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Wisconsin’s Native vote could factor in state Supreme Court race.

April 4 race for open seat on state Supreme Court likely to sway court’s ideology

FRANK VAISVILAS Green Bay Press-Gazette

Allison Neswood, a Navajo staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, talks to Native voters at the Ho-Chunk Nation office in Milwaukee about the importance of the April election in Wisconsin.

Although most laws in Indian Country are determined by tribal and federal courts, voting advocates are trying to inform Native voters about the importance of the April 4 Wisconsin Supreme Court election.

Indigenous analysts estimate about 71,000 Native voters are in Wisconsin and the race for the open seat on the Supreme Court between Janet Protasiewicz and Daniel Kelly will likely sway the ideology of the seven-justice court.

Native Americans were not granted the right to vote in the U.S. until 1924.Allison Neswood, who is Navajo and a staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, went on to say ” state laws still made it difficult — or impossible — for Indigenous people to vote in many places until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Read the entire article on the FDL Reporter here..

Congratulations to Rebecca Pelky, again…

Rebecca Pelky, member of the Brothertown Indian Nation and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Clarkson University

Rebecca Pelky: Following her accolades and success of her 2021 book, “Through a Red Place” (winner of the Perugia Press Prize), this January, Clarkson’s Rebecca Pelky receives the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support this group of poets and provide them with the means to focus on their writing,” said the NEA’s Director of Literary Arts Amy Stolls. “Their poetry explodes with originality in form and content, offering powerful reflections on the pain and joy of our modern times.”

Learn more about Rebecca (who is a member of the Brothertown Indian Nation and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities) and her new endowment enabling her to continue her work – available here….

Additionally, in 2022 she helped create the language section of the new website Brothertown website / Language with the help of fellow Brothertown Tribal Member Robert Tryon – many thanks go to them from our members, striving to learn our native languages from this very detailed resource.

CELEBRATE commUNITY

Please contact Jessica Ryan to help with this event! Lots of volunteers needed for many things and a cool way to help show the community we are here!

Voluteers needed!

Saturday, Febrary 18, 2023 (9:00am – 4:00pm)

This event will be held at the Fond du Lac Fairgrounds

CommUnity 2023 Fond du Lac Fairgrounds

Click here for more information on the event. The Brothertown Indian Nation is taking a large role – Contact Jessica Ryan to help…

Chairwoman Tousey Attends Governor Evers’ Swearing In

On Tuesday, January 3rd, Governor Evers was sworn in for his second term in office. Governor Evers continues to include the Brothertown Indian Nation as one of the 12 tribes in Wisconsin. Chairwoman Phyllis Tousey attended the ceremony.

L-R: First Lady Kathy Evers, Governor Evers, BIN Chairwoman Phyllis Tousey, and Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez.

Brothertown Tricentennial Celebration Tour

2023 is the Tricentennial anniversary of Samson Occom’s birth

Possible options are being planned for this journey back in time, including visits to Mohegan, Narragansett, and Pequot. Plus a stop in Deansboro (Old Brothertown) NY.

This fascinating tour will follow and celebrate the route our ancestors took from New England to Wisconsin.

Specific details to follow.  For any questions or input feel free to contact CalumetandCross@gmail.com.

***Update for member planning purposes: we are currently considering leaving the weekend of October 6th and returning Sunday the 15th.  

With the travel time from Wisconsin to the East Coast and back taking up 4 days, the anticipated trip will be a total of 9-10 days.   Please contact via email above if interested as we would like to get a general count for planning purposes. 

Regarding hotels and meals – they are not included (price will include transportation only) however, we are working on securing discounts for the group.

A once in a lifetime trip with the Brothertown Indian Nation Family to celebrate Samson Occom!

Samson Occom (1723-2023)

Honoring our Brothertown Veterans for over two centuries!

We thank them for their Service and sacrifice!

(photo ocurtesy of brothertowncitizen.com)

Today, take a moment to thank the ones you know and also think of the many ancestors who have served this country.

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.

Our tribe’s legacy of service extended not only in peacetime but to virtually every American military conflict including; American Revolution with the colonists (19), War of 1812 (1+), Civil war (122), WWI (many), WWII (many), Korea, Vietnam, Middle East (Desert Storm, Afghanistan) and in times of peace.

A few links to learn about our veterans:

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

Chairwoman Tousey Announces Partnership to Protect Buttonhook Forest

Buttonhook Forest, located in New York.

Greetings All My Relations,

I want to take this opportunity during National Native American Heritage Month to share with you a very special partnership formed between the Brothertown Indian Nation (BIN) and a group known as the Friends of Buttonhook Forest (FoBH).

The Tribal Council decided to enter into this historic partnership with a dedicated group of concerned citizen-neighbors that have been fighting for over ten years to preserve a local forest in Chappaqua New York located about 40 miles north of New York City.  In 2022 the group became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and continued their efforts to raise money to purchase the forest, known as Buttonhook, from destruction.     

The purpose of this partnership between BIN and FoBH is to purchase and preserve the 23-acre parcel known as Buttonhook Forest.  A secondary and equally important goal of the partnership is to put the ownership and control of Buttonhook Forest in the hands of the Brothertown Indian Nation.

Buttonhook Forest is owned by the local Chappaqua Central School District (CCSD).  The school district has been working with developers hoping to turn the property into a housing development for multi-millionaires and in the process has spent over $700,000.00 in site plans, engineering, and legal fees. The CCSD still does not have the permits needed to move forward and it’s likely it will never get the necessary permits.

Buttonhook Forest is a sacred site of important historical, cultural, archeological and environmental value for American Indians. The Buttonhook Forest can best be described as a ceremonial stone landscape. There are hand-laid stone monuments, serpent stone walls, ceremonial artifacts and stone markers identifying water ways. This site is also home to many different species of wildlife and is populated by box turtles, bobcats, foxes and owls. Environmental preservation; protecting the plants, animals and waterways beneath the Forest is an important reason by itself for trying to save the site from destruction.

I am sure you are wondering why this site is of particular importance to the BIN and why the Tribal Council entered into this partnership.  It is likely, based upon historical information, that our ancestors traveled extensively through this area and no doubt attended ceremonies in this sacred place. It is possible the site may contain the remains of our ancestors and those of other tribes in the area. Buttonhook Forest should be preserved on behalf of all the tribes in the Northeast who once traversed this land. This site is an important part of U.S. history and part of the history of the American Indians in New England and the State of New York. This site holds many stories of our tribal ancestors and relatives who lived and died centuries ago. It is a piece of our story; the story of our ancestor’s trek from New York to Wisconsin. The BIN Tribal Council is taking action to do what it can to help protect and preserve this site for future generations of Brothertown Indians.

The property has been identified as a culturally significant site by several indigenous representatives including members of the Narragansett, Stockbridge-Munsee and the Ramapo Lenape Tribes. The native people who are involved in the effort to preserve Buttonhook Forest have welcomed our participation and offered us their support.

 The Partnership composed of The Friends of Buttonhook Forest and the Brothertown Indian Nation, would not have been able to make a bid to purchase Buttonhook Forest without the financial backing from the Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) to the Brothertown Indian Nation. The Indian Land Tenure Foundation works with Indian tribes to acquire or reacquire land.  The Indian Land Tenure’s motto is Indian Land in Indian Hands.  

The Brothertown Indian Nation, in an exercise of its sovereign power, stepped forward to partner with the Friends of Buttonhook Forest to try and save this ceremonial stone landscape. The Partnership offered to purchase the site in a closed bid process that took place at the end of August. The only bidder in the closed bid process was the Partnership of the Brothertown Indian Nation and the Friends of Buttonhook Forest. Although, the Partnership bid over a million dollars and put down a good faith deposit in the amount of $100,000.00 cash at the time of the bid, the school has not agreed to the sale. Efforts to purchase the Buttonhook property by the Partnership are ongoing at this time. 

To summarize, the Brothertown Indian Nation is engaged in the process of trying to save an irreplaceable sacred site and also become the owners and guardians of that important place in the land of our ancestors. Helping to preserve Buttonhook is an exercise of sovereignty that every Brothertown Indian can be proud of.  For more information about Buttonhook Forest go to http://www.preservebuttonhook.org

Thank you.

Chairwoman Tousey
Brothertown Indian Nation

Happy Eeyamquittoowauconnuck (Brothertown) Day – Nov. 7th

On October 29, 2020, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed the Second proclamation the Brothertown Nation has received from the State of Wisconsin — naming November 7th as Eeyamquittoowauconnuck (Brothertown) day.  You can see the signed proclamation and other documents below.  As some remember, our first Proclamation goes back to 1982 in naming a “Year of the Brotherton”.

This day is to celebrate not only the heritage of our Tribe, the decades of trials that our Ancestors endured (from New England, to New York, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kansas, etc.) but includes many Brothertown from many places proudly recognized as the Brothertown Indian Nation!  We celebrate together with our Engagement, Community, and inclusiveness 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 together.

Take a moment to think about what the Tribe means to you, your ancestors, and future generations. We are also including some links to go to for some personal time and to learn more about our tribe on this important date:

From the Council, Peacemakers, and members in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pacific Northwest, and members throughout North America it has been a long journey to arrive at who the Brothertown Indian Nation is in 2022.

Happy Eeyamquittoowauconnuck (Brothertown day)!

State of Wisconsin Brothertown Proclamation (2020)
Brothertown Council Resolution (2019)
State of Wisconsin “Year of the Brotherton Indians” (1982)