunteers assisted Bill Quackenbush, tribal historic preservation officer for the Ho-Chunk Nation, in constructing a Ho-Chunk housing structure Thursday on the North Lawn of Dejope Residence Hall on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus.

The dwelling, called a ciiporoke (chee-poe-doe-kay), has long been a place of home, family, community, teaching and learning in the Ho-Chunk culture and remains an essential part of Ho-Chunk life.

“We are always looking for ways to share our culture through educational outreach, especially in November, which is National Native American Heritage Month,” Quackenbush said as he led the construction. “This was a classic opportunity to build something traditional on this campus as an educational tool.”

UW–Madison occupies ancestral Ho-Chunk land, a place the Ho-Chunk Nation call Teejop (day-JOPE). In an 1832 treaty, the Ho-Chunk were forced to cede the territory. The ciiporoke is the standard Ho-Chunk housing structure used in the Teejop area.

The project was hosted by the Native Nations UW Indigenous Placemaking Subcommittee, in conjunction with the Our Shared Future campus effort. The subcommittee, of which Quackenbush is a member, has embarked on a process to understand and better support Indigenous student, staff, and faculty relationships with campus. One goal of the project is to encourage people to explore how UW–Madison spaces can be transformed into Indigenous places.