Update from Chairman Robert Fowler -...

Robert FowlerChairman

(920) [email protected]

Michelle WoodTreasurer

(920) 602-0672brothertowntreas@

brothertownindians.org

David HankwitzSecretary

(920) [email protected]

Skip Blanc(906) 280-0565

Jessica Ryan(612) 508-3364

[email protected]

Craig Cottrell(920) 265-6054

[email protected]

Dawn Kraintz(920) 979-9234

[email protected]

Seth Elsen(507) 254-3411

[email protected]

PeacemakersEdd Welsh, Jr.

Dennis GramentzRenee Gralewicz

Greg WilsonJerome Welch-------------------

(920) 929-9964311 Winnebago Drive

PO Box 2206Fond du Lac, WI 59436

brothertownindians.org

The Messenger

Winter 2018

Update from Chairman Robert Fowler I Robert Fowler am the new Chairman after theresignation of Jeremy Marx. Along with the CouncilI will be looking at and prioritizing the jobs ahead.We have already established the idea ofpurchasing, rather than continuing to rent, abuilding and/or property to house ouroffice, museum and community center. More willbe coming in the months ahead.

As a young man, Jeremy started attending theannual Minnesota Regional Gatherings in LittleFalls and from there he drove to Fond du Lac forthe general membership meetings so he couldlearn more about the tribe he belonged to. By thetime he was elected to Council in 2008 he wasa regular attendee at the council meetings andlater took on the jobs of Vice Chair and Chairman.

Jeremy participated in gatherings, events and fundraisers held by our tribe and others.He was involved with the tribal office move, digitizing member files, BITTUP, highwayclean up, annual picnic, Homecoming and served on various committees. In one of hisbiographies, he quoted Marianne Williamson, "In every community there is work tobe done. In every nation there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the powerto do it". Thank you Jeremy for your dedication and hard work on behalf of us all.

As always, we appreciate the dedication and commitment of our volunteers andmembers who generously donate their time, effort and resources.

Minutes from Council Meetings Available OnlineThe Tribe is excited to announce that minutes from Council meetings are now becoming available on the member’s section of the website! To view the minutes, go to www.brothertownindians.org, login as a member, and go to the Community tab, then to the Member News page. Minutes from previous meetings are being added.

If you need help logging on or accessing the minutes, contact Seth Elsen at [email protected].

Attend General Membership Meetings Online!

There are two general membership meetings coming up, and you can attend them via live-stream! These meetings differ from regular Council meetings, in that they focus on upcoming events, and act as State-of-the-Tribe occasion. There are four general meetings annually, and the 2019 dates are 2/17, 3/16, and 8/17.If you’re interested in attending, email [email protected].

Non-Profit Status of Brothertown Nation Inc.

There have been several questions regardingthe status of the Brothertown Nation’s non-profit status.

Brothertown Nation Inc. (BNI) is theincorporated name of Brothertown IndianNation. BNI was incorporated in the State ofWisconsin as a 501(c)3 non-profitcorporation back in 1984. In 2017, due to thecomplexity of federal 990 tax return, non-profit corporate, and not receiving the statenotice to renew the non-profit status wassuspended. The Treasurer immediately filedthe necessary paperwork with both federaland state agencies to remedy the suspension.

The non-profit status will be activeretroactively to BNI’s last non-profit standingof record once the agencies have completelyreviewing the documentation submitted.Brothertown Nation Inc has not received anestimated date that this will be completelyfrom the agencies.

Until notice is received, Brothertown NationInc is running as a non-profit entity in theState of Wisconsin.

The Welcome 4-H club from Eden graciously volunteeredwith Michelle Wood at Meuer Farm for a day working in the kitchenand picking black walnuts and in return the farm made a donation toour tribe. Meuer Farm sits on property once owned by Brothertownfamilies along Lake Winnebago’s eastern shores.

They are a small farm making BIG changes in local foods! Usingsustainable farming methods, offering whole grains, raw honey, farmmeats and fresh fruits/vegetables. Their conservation practices arerecognized by local, state, and national organizations. They believesustainable, local agriculture is part of our past, present, and future!

Meuer's host educational presentations, a 10-acre corn maze in fall,strawberries, blueberries, corn and pumpkins. In the Busy BeeCountry Store & Market has limited hours in the winter but you canvisit them at the Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market.

4-H Club Supporting Brothertown

New Members Presented to Council this Fall

Zaydryck Wilson (Adam Wilson)Arielle Davis (Joseph Davis)Annabelle Heubel(Jed Heubel)

Tytan & Saylor Pingel(Briah Pingel)Shaley Baumhardt(Matthew Baumhardt)

A new member is presented to Councilwoman Ryan and Chairman Fowler.

Sean Proll(Matthew Proll)Edon, Summer, & Autumn Wisnefske(Wade Wisnfske)Nevaeh Newkirk (Jennifer Newkirk)Everly Luedman(Cassandra Luedman)

Silverware, Audio Equipment Donations SoughtWe are seeking donations of audio equipment and silverware/serving utensils for our large gatherings. Your donation

will help the environment and save money as we look to the next generation, so that we are not buying these items

repeatedly. If you have any of these items, bring them along on your next visit to the BIN Community Center! Thank

you! For questions, contact Jessica at (612) 508-3364.

If you’re interested in brushing up on yourBrothertown history or seeing historical photos of ourancestors, you won’t want to miss the 2019 calendarput out by Calumet and Cross Heritage Society,“Celebrating The Brothertown Indians.” This blackand white calendar is filled with photos ofBrothertown men, women, and children;commemorative Tribal dates; and lots of fun littletidbits of information.

This is a limited edition of only 150 copies and whenthey’re gone, they’re gone. To purchase, please go towww.calumetandcross.org.

2019 Calendars Available – “Celebrating the Brothertown Indians”

Remembering Those Who’ve Walked OnHoward Jones, Jr., age 88 of Portage, passed away on November 1st at Hamilton ParkPlace in Portage, WI. Howard was born on June 30, 1930, in Baraboo, WI, the son ofHoward Raymond and Lucille (Bergman) Jones. He married Marlyn M. Krugman on June16, 1948, in Iowa. Howard's passions in life were his children, grandchildren, rebuildingOx Creek Resort, and his wonderful creations. He enjoyed working at Oscar Mayer,Gardner Bakery, Norm's Mobil Homes, and Dairy Equipment. Howard is survived by hischildren, David (Linda) Jones, Daniel (Jeanne) Jones, Rick (Kayleen) Jones, Michael Jones,Debra (Mark) Dannehl, Cherie (Timothy) Kath, Thomas Jones; 25 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great-grandchildren, sister Barb Fell, sister-in-law Dawn Jones, andmany other relatives who will miss Howard.

We do our best to acknowledge and honor all of our Brothertown members and spouses that have passed on. We have

a special space in the Museum where we share their photo and obituary, if folks send that information in to the office.

We have both a candle and smudging items there, for anyone that would like to offer a prayer or pay tribute those that

have passed on.

Please do not take offense if your relative has not been acknowledged specifically. We need your help to 1) be notified;

and 2) obtain the items to include in the honoring space. You are invited to send in a photograph (preferably 8X10), a

funeral program and an obituary, sent ATTN: Museum. We will display those items for a period of time, and then save

those items in the Tribal archives.

Help Us Honor Those That Have Passed

Nancy L. Miller, 77, of Fond du Lac, passed away on her birthday, December 26, 2018, at Hospice Home of Hope. She was born in Oshkosh, on December 26, 1941. Nancy lived in North Carolina for many years before returning to Wisconsin. She was employed at the County Health Care Center and Lincoln House prior to retirement. Nancy loved her family and her many pets. She enjoyed the Milwaukee Brewers, bingo, word searches and long movie days. She was an honorary member of the Brothertown Indian Nation.

She is survived by numerous family members, as well as her special friend Dick Welch, and other friends and relatives.

Please join us for the 12th Annual United for Diversity event on February 16th from 11:00a-3:00p at the Fond du Lac ExpoCenter. The Brothertown Indian Nation has been a committed and active supporter of this event since its inception. Thereis tremendous diversity represented in so many ways: culture, religion, spirituality, national origin and more! There is freefood to sample; beautiful things to buy; incredible music and dance to listen to and participate in; kind people to talk withand learn from.

Please help to represent our Tribe in a good way at this amazing event. We need folks to help serve samples of food; tohelp make food; dance; visit with the public and share information about our Tribe; sell craft items; take photographs; andHAVE FUN visiting all of the other booths! Online, search for “United for Diversity Fond du Lac 2019” for more information;or phone the office.

Celebrate Diversity in Fond du Lac on February 16th

Brothertown Museum Continues to GrowA heartfelt thank you goes out to those that have contributed to

the building of our Museum Collection. We are grateful to those

families that have shared those precious pieces of history with the

Tribe, so that we can make them available to our relatives and

those that come to visit our Museum, to better share the story of

our People. We recently received considerable additions to our

collection, on behalf of some of our Elders that have passed on.

We are working to incorporate those generous gifts into our

collection. As you are aware, we have a limited amount of space

and we work to rotate items periodically. If you see Mar or Suzy

Peterson, please shake their hand and share your appreciation.

These two sisters have given countless hours to our Tribe, creating

and building various displays for the Museum. Their talents and

enthusiasm are inspiring!

We started a Little Ones/Youth Library in the Museum! Please help

build our collection by donating new or gently used books that

focus on Native American/American Indian Tribes, People, Stories,

Animals, etc. If you prefer to send money for books, designate the

purpose of the donation and we will select books that focus on

stories from our root Tribes. What Little Ones/Youth books focus

on Brothertown specifically? Is anyone interested in writing our

story, in a version that is easily accessible to our Little Ones and our

Youth? Or illustrating our story? What about a graphic novel? Let’s

work together to tell our story to our next generation.

We continue to grow our Tree of Elders and ask for your help in

building and maintaining this tribute. How? Etch a headstone from

your root family, so that we can include that along the trunk of our

tree, to help us each remember from where we come. Submit a

photo of an Elder and include a one or two-page biography or

informal write up about that Elder. We have a binder with their

photos and writeups to remind us of that generation that came

before us; what their experiences have been; and words of wisdom

to share with others. It would be terrific to have more Elders

honored in this display. Please submit information for a relative or

submit your own! If you want help writing, we can help. Send

photos and write ups to the office, attention: Museum.

Brothertown Return to Fond du Lac to Celebrate Homecoming

Congratulations to our raffle winners!$500 cash prizes – Norm Davis and Malida Straw

Walking stick – Kendall DavisSamson Occum Doll – Mike Morgan | Quilt– Robert Fowler

Turquoise Necklace – Jodi Tavs3-Tier Dream Catcher – Richard Simons

Restaurant gift basket – Terry Lemke | Shawl – Mike MaasNecklace – Mike Blanck

Calendar – Cheryl DuBrava and Jeanna Schmitz$5 cash prizes – Doris Straw and Gene Lorenz

Thank you to those who donated to our raffle:Megan Fullop, Rose Kramer, Dawn Kraintz, Mabel Powell, Faros Family Restaurant, Coliseum Sports Bar and Grill, Sunset on the

Water, Riviera Maya, Michelle Wood, and Wally Blanc.

On October 20th, 2018, nearly two hundred joined us for our annual Homecoming celebration. Wewere fortunate to have the Gii Taa’se singers, an intertribal drum from Shawano, WI, performthroughout the day. A group of shape note singers joined us in the evening to sing from ThomasCommuck’s Indian Melodies. It was great to see so many veterans, elders, and new enrollees. We lookforward to seeing everyone come back together soon. Táput ni!

2/16/19 CommUNITY-United for Diversity Celebration

2/17/19 General Membership Meeting (10:00a)


4/6/19 3rd Annual Spring Powwow

4/27/19 Minnesota Meeting

5/18/19 Tribal Council Meeting (10:00a)

5/18/19 Elections

6/13/19 - 6/19 Lake Winnebago Water Walk


6/15/19 Brothertown Nation Incorporated, Annual Meeting

7/20/19 Picnic

7/20/19 Eeyamquittoowauconnuck Walk Across America




10/19/19 Homecoming

10/20/19 Tribal Council Meeting (10:00a.)


12/14/19 Tribal Council Meeting (10:00a); Holiday Potluck

Date Event

2019 Calendar of EventsJoin us in Fond du Lac, and across the country, for the following events!

Happy Eeyawquittoowauconnuck Day!This past November 7, 2018, marked the 233rd anniversary of the “incorporation” and naming of Brothertown. It wason a Monday in 1785 that Samson Occom commemorated in his journal:

But now we proceeded to form into a Body Politick. We Named our Town by the Name of Brotherton, in IndianEeyawquittoowauconnuck. J. Fowler was chosen clarke for the Town. Roger Waupieh, David Fowler, Elijah Wympy, John Tuhy,and Abraham Simon were chosen a Committee or Trustees for the Town, for a year. And for the future, the committee is to bechosen Annually. And Andrew Acorrocomb and Thomas Putchauker were chosento be Fence Vewers to continue a year.Concluded to have a Center near David Fowler’s House, the main Street is to run North and South & East and West, to cross atthe centre. Concluded to live in Peace, and in Friendship and to go on in all their Public Concerns in Harmony both in theirReligious and Temporal concerns, and every one to bear his part of Public Charges in the Town. They desired me to be a Teacheramongst them. I consented to spend some of my remaining [days] with them, and make this Town my Home and center.

Blumer, NikolasBostwick, DarrellBostwick, MichaelBrassesco, LillianBulgrin, DanielBulgrin, RichardChurch, RichardChurch, ZacharyConfer, AidanConfer, EricaConfer, MatthewConfer, MichaelConfer, NolanConfer, ReannaConfer, RobertConstatine, LoreneFowler, Jacob

Fralish, SamanthaFrancl, KeatonGalezzl, BernadineJohnson, JefferyJohnson, KainJohnson, KaitlynnJohnson, KellyJohnson, KevinJohnson, KimberlyLambert, JenniferLindquist, PatrickMackie, LisaMapel, AshleyMcGuire, JulieMcLoughlin, WaunetaMoeller, ErickaOlson, Nicholas

Peltier, AndreaPeltier, JenniferPeltier, Mary Peltier, ReneePreston, PrestonRickert, RebeccaScott, KatlinSimons, TylerUle, DianeWahleithner, RebeccaWahleithner, RhysWahleithner, RosceilliaWalsh, PatrickWild, DerrickWild, Sarah

Help Us Reach These PeopleCurrently, the Enrollment Committee is working on the applications for membership that were submittedprior to the suspension of the rolls. Because these files have not been worked on for a while, we don’t haveup-to-date contact information. If you know how to reach them, please let us know. Contact the Brothertownoffice and talk to Linda, or email [email protected]. We will contact them to see if they want to beenrolled. It’s up to them to provide us with the information in a timely fashion. Listed individuals have 30days to contact BIN, or their files will be kept in the incomplete drawer.

Marking the 215th Birthday of Thomas CommuckBorn into the Narragansett Tribe in Rhode Island on January 18, 1804,Thomas Commuck migrated to Brotherton, New York, in NY in 1826 andthen to Wisconsin in 1831. Commuck authored of “Indian Melodies”,served as a Brothertown tribal leader, historian, and nominee of theWhig party to the Wisconsin Legislature in 1844. He was also anoutspoken advocate for the abolitionist cause. Like other Native leadersof the time, he feared extinction of his tribe:

“Here we have taken our last stand, as it were, and are resolved to meet manfully,that overwhelming tide of fate, which seems destined, in a few short years, tosweep the Red Man from the face of existence.”

Because of leaders like Commuck and Occom, we are still here.

mailto:[email protected]

Brothertown Nation Incorporated311 Winnebago Drive Fond du Lac, WI 54935-2541 Return Mail to: PO Box 2206 Fond du Lac, WI 54936-2206

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 traditionalbeliefs; 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, economicand social initiatives; to promote peace and harmony for the fulfillment of our vision as community where all people can prosper and grow in mind,body and spirit.

The Brothertown Tribe recognizes and accepts the relationships 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

Update from Chairman Robert Fowler -...

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