Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig growing into a leader with Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. — The name of the class, plainly enough, is Indians of Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin’s American Indian Studies department offers it regularly, and because Bronson Koenig is accustomed to identifying the correct course to take, signing up for it last spring only made sense. He can trace the Native American bloodline on his mother’s side back to a time before his ancestors had Anglicized names. As a member of the Ho-Chunk tribe, he had been exposed to the culture since he was a child, attending occasional large powwows near Black River Falls, watching from the periphery as dancers of all ages moved to the beat of the drums.