Winnebago (redirected from Winnebago camper)

Winnebago, Native North Americans whose language belongs to the Siouan branch of the Hokan-Siouan linguistic stock (see Native American languages). When Father Jean Nicolet encountered them (1634), the Winnebago lived in E Wisconsin, from Green Bay to Lake Winnebago. Except for a war with the Illinois (1671) and one with the Ojibwa (1827), the Winnebago generally were peaceful toward their neighbors, who included the Menominee, the Sac and Fox, and the Ottawa. The Winnebago traded with, and were staunch supporters of, the French. After the fall of French power, however, they allied themselves with the British; they fought against the colonists in the American Revolution and in the War of 1812. The Winnebago clandestinely participated in the Black Hawk War (1832). After numerous hardships and much loss of population, they were settled on reservations in Nebraska (1860s) and Wisconsin (1880s). Winnebago culture was of the Eastern Woodlands cultural area with some Plains-area traits (see under Natives, North American). Their many ceremonies were elaborate, e.g., the spring buffalo dance and the winter feast; many Winnebago continue to follow their traditional religion. The tribe now operates several gambling casinos in Wisconsin and is among the larger employers in that state. In 1990 there were over 6,500 Winnebago in the United States.

Bibliography

See P. Radin, The Winnebago Tribe (1923, repr. 1970) and The Culture of the Winnebago (1949).

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Ho-Chunk

 also Ho-chungra or Winnebago

North American Indian people who live in the Midwestern U.S., notably Iowa, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. Their language belongs to the Siouan language family, and their name means “People of the Big Voice.” Before the 17th century, the Ho-Chunk lived in what is now eastern Wisconsin. By the early 19th century, as a result of their participation in the fur trade, they had expanded into southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois. Kinship underlay traditional Ho-Chunk social organization, and was based upon 12 clans; clan membership was determined through the father's line. The Ho-Chunk lived in villages of dome-shaped wickiups, cultivated corn, squash, beans, and tobacco, and hunted bison. Their major ceremony was the medicine dance, in which both men and women participated. The Ho-Chunk were involved in the Black Hawk War of 1832, after which most of the tribe was removed to other Midwestern states. At the turn of the 21st century they numbered some 10,000 individuals.

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Winnebago

1. Lake. a lake in E Wisconsin, fed and drained by the Fox river: the largest lake in the state. Area: 557 sq. km (215 sq. miles)

2. a member of a North American Indian people living in Wisconsin and Nebraska

3. the language of this people, belonging to the Siouan family