Background
· 2024
· brothertown-indian-nation
Formed in the 1700s under the leadership of Samson Occom from communities descended from Pequot, Narragansett, Montauk, Tunxis, Niantic, and Mohegan tribes, the Brothertown Indian Nation now centers its community in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The nation operates under a constitutional government and holds its annual powwow the first Saturday in April, a community picnic in July, and a Homecoming gathering the third Saturday in October. Tribal officials continue to coordinate the congressional restoration effort with Wisconsin's delegation.
Background
· 2023
· brothertown-indian-nation
Following the BIA denial, the Brothertown Indian Nation pivoted to the only remaining path: congressional restoration. The tribe has worked with Wisconsin congressional delegates to introduce restoration bills and has continued to operate from its Fond du Lac County base. The 3,137-member nation traces continuous community to the 1839 termination and before, with leadership consistently arguing that descent verification and community continuity are not in genuine dispute.
Background
· 2014
· wisconsin-academy
Patty followed Indian Nations of Wisconsin with Native People of Wisconsin (2003), a social studies text for younger readers, and Seventh Generation Earth Ethics (2014), profiles of twelve Indigenous Wisconsin stewards including Joe Rose, Dot Davids, and Walter Bresette, which won the Midwest Book Award for Culture. Her PBS documentary Way of the Warrior aired nationally in 2007 and 2011, drawing on her grandfather Edward DeNomie's WWI service with the 32nd Red Arrow Division. The decade between INW editions produced the body of work the third edition now sits alongside.
Background
· 2012
· Bureau of Indian Affairs press releases
In August 2009, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary George Skibine issued a proposed finding against acknowledging the Brothertown Indian Nation. The September 2012 final determination confirmed the denial, holding that the 1839 Act of Congress had terminated the federal relationship and that only a new act of Congress could restore it. The Brothertown are the only one of Wisconsin's twelve tribes that remain without federal recognition.