Clipsheet

In his opening remarks, the Director of Tribal Relations at UW-Madison Aaron Bird Bear explained that flag raising ceremonies are a common and an important part of contemporary Ho-Chunk culture. This flag raising marked the first time a different nation’s flag flew on Bascom — in the university’s history, representing strides forward from “ignorance to awareness” on campus, a phrase that was repeated in today’s program.

“Thousands of years before Europeans arrived here, the place we now call Bascom Hill was a sacred place for the Ho-Chunk people. They made this their home,” Chancellor Rebecca Blank said. “For many years, UW–Madison was not mindful of this history, and we paid little attention to our relationship with the descendants of those who were here long before us. But we are working to change that.”

This is also the first time the university is showing respect to another nation by flying their flag for a day alongside the United States and Wisconsin state flags.

Karena Thundercloud, Vice President of the Ho-Chunk Nation, said “This occasion you are witnessing today is not only an acknowledgement of all that is history, but a testimony that our community is intertwined.”

Chancellor Rebecca Blank, UW Director of Tribal Relations Aaron Bird Bear, Traditional Chief of the Ho-Chunk Nation Clayton Winneshiek and Vice President of the Ho-Chunk Nation Karena Thundercloud shared their remarks about the raising of the flag. The ceremony also featured traditional flag songs sung by the Wisconsin Dells Singers and members of Sanford WhiteEagle Legion Post 556.