June 24, 2019
On June 18, 2019 a dedication ceremony was held on Bascom Hill to commemorate the addition of a new heritage marker that recognizes the land as the ancestral home of the Ho-Chunk and acknowledges the circumstances that led to their forced removal. Around 30 elected leaders and citizens of the Ho-Chunk Nation attended the ceremony as well as leaders from UW–Madison, including Chancellor Rebecca Blank and Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies Dean Paul Robbins.
Robbins shared that the plaque is just a small part of the university’s pledge to forge a better partnership with the 12 Native Nations of Wisconsin. In fact, the plaque is an outcome of a 2015 leadership summit with representatives from the 12 Nations that has helped to pave the way for many new partnerships and initiatives including the creation of the Native Nations_UW Working Group. A second leadership summit was held in Madison this past May.
“All of the projects are aimed at reconciliation and recognition,” Robbins said. “And amongst those are an effort to memorialize the history of this land so that it can be shared with students and faculty and the community with honesty.” Read more.
Caption: Members of the HoChunk Nation are pictured following the June 18 dedication of a heritage marker on Bascom Hill. Several UW-Madison officials, including Chancellor Rebecca Blank, joined them for the group photo.
Photo Credit: Bryce Richter