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Anti-Racism Update: Indigenous Peoples’ Day 10.12.26

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AR QUIZ

What is the Midwest Decolonial Repair Network? 

EDUCATION

  • Learn about or visit the Teejop Community Art Project. Seven Indigenous artists were commissioned to develop art installations that honor and illuminate the rich cultural history of Madison as part of the area known as Teejop (pronounced day-JOPE), which means Four Lakes. The project aims to create public art that will engage with themes developed by Teejop-area Ho-Chunk community members who met for many years to carefully consider the locations and values included in this project. The selected artists include Gene Delcourt, Lightning the Earth New Rider, Chloris Lowe, Dakota Mace, Melanie Tallmadge Sainz, Christopher Sweet, and June Whitehorse.  Maps and specifics of artist locations are available here. Channel 15 News also recently covered the story. 
  • Teejop Initiative – Learn about The Teejop Initiative, a partnership between Clean Lakes Alliance and the Ho-Chunk Nation, that will help to educate the community on how to sustainably use the waterways and land around Madison for many generations that follow, using the history and perspectives of Indigenous communities to guide this process. 
  • The City of Monona Indigenous Connections page has cultivated a list of community resources amplifying local artists, promoting Indigenous-owned businesses, and honoring cultural leaders who strengthen our local and regional neighborhoods through education, advocacy, and tradition. Whether you’re looking to support Native creators, learn from community organizations, or connect with cultural resources, their guide offers a meaningful starting point for deeper engagement and ongoing relationship-building.

ACTION

  • Follow the work of the Bad River Band. Tribes in Wisconsin are doing vital work to protect and restore wetlands and watersheds. Some Tribes have lost wetlands and the food and medicines from these wetlands—food and medicines that once sustained them. In these cases, conservation efforts necessarily require restoring wetlands so Tribal members can again have access to the food and medicines they need for sustenance and traditional practices. The Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council, Wisconsin Wetlands Association, and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service have partnered with Tribes to raise awareness of this important work by producing short videos highlighting these stories. Watch a 5 minute video here on the efforts of Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Northern Wisconsin  https://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/videos/bad-river-band-water-is-life 
  • Teejop & Beyond: Celebrating Native Nations. Attend one of the upcoming sessions at the Madison Public Library featuring Native artists, storytellers, and community leaders welcomed into library spaces for a series of programs celebrating Indigenous people in and beyond Teejop (pronounced day-JOPE, meaning Four Lakes, or Madison).  2026 presenters and participants represent the Ho-Chunk, Oglala Sioux, and Oneida nations.  Full schedule available on the Madison library website.   

AR QUIZ ANSWER

  • The Decolonial Repair Network is a network of non-Native individuals, communities and organizations in Iowa, the Midwest, and beyond who strive to be good allies to Indigenous people through actively working to repair the harms of colonization. The group meets the first Wednesday of the month on Zoom from 7-8pm and has worked to raise funds toward Land Rematriation such as an urban Resilience Hub and Ecovillage. The group encourages individuals to consider making a recurring, monthly contribution, considering your contribution to be a “real rent” or “voluntary land tax” that represents an ongoing acknowledgement that you are living on stolen land. For example, if you are of comfortable means, consider a contribution of $160/month to represent the 160 acres of Indigenous land given to individual white families by the US government as part of the 1862 Homestead Act. If you are of modest means, consider a contribution of $270/year ($22.50/month) to represent the 270 million acres of Indigenous land given for free by the U.S. government to white people as part of the 1862 Homestead Act. Learn more here. 

YOUR PEACE, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EARTH CONCERNS COMMITTEE; ANTI RACISM GROUP

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