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The Brothertown Indian Nation has been given a significant opportunity to present our heritage and traditions to Wisconsin and our surrounding Communities.  This is an opportunity we can’t miss. Please find below the details of the opportunities.

For application link or additional information, email Courtney Cottrell Gerzetich at Crtncttrll@gmail.com

To access the WIA Program Guidelines, eligibility criteria, and application, click ‘Find Out More’ below. Detailed registration instructions are included in the program guidelines.

Find out more….

Types of activities funded include, but are not limited to:

• Projects focused on the documentation, preservation, or revitalization of arts activities, language, foodways/food traditions, or cultural knowledge in Wisconsin’s Native American communities,
• Technical assistance and professional development to Native artists and arts organizations,
• Professional arts administration positions in support of Native arts,
• Presentation and promotion of Native artists through festivals, markets, exhibitions, various media, and other forms of presentation, and
• Planning grants in preparation for any of the above.

Work Samples

Along with the application, you will need to include a work sample. This is supporting material that gives evidence of the high quality and/or cultural significance of the proposed art and/or the qualifications of the people involved. Applicants may include up to 10 digital images, provide web links to audio or video samples, upload audio or video files, literary work, and – if appropriate to the 6 project – resumes or position description of the key people involved. Use the fields provided in the application form to submit your work samples.

• Images – For each visual artist involved in the proposal, upload excellent quality images of recent work in JPEG format (jpg). Applicants may include up to 10 digital images. Images that show past events or products appropriate to the current proposal are also welcome.
• Audio/Video Files or Links – For each performing artist involved in the proposal, upload an audio or video file, or include a link to an audio or video sample that illustrates high-quality recent work. Video that shows past events or products appropriate to the current proposal are also welcome.
• Literary Work – Upload (or include a link to) a literary sample. If not available electronically, mail a print version.

Important Announcement from Wisconsin Arts Board for all Brothertown Artists in Wisconsin

Once again: Calling All Brothertown Artists!!!

Upcoming Deadline Reminder: Woodland Indian Arts Program

The Wisconsin Arts Board is accepting applications for the Woodland Indian Arts (WIA) grant program until Thursday, February 12th, at 3 pm for projects occurring between March 15 and December 31, 2026.

To access the WIA Program Guidelines, eligibility criteria, and application, click ‘Find Out More’ below. The “Apply Here!” link will take you to WAB’s online grants system. Detailed registration instructions are included in the program guidelines.

Types of activities funded include, but are not limited to:

• Projects focused on the documentation, preservation, or revitalization of arts activities, language, foodways/food traditions, or cultural knowledge in Wisconsin’s Native American communities,
• Technical assistance and professional development to Native artists and arts organizations,
• Professional arts administration positions in support of Native arts,
• Presentation and promotion of Native artists through festivals, markets, exhibitions, various media, and other forms of presentation, and
• Planning grants in preparation for any of the above.

New, expanded, or existing projects are eligible. Traditional and contemporary art forms are welcome.

As a reminder, the program’s maximum request amount increased from $4,000 to $6,000 in FY24, and there was a change to the program’s match requirement. Please be sure to review the WIA Program page, guidelines, and eligibility details before beginning an application

If you have questions regarding the application process or would like to discuss a project proposal, please contact Kaitlyn Berle at (608) 266-8106 or kaitlyn.berle@wisconsin.gov. 

__________________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2026 Wisconsin Arts Board, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Wisconsin Arts Board
PO Box 8690
Madison, WI 53708

Time again for our exciting Snow Snake Event with the Ho-Chunk Nation

Setup February 13th and Event Saturday February 14th

More information coming shortly about volunteers needed for the snow snake track setup the day before…

For application link or additional information email Courtney Cottrell Gerzetich at Crtncttrll@gmail.com

Proposal Deadline: March 31, 2026

With the utmost respect, we thank each our current veterans for their selfless service and to our Country.

Today, November 11th, please take a moment not only to thank the ones you know, but also keep a warm thought in your heart for our many ancestors who have served this country for almost 2+ centuries.

The Brothertown Indian’s record of service began with the American Revolution and continued serving freedom for almost 250 years.  Many of our members have given their lives in service to our country while protecting the freedoms and ideals we hold dear.

Brothertown’s legacy of service to our country has extended not only in peacetime but to virtually every American military conflict, including the American Revolution (19), the War of 1812 (1+), the Civil War (122), WWI (very many), WWII (many more), Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East (Desert Storm, Afghanistan), as well those who served in times of peace.

In memory of our fallen heroes, you are remembered and not forgotten.

Here are a few links to learn more about our veterans:

• View the names of Brothertown ancestors who served in the American Revolution (1775-1783).
• View Brothertown Veterans on float in the 2014 Flag Day Parade in Appleton.
• Indigenous Veterans Day Films from PBS (Honoring Native American military Service men and women):
  • The People’s Protectors
  • The Warrior Tradition

Links for our veteran members to VA services are included here (for the States of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the VA in Washington, DC. The latest Veteran Newsletters can also be found on this page.

Brothertown Veterans attending Homecoming 2014 (photo courtesy of Paul Werth)

Letter from the Brothertown Indian Nation’s Veterans’ Chair Mike Pelky:

We observe Native American Heritage Month in November to recognize the achievements and contributions of Native Americans. We celebrate the remarkable diversity of American Indian peoples while remembering and honoring our veterans who have sacrificed so much to defend our Nation.

It is also a time to educate others with pride, that Indigenous peoples are the holders of unique languages, knowledge systems, and beliefs, and possess invaluable knowledge of practices for the sustainable management of our natural resources.

Additionally, Indigenous and Native communities have shown resilience, perseverance, and strength amid challenges like displacement and cultural suppression. We certainly must celebrate our successes, our heritage, and our culture, as well as who we are as a people.

We should, likewise, take a moment to recall the obstacles we have overcome. Our ancestors’ courage and strength were tested as they faced countless obstacles and overcame unimaginable challenges; they deserve to be honored.

Below is one such fact that was intended to separate us from who we are. Our ancestors’ courage and resilience were tested as they faced countless obstacles and overcame unimaginable challenges. While very costly, we persevered and “we are still here…”

Come together as our Tribal family for an important event on Zoom on November 7.

For Eeyamquittoowauconnuck (Brothertown) Day, 2025, Brothertown Indian Nation and Calumet and Cross Heritage Society are proud to announce that Dr. Courtney Gerzetich, Brothertown’s Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) and a member of the Calumet and Cross Board, will be offering a presentation on interviewing tribal elders. 

The workshop will begin at 6 pm CT/7 pm ET/5 pm MT/4 pm PT on November 7th and will cover equipment set-up, interview questions, and tips for preserving and sharing your interviews.

For additional information you can see more details of the presentation here….

Take advantage of the upcoming holiday season to sit down with your family members and ask them to share their memories with you. Everyone’s stories are essential, and we can all contribute to the collection and preservation of our tribal history by speaking with and interviewing our relatives and, with their permission, sharing a copy for the tribe’s archives.

How to attend: Zoom—link with sign-on instructions and passcode are available by contacting CalumetAndCross@gmail.com or webmaster@brothertownindians.org

Relevance to our Tribe: our history and shared memories are essential to our heritage.  Going back to the 1980s, when this project first began, it was a vital key to our shared Tribal knowledge of our family stories and memories. This includes both our struggles and our celebrations, which can’t be lost to our future generations.

What is Eeyamquittoowauconnuck (Brothertown) Day?

This day, by proclamation by the Brothertown Tribal Council, we celebrate not only our Tribal heritage, but the decades of trials that our Ancestors endured (from New England, to New York, Indiana, and on to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, etc.), and still endure to this day.

It is a testament that we, as a tribal family, “are still here!  240 years later (Nov 7, 1785), following these words “We now proceeded to form into a Body Politick -We named our town by the name of Brotherton, in Indian—Eeyamquittoowauconnuck” (Occom 1785)

All Brothertown, each of whom proudly recognizes themselves as the “Brothertown Indian Nation”, with both our Tribal friends and our Tribal cousins, come together to celebrate Community, with one voice—as a single tribe. Whether in Fond du Lac, greater Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Pacific Northwest, and a multitude of other locations – we are Brothertown and stand proudly together.

By Trevor Hook  Wisconsin Public Radio, October 6, 2025

Intertribal Lake Winnebago Wild Rice Revitalization Project seeks to merge mainstream, Indigenous methods to preserve wild rice

To view the entire article, and to listen to the podcast – Click here…

For Jessica Skeesuck, vice chair of the Brothertown Indian Nation, restoring wild rice goes beyond just helping the environment.

“It is an important food from a nutritional value perspective, but also from a very important cultural perspective for many tribes, including Brothertown Indian Nation,” Skeesuck told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.”

Skeesuck and Jessie Conaway, an outdoor educator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, are co-leads on the Intertribal Lake Winnebago Wild Rice Revitalization Project. 

For three years, Skeesuck, Conaway and other collaborators have worked to reseed wild rice across the lake by combining mainstream science and Indigenous reseeding methods. This can mean reseeding via “broadcasting” — throwing rice directly into the water — or by mixing wild rice with nearby clay and sediment to create “mud balls” to then place into the water.

To view the entire article, and to listen to the podcast – Click here…

“My great hope is that we will continue to have improved collaborative relationships … so that the quality of the water and the quality of the sediment is improved,” Skeesuck said. “In this day and age, we know that water is a scarcity. We have some really high quality water in the area. If we are able to do that in a good way, then the rice will survive and we will be able to take care of our people and our animal relatives that depend on it.”

Special Occasion:  Celebrating Brothertown Indian Nation Bingo’s 20th anniversary!

Dawn Kraintz was presented with the Joseph Johnson award while her husband, Dan Kraintz, was awarded the Thomas Dean Award for their efforts going above and beyond, over the past 20 years, in support of Brothertown Indian Nation through the operation of Brothertown Bingo.

We also introduced two new members to the tribe via our cradle roll! They, along with many family members, travelled all the way from Canada. There was a presentation by Brothertown Tom Smith on the trail markers our ingenious ancestors used. Finally, for our younger generations, storytelling with BIN Storyteller Shelli Dekker (click here for a snippet of her telling of “Robin Squash”). 

The food was superb, as usual, and our family of vendors, along with everyone who shared stories and memories at this Tribal family event, made the day complete.

Congratulations to our newest members and to Dawn and Dan!

Mark your calendars to attend Homecoming —3rd Saturday of October 2026!  

A special snippet of Brothertown Indian Nation Storyteller Shelli Dekker telling the ending of the story of the Robin Squash… (Apologies about the audio, it was a beautiful day, but windy as you can hear).

The Pacific Northwest gathering was held on August 23, 2025, at Milo McIver State Park in Estacada, Oregon.

Despite the crushing heat that day, this official Brothertown Indian Nation gathering was attended by upwards of 60 people, including three tribal Council members (Vice Chair, Jessica Ryan; Secretary Melissa Kavonius, and Dawn Kraintz). The day’s events included a potluck lunch, games and activities, and an enrollment ceremony where eleven children were welcomed into the tribe.

View and enjoy the PNW Gathering by clicking here…..

Be sure to view all the new Galleries of events recently added at the end of the post, below…

View the gallery and join our Brothertown Family from the Pacific Northwest as they celebrate extended community, shared bond, and our mutual heritage. Over 40 photographs of the day’s activities and our cousins are available for you to view and share. As you see, it was quite a day!

If you’d like to be put on the list to be notified of future PNW gatherings, please reach out to SethElsen@gmail.com. If you plan to present children to the Tribe at a future event, please get in touch with the Brothertown office at (920) 907-0624 or BrothertownOffice@brothertownindians.org with any questions.

Other new events of the Brothertown Indian Nation have been recently added, and most were included in the New Fall 2025 BIN Newsletter, which was just released and sent out.

Enrollled Members can sign up to recieve the quarterly BIN Newsleter here...

The New Galleries of recently added BIN Events are now live on the website include:

• 8th annual Neenah-Menasha Intertribal Powwow, Sept. 13, 2025
• Pacific Northwest Gathering August 23, 2025
• Brothertown Indian Cultural Camp July 16-19, 2025
• 2025 74^th Annual Appleton Flag Day Parade – Brothertown Veterans July 16, 2025
• The Brothertown Veterans’ 1^st brat fry event was a huge success! July 14, 2025
• Minnesota Gathering 2025 – Brothertown Indian Nation, April 26, 2025
• Powwow 2025, Brothertown Indian Nation – huge crowds and featuring 5 Drums, April 10, 2025
• Unveiling of a historical marker for the Dick Cemetery – October 19, 2024
• To name a few… Currently, there are a total of 35 Galleries going back to 2014, and more are being added…View all here…