Who Are The Winnebago?

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In the United States, when you say Winnebago, (win-eh-BAY-go) most people think of the huge, motorized vehicles that many Americans own for camping trips. The company that makes these vehicles, named it after the Winnebago tribe. Winnebago supposedly means Muddy Water People. Years ago, this tribe lived along the shores of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Like most tribal people, they hunted and fished in the rivers and streams. Wild rice, which grew in the shallow waters, was also a staple food for them. They lived in round, dome-shaped wigwams, which they framed with saplings and covered with bark and arranged their villages in a circle around a Council House. They also planted corn, beans, and squash. Many died from white men’s diseases and from fighting neighboring tribes. They made friends with Algonquian-speaking bands and adopted many of their customs. Later, when lead ore was discovered on their land, they were forced to move to Minnesota, where they built farms and adopted European customs. In 1859, this land was also taken from them and they were moved in the middle of a cold winter to South Dakota. Over 500 of them died on that trek. This reminds me of the “Trail of Tears.” It’s a sad legacy for all of the tribes who were forced off their land. Eventually they were allowed to purchase homestead sites in Wisconsin, but later the land was lost to them because of unpaid taxes. The government policy at that time gave the Winnebago twenty-five years to become Americanized and after that they were expected to pay taxes, like everyone else, or lose their land. Some descendants of the Winnebago now live in Nebraska and Wisconsin.