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CULTURE CAMP JULY 16-19, 2025

BROTHERTOWN INDIAN NATION CULTURAL CENTER N1866 HWY 151, Chilton, WI

Questions about theCamp? Call Dawn at Office (920-929-9964) or Jessica (612-508-3364)

Saturday August 23rd
12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Milo McIver State Park
Estacada, Oregon

Come hear stories, our history, and unknown tales of our ancestors from our Elders. This event reaffirms our common roots, goals, and family ties each year. Learn about our Restoration progress from our Council member attending

Important message: For children who want to be present, much work (including paperwork, research, and other relevant tasks) needs to be accomplished by Dawn in the Tribal Government offices in Fond du Lac. Please contact her with any paperwork, questions, or other issues you may have. She is vital to this process.

For this and any other questions, please reach out to Dawn at;
BrothertownOffice@brothertownindians.org or call the office at (920) 929-9964

It all kicks off with our July Brothertown Indian Nation Council meeting, where we learn about priorities, plans, and communication from Tribal Leadership.

Directly following the Coucil meeting is the Gathering of Relatives Event where the converstion includes (as well as other things) or stories, and Share our vision for the future of our Tribe and our future generations and more…

Then to one of our foundational events we all look forward to — our Annual Brothertown Picnic! A favorite time for decades, a time to sit with our extended tribal family, hear stories and unknown tales of our ancestors from our esteemed Elders, and reconnect with our extended family. This vital event reaffirms our common roots, goals, and family ties once every year.

The Brothertown Mission Statement:

“The mission of the Brothertown Tribe is to continue a stable and dynamic government which will promote and maintain the spiritual, physical, intellectual, social, and economic well-being of our citizens; to restore and preserve our unique historical, cultural, and traditional beliefs; to preserve and protect our sovereignty in order to achieve self-determination and self-sufficiency; to promote a positive image of integrity, honesty, respect, and fairness when pursuing cultural, economic, and social initiatives; to promote peace and harmony for the fulfillment of our vision as a community when all people can prosper and grow in mind, body, and spirit. The Brothertown Tribe recognizes and accepts the relationship which must be forged between all who will be affected by our sovereignty. It is in faith we undertake these tasks, and it shall be with a spirit of cooperation and friendship that we reach the goals which we have set.”

Wisconsin’s Brothertown Indian Nation is fighting for federal acknowledgement

The Wisconsin tribe lost its sovereign status in the 1830s. They’ve spent decades trying to get it back.

By Colleen Leahy – Wisconsin Public Radio

There are nearly 1,000 Native American tribes. But according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there are 574. What happened to the other 400? Federal recognition is a legal status that grants sovereignty to tribes, allowing them to have a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

“I can remember when I was a lot younger, if you said you were a Brothertown Indian, somebody might say, ‘What, who?’ That can be quite detrimental to your self-concept and your identity,” she said. 

For the Brothertown, lack of federal recognition has even threatened the tribe’s ability to preserve its own heritage. Tousey told a story about how a non-Native man came in possession of a trove of tribal documents that he tried to sell to the tribe for $1 million. “We had no ability to reacquire that,” she said. 

The Oneida Nation, a recognized tribe that often acts as an ally to the Brothertown and has some shared history, stepped in to protect and preserve the Brothertown’s collection. The story highlights the vulnerability of unrecognized tribes; they are at risk of losing control of their own history.

The Brothertown people were forced to move many times over the course of their history, eventually making their way from the East Coast to Wisconsin. When the government tried to force the tribe to move again in the 1830s, this time to Kansas, the tribe refused via legal maneuvering.

“I believe that our ancestors, our leadership, looked around and realized, of course, that no one was asking the non-Indians to move so their land could go to someone else,” Tousey said. 

The tribe has spent the last 45 years trying to get the government to fix this problem. For three decades, the Brothertown worked to gather the necessary documentation to apply for federal recognition. But the government rejected the tribe’s petition in 2012, informing the tribe  they should have been petitioning for restoration, not recognition. 

You can view the entire article and podcast here on the WPR website….

A note from Colleen Leahy I’d like to pass along to the Tribe:

If you attended the 2025 Brothertown Indian Nation event in April, you may have noticed a friendly, polite, and energetic woman walking around with a large recorder, speaking to everyone with her eyes wide open, seemingly trying to take it all in and observe it all.
Her name was Colleen Leahy, a producer for Wisconsin Public Radio. She wrote the Communications Committee with some nice words following the airing of the Brothertown Story. Her excitement was still prominent in her note. She said she had “learned a TON doing this story, perhaps more than about anything she’s done before!” She thanked everyone for their help and added that “the story could not have been completed without all of you, and she truly appreciated your efforts“. She was pleased to know it was received well and wishes us luck going forward.

A special thank you to each who helped her out; and those who were interviewed. It was a helpful story that showcased the Brothertown Indian Nation’s struggle and perseverance. As Phyllis Tousey, Brothertown Indian Nation Chair, optimistically mentioned at the end of her interview with Colleen… “We are still here.”

–The Brothertown Communications Committee

This project works toward the creation of a permanent national oral history collection. If you attended a federally supported Indian boarding school before 1970, we would love to hear your story.

Dear Relatives,
Our Story Matters.

We warmly invite you to join the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 23-27,  2025, for our next oral history project site visit.

The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, 1721 W Canal St, Milwaukee, WI 53233. Interviews will be conducted at the Indian Community School, 10405 W. St. Martins Rd, Franklin, WI 53132.- see the below flyers for dates and location. 

This project works toward the creation of a permanent national oral history collection. If you attended a federally supported Indian boarding school before 1970, we would love to hear your story.

Interested in signing up?  Call (651) 650-4445, Email OralHistoryProject@nabshc.org, or click the button below:

Other Information…..

VISIT THE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT PAGE

The Brothertown Indian Nation Veterans participated in the Appleton 74th Annual Flag Day Parade on Saturday. Mike Pelky was not able to join us, but had every detail orchestrated perfectly for us. We were met with much applause, waving American flags and words of thanks and appreciation along the parade route. We were honored to be among the 92 organizations also in attendance. Special thanks to Dawn and Dave, our drivers, Hector and Reese, for their assistance; BINCC for lending us necessary items; Bay Trailer Depot for sponsoring the trailer; and the BIN Veterans who attended and represented our past, present, and future Veteran community. Finally, thanks go out to Mike Pelky and his family for making the medallions for both sides of the float.

The Brothertown Indian Nation appreciates all the Brothertown Veterans for their efforts and representing out Tribe and all those members ancestors who served since the Revolution through today. The Veterans also appreciated our Brothertown Tribal Family who also turned out to support our Veterans during the Appleton Flag Day parade.

Most importantly, the all Tribal members would like to thank each of our Brothertown Veterans for their sacrifice for there Service to the Nation!

*Thank you, Nicole and others, for documenting the event so we can share with the whole tribe!

Appleton Flag Day Parade June 14, 2025:

Article on KFIZ June 12th.

The Brothertown Indian Nation will be holding their annual Water Walk, Thursday, June 12, 2025 through Saturday the 14th.

The Water Walk is a ceremonial event to bring awareness that our waters need to be taken care of.

Starting Thursday around 7:00 am, participants will be leaving the water at the boat landing at Columbia Park in Pipe and heading south. Their path will take them through Lakeside Park around noon and then heading North on Hwy 45.

Those driving along Highways 151 & 45 around Lake Winnebago during these times are urged to use caution and watch for those taking part in the walk.

Link to the article here…

The Brothertown Indian Nation Veterans’ Committee and volunteers enjoyed a perfect early summer day for the Brat Fry, which resulted in a great turnout.   The customers were pleased, as few things compare to a beautiful sunny day and a freshly made Wisconsin Brat.

Mike and Nicole wanted to express their gratitude to all the lovely customers, the veterans attending, and the wonderful volunteers.  I, for one (and I assume other members as well), am heartbroken that I was unable to participate in and support the Veterans.  Excellent job – Thank you, everyone!

Thank you to all who voted in the 2025 Tribal Elections.
Thank you to our candidates.
Thank you to our Election Committee for your hard work.

Official Results:

• Chair:
  • Phyllis Tousey – 218
  • Craig Cottrell – 90
    • Write Ins – 2
• Treasurer:
  • Michelle Wood – 287
    • Write Ins – 4
• Council Position:
  • Hector Marroquin – 294
    • Write Ins – 6

Congratulations to all Candidates!

Volunteers needed to make it a success again this year!

I’m reaching out to Brothertown members and friends interested in helping with some volunteer needs at Walleye Weekend this year (June 6th–8th).  We are entering a desperate phase where we must fill volunteer roles before long.  Below is some additional information on what we’re looking for:

• Volunteers to support Walleye Weekend at our parking lot, 311 Winnebago Drive, during the following timeframes. 
  • Friday, June 6th: 3-9 pm
  • Saturday, June 7th: 6 am – 9 pm
  • Sunday, June 8th: 9 am – 4 pm

Contact Dawn by phone:  (920) 929-9964 or by email: BrothertownOffice@brothertownindians.org

Volunteer sign-up sheet below was as of May 24th – Help fill it up! We need your help…