By Cole Clark, Curating Indigenous Digital Collections Fellow, WiLS
I first heard about Culture Keepers from my former supervisor and friend, Anita Heard, when I was working at the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways. It was described as so much more than a professional development conference for networking between Native Nations’ cultural heritage workers. It was also an opportunity for tribal librarians, archivists, and curators who are often isolated from the other professionals in their field to connect and share knowledge, resources, and some delicious meals together. I never in a million years thought I would have an opportunity to attend a Culture Keepers gathering myself, especially since the Convening Great Lakes Culture Keepers gatherings have been on a six-year hiatus.
Culture Keepers originally started through the work of the Tribal Libraries, Archivists, and Museums (TLAM) program at UW-Madison’s Information School. TLAM students received amazing opportunities to connect with cultural heritage workers throughout the state through their classes. The TLAM program wanted to give the opportunity for the cultural heritage workers to connect with one another as a way of giving back to the communities that students had benefited so much from through their work. Originally funded through grants, Culture Keepers went on hiatus after funds ran dry; this disappointment was felt by many who would no longer have an opportunity to gather on an annual basis. Yet, there was still hope that Culture Keepers would come back one day.
Finally, the Culture Keepers were reconvened this April, thanks to new TLAM instructor and frequent WiLS collaborator Cassy Leeport, and I was blessed with the opportunity to attend. I am still not sure how I got so lucky! Cultural heritage workers from across the state were welcomed to Ho-Chunk Country at the beautiful District 1 Community Center in Black River Falls with an opening ceremony and song by Frank Thunder and Singers, an address by Executive Director of the Cultural Heritage Division Clayton Winneshiek, followed by a delicious Honoring Native Voices Dinner. I was overwhelmed by the powerful energy in the room that only comes from a group of people who bring so much love, passion, and dedication to their work and to their communities.
The unofficial theme of this gathering was planning for the future of Culture Keepers. Participant sessions included strategic planning for the TLAM program as well as the Culture Keepers Collective. Sessions also included hands-on work with the Ho-Chunk Nation Museum & Cultural Center collection, the Ho-Chunk Language Division, and the Ho-Chunk Library. On top of these were numerous roundtable discussions with topics on archives, libraries, museums, genealogy, and digital stewardship. I had the privilege of listening to keynote speakers Allison Waukau, President of the American Indian Library Association, and Dr. Darrell Williams, Assistant State Superintendent for Libraries and Technology with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. There was even a Paaxge beadwork workshop to sprinkle in a little fun after a long day of hard work!
The most meaningful part of the gathering for me was the opportunity to reconnect with folks that I have met on my travels throughout the state during the CIDC grant project. Nothing else nourishes the soul like sharing conversation with good company. The final day of Culture Keepers came much too soon. After an emotional closing ceremony and traveling song, we left Black River Falls refreshed to continue the good work. It was a tremendous honor to attend Culture Keepers Reconvening and be in the presence of such extraordinary cultural heritage workers.
So many people were involved in the making of this event, but we’d like to extend special thanks to Adrienne Thunder of the Ho-Chunk Nation Language Division, Josie Lee of the Ho-Chunk Nation Museum & Cultural Center, and the Ho-Chunk Nation. We were fed with love and delicious food by C-Ann Cleveland, Sabrina Falcon and their talented crews. Tina Brown, Building Manager of the District 1 Community Center, made sure we had everything we needed from their wonderful facility. We are so grateful to everyone at the Ho-Chunk Nation who made this re-convening possible.
