Ho-Chunk Village and the Honoring the Clans Sculpture Garden

This afternoon we headed to Ho-Chunk Village to see the Honoring the Clans Sculpture Garden.   Twelve statues, each representing one of the tribe's clans, are arranged in a large circle at the heart of the tribe's Ho-Chunk Village. 

If you are confused like I was about Winnebago and Ho-Chunk,  I found out that Hochunk is the people's own name for themselves. Winnebago is what their Algonquian neighbors called them. 

This sculpture is just majestic but I didn't see anything that said who did it or what it represented.  If anyone knows, please let us know.

The following are the 12 sculptures in the circle.  The plaque telling about each sculpture will be followed by the sculpture itself. 

Honoring the Clans Sculpture Garden

After we read all the plaques and took pictures of the sculpture garden, we decided to check out the shops in the Village.

There were several Winnebago posters with the Winnebago campers on them in this shop window.

Some of the artwork that was for sale.

More of the store

Lee checking out some of the items.  

 More artwork

For more information about the Ho-Chunk Village, click this link:  http://www.hochunkinc.com/tour/index.html

The following is part of an Abstract View of Ho-Chunk History
Prepared by the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Heritage Preservation
Division of Cultural Resources

Ho-Chunk or "The People"

Ho Chunk Elders say that history begins with the creation of all things on earth. They say that Ho Chunk means "People of the Big Voice," or "People of the Sacred Language." Ho Chunks have always occupied lands in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota. They have hunted, fished, and gathered plants to provide their food source. The land was sacred because through it the Creator provided all their needs: Food, Clothing, Lodging and the means for their culture to thrive in its existence.

The Ho Chunk people respected the land and took care to harvest from the land only what they needed and never with greed. They were a benevolent people. The people numbered in the thousands. The Clan Chiefs watched over their people and performed their clan duties with reverence and diligence, teaching their offspring to do the same.

Every member of the Nation has his or her place within the clan system and within the Nation. There was never any identity crisis in the old days, because children were reared in a very strict society with rigid guidelines and duties to perform on a daily basis. The People were rich with culture and pride to perform their duties well.

As Caretakers of the land, they moved as the food source did, and during seasons providing the plant life abundant to this region. Villages moved to conserve the area's resources. Eventually some of the Chiefs took their people south along the Mississippi and migrated to warmer climates. Thus we have some southern tribes that speak dialects of the Ho Chunk Language (e.g., Otoe, Ponca, and Iowa).