Ho-Chunk Gift of Friendship

This piece was commissioned by the Village of Waunakee to recognize the friendship that the village has built with the Ho-Chunk Nation and vice versa. The village hosted the Ho-Chunk as they launched their historic dugout-canoe journey through the Yahara River Watershed, starting at its source where Six Mile Creek crosses through Village Park in Waunakee.

We wanted to be sure that the piece reflected Waunakee, the Ho-Chunk nation, and the journey with the dugout as much as possible, so we kayaked sections of their route and gathered imagery along the way. The first image is made of stained glass and depicts the iconic view of Village Park (what our family calls “the old park”).  This stained glass panel is inset into a custom-made oak box and lit from within by recessed LED lights.  We chose oak because oak trees are often considered significant by native peoples and are used in spiritual and civic centers for important tribal gatherings.  We chose the Village Park bridge for the central image not only because it reflects the location of the launching ceremony and the headwaters of the Yahara watershed, but also because it is a traditional symbol of bridging two communities that share the same land.

The top of the box features an inlay design showing the Yahara watershed, honoring the journey of the Ho-Chunk youth.  At the left of the inlay is the Yahara river and the Six Mile Creek, leading to Waunakee.  Lakes Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, and Kegonsa are then shown, with the Yahara river finally tailing off to the right of the design. A pair of paddles crosses through the center, and a traditional motif from the Ho-Chunk flag surrounds the image. 

If you follow Six Mile Creek to the left side of the box, you see the reeds and the bird from the Village of Waunakee logo.  Not only does this symbolize Waunakee as the source of the gift, it also highlights the flora and fauna along the route of the dugout canoe.

The final image is drawn from images that the Ho-Chunk youth posted to the tribe’s Facebook page commemorating their journey. We can see the dugout at the shore with the Madison skyline in the background across lake Monona. While most of the wood species in the inlay designs were exotic hardwoods, chosen for their color and grain pattern, we were lucky enough to be able to use wood from the actual Ho-Chunk dugout canoe in creating the image of the dugout in the inlay design.

A more detailed view of the piece can be seen in the interview below.