By Robert Bordeaux for Arts Midwest.
Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collaboration

Language is the center-point of any culture. For Indigenous people, keeping and carrying forward their language becomes a decolonial act — a reclamation of space. 

This has been Laura C. Red Eagle’s journey. A writer and language enthusiast, Red Eagle is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, whose traditional territories include land in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois.

Red Eagle grew up in rural Wisconsin with her non-native mother, away from her Ho-chunk communities in the area. During this time, she had trouble navigating her identity, culture, and community. Her father’s family were fluent Ho-chunk speakers, but they spoke to her in English when they shared space. In high school, Red Eagle decided to start learning her traditional language. She joined a language camp offered by the Ho-chunk community in Black River Falls. This lit the fire to her language-learning journey.

Over the years, she noticed a deep yearning to create community around language learning. Post-secondary education didn’t offer what she was hoping for. Determined, she decided to gather her own resources. 

These resources were few and far between — common for many Indigenous languages. As oral languages, resources weren’t created until colonial contact. Made by non-speakers, non-native individuals and organizations, complications arose around the control of translations and learning methods, and access to these materials. 

A Space to Share

Red Eagle tracked down a tape that offered Ho-chunk for colors, numbers, and animals, but she craved to dive deeper.

Then, a timely interaction set the stage for her next chapter of language-learning. At her father’s funeral, she heard Jon Greendeer (current president of Ho-Chunk Nation) speak in Ho-Chunk. After a conversation, he offered resources and other community members to connect with around the language. The importance of community learning spaces kept surfacing for Red Eagle. 

“Learning the language in a judgment-free zone opens doors into learning about history, the ways of thinking, and being, and what is important, and so much more,” she says.

Her perseverance led to the Indigenous Language Table at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) in Madison. It’s a space for active language practice beyond the classroom. The Indigenous Language Table is a communal gathering that meets once a week. It emphasizes the importance of using the language in everyday conversations.

To young Indigenous people and new language learners, Red Eagle says: find a class, build a community, and create spaces for language use. 

Red Eagle remains steadfast in creating a supportive community for language learners, even with the struggles of language revitalization work. “Language is ultimately about connecting as human beings and creating a sense of belonging,” she says. She envisions more Indigenous Language Tables across Wisconsin and beyond. Her story is a testament to the resilience and dedication required to revive and sustain Indigenous languages. Her efforts with the Indigenous Language Table offer a blueprint for creating vibrant language communities.


Robert Bordeaux wrote this story for Arts Midwest.


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Tourism generates $3 billion annually in North Dakota but tribal officials say direct spending from visitors does not always reach their areas. Now, a new grant program aims to help Native American tribes promote their sites.

Gov. Kelly Armstrong recently signed a bill which sets aside $100,000 for North Dakota's five tribal nations to share for tourism-related projects.

Kiera Fox, acting tourism director for the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, said it might not seem like a lot of money but it is a foot in the door. She noted her team can use it to improve signage and other needs, while promoting their history in a culturally-appropriate way.

"We get to tell our stories with our own voices," Fox explained. "Reeducate a little bit, correct some of those misconceptions everybody has about Native Americans."

She pointed out the MHA Nation is off the beaten path More visibility with signs might convince drivers to take a detour and check out sites, including a local museum and the Crow Flies scenic overlook. The bill sailed through the Legislature with minor opposition; however, the final sum is lower than the proposed $500,000.

Bill sponsors said the initiative benefits regional economies, with promotion from tribal and non-tribal areas working hand-in-hand. As for Indigenous communities, Fox emphasized having more tourists spend money locally expands their revenue base.

"For these businesses, some these entrepreneurs, our Native artists, they benefit," Fox stressed. "And then (there are) more funds going into infrastructure, updating our amenities."

Other tribes submitting testimony said Native entrepreneurs have difficulty working through issues like land use regulations, putting them at a disadvantage in becoming a tourism draw. The state Commerce Department does have other grant programs for local areas to promote themselves but tribal advocates said they are often out of reach for Native entities.


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Voter turnout from tribal communities in Wisconsin has increased in recent years, with historic numbers for the state Supreme Court election this month.

The Menominee reservation turnout increased by more than 80% from the spring 2023 election and both the Red Cliff and Bad River Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa saw turnout jump more than 60%, according to Wisconsin Conservation Voices, which works with tribal communities through its Wisconsin Native Vote program.

Maria Haskins, native regional tribal organizer for the group, said listening sessions, roundtables and regional dinners have been crucial in building relationships and getting people to the polls.

"With people seeing their peers being more active in the polls and becoming more informed about a lot of these issues, is what is really motivating them to go out and cast their ballot," Haskins observed. "Because I think that people are realizing their vote is their voice."

Haskins noted communities shared concerns at the events about issues like the opioid epidemic, which is severely affecting tribal communities, while drawing the connections of voting to their goal of tribal sovereignty.

The Menominee community has seen some of the most dramatic jumps in voter turnout. In 2023, community voting increased by 75% and has seen a 220% increase since 2019. Haskins believes the influx reflects the increase tribes are also seeing in representation, with more Native Americans running for office.

"I think that it's a huge movement," Haskins emphasized. "It's just something saying, 'Our people deserve to have a voice in what is happening, and we deserve to have the ability to be involved.'"

At a time when the country is seeing the rapid-fire dismantling of DEI initiatives and priorities, Haskins thinks it has never been more important to stay connected and involved.

"I'm super thankful for every community that we work in and I just can't express the importance enough of being in community and leaning on community right now," Haskins added. "I think that it's really important for all of us to have those connections and continue moving forward."


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The Jackson-based group Native American Jump Start has been providing grants to Native students, interns and young workers for decades and this year, has added an ambassador program.

Nine ambassadors across the country will help spread the word on Native American Jump Start opportunities, up to 100 microgrants per year to help, among others, students at any level of higher education.

Wicahpi Chaddlesone-Yankton, grant and operations coordinator for the group, said they want to highlight more student voices and half of ambassadors in the first cohort are current students.

"We wanted to have our ambassadors work with their Native student centers or organizations on their campus and just help bring NAJS's voice into a bigger light," Chaddlesone-Yankton explained.

The group is funded by private donations and therefore will be directly affected by cuts from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, the Native American Rights fund in March sued the U.S. Interior Department and the Office of Indian Affairs over the federal administration's cuts to the Bureau of Indian Education.

O'Shay Birdinground comes from the Great Apsaalooke Nation and will graduate this spring from the University of Montana. He first used Jump Start funding to attend a conference. Now as an ambassador, Birdinground encouraged "future Indigenous leaders" to take advantage of educational opportunities.

"There are a lot of opportunities out there for education and leadership development," Birdinground emphasized. "I wouldn't hesitate to jump on any one of those opportunities that is provided to you."

The application period for Native American Jump Start's education grant funding for this fall opens April 1.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.