TeeJop (Four Lakes) is an acclaimed city of vibrant culture, industry changemakers, politics, education, sports, and comprised of a community of intergenerational human beings seemingly on the quest for utopian status. That’s right — societal perfection.
If you’re a local or doing business in and around the TeeJop community, you likely have experienced the vibe of this capital city, been privy to the normalization of public engagement, and grasped the deep level of thoughtfulness involved in the decision-making processes affecting the fabric of life.
This “vibe” originated at a time when the first humans occupied this space — Ho-Chunks (also known as HocÄ k, HoocÄ gra, or Winnebago). Humans occupied the shores of TeeJop some 13,000 years ago and Ho-Chunk tribal oral history and ecological knowledge captures this presence and recognizes the tribe’s stewardship of the local watershed, trails, springs, food sources, and sacred sites.
This oral history includes the creation story of humans, clan systems, kinship, and lifeways that command love for one another and pronounce learned practices for long-term generational sustainability. The spiritual reverence for the land, water, and other life-beings is profound and integrated in each of Ho-Chunk’s original 16 clans. This way of life, crafted around the seasons and responsive to threats and opportunities, evolved through traditional governance of a diverse population spanning a massive land base.
How big you ask? The Ho-Chunks held title to over 10.5 million acres at the time of the Treaty Era, and oral history confirms the tribe’s presence in Ohio, Canada, Minnesota, Iowa, and beyond. The tribe’s sophisticated trade routes and activities are chronicled in its own collection kept within the tribe and in archival records in state and national collections. As a result, the tribe continues to observe its independent governance based on centuries of international diplomacy and relations that predate European occupation of their ancestral homelands, including TeeJop.
Who has the blueprint and original manual for specific spaces? Indigenous peoples are the keepers of this knowledge. What is indigenous knowledge? It is simply the adaptive and learned body of knowledge by indigenous people existing since time immemorial. Before the existence of the University of Wisconsin or a glowing white Capitol building on the isthmus, there were Ho-Chunks living around the lakes in ciporokes (“chee-poe-doe-kay”), meaning “round dwelling” in Ho-Chunk, also known as a wigwam. TeeJop is rich in archaeological and cultural sites that continue to baffle scientists about their creation, much like the Pyramids of Giza and the Aztec pyramids. TeeJop served as an international gathering space where Ho-Chunks hosted many nations to set forth international law between the sovereigns, play games, and socially connect. The space serves the same form and function today.
But as we experience TeeJop in all her glory, do we feel, see, or have access to this city’s original ethos? Is this culture embedded in our buildings, infrastructure, teachings, recreation, wellness spaces, in the home, at work, or out and about? Could it be? Yes, the beautiful truth is that the Ho-Chunks are still here. Not only does TeeJop have a thriving Ho-Chunk population, but it is also home to many other members of various tribal nations who collectively and authentically bring indigenous knowledge to the table.
How do we indigenize TeeJop? We get to work. We learn. We organize. We gather local experts, business leaders, government leaders, indigenous knowledge holders, and community members to design and construct sustainable solutions for our great city. We build on existing work and relationships. We incorporate indigenous knowledge and perspectives across every neighborhood and every industry sector.
We also transform our tourism activities, the face and core of our infrastructure, revise corporate practices, rename streets and spaces, and prioritize the lifeblood of our community — the watershed. We reconnect to our space and teach our children to do the same. We revitalize our forward-thinking, sustainable, long-term vision and move closer to the goal of utopia, just as our ancestors dreamed for us.
Samantha Skenandore is an enrolled member of Ho-Chunk Nation and an attorney with Quarles & Brady.
