Indian Cultures in Northwestern Wisconsin: Statehood and Survival
Monday, March 23

In the early decades of the nineteenth century, the United States obtained vast resources from the Ojibwe through treaties and, in return, the Ojibwe reserved their right to hunt, fish and gather on ceded territory.  Soon after Wisconsin became a territory, Governor Dodge played a major role in securing approximately half of the present state from the Indians.  This program will discuss regional Indian cultures at the time of statehood, with emphasis on the Ojibwe, and the impact of immigration and territorial organization on the survival of Indian cultures and the aftermath of statehood.

Presenters John "Little Bird" Anderson is an Ojibwe Indian and director of the Native American Studies program at Mount Senario College.  He has served as master of ceremonies at many "Honor the Earth" pow wows and served as liaison between the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation and Hayward Lakes Association during the recent spearfishing conflict.

Ronald N. Satz is dean of the College of Professional Studies and director of the Wisconsin Indian History, Culture and Tribal Sovereignty Project at UW-Eau Claire.  Satz is author of books and articles on American Indian policy, including Chippewa Treaty Rights: The Reserved Rights of Wisconsin's Chippewa Indians in Historical Perspective.
 

Norwegian and Hmong Settlement and Community
Monday, March 30

Early immigration and settlement in Wisconsin created a mosaic of rural ethnic neighborhoods with distinctive cultural identities.  Local institutions and the daily and seasonal round of work and visiting provided these communities with a dense and meaningful cultural experience.  For Hmong refugees, the change to a new society has been slower, as they try to maintain their traditions and culture.  This program will first look at the organization of sociability in the early rural ethnic communities and then describe how the Hmong tend to stay close together in family associations, surviving by sharing arrangements.

Presenters Jane Marie Pederson is a history professor at UW-Eau Claire.  She has conducted extensive research into the growth and development of rural communities in Wisconsin. She has written Between Memory and Reality - Family and Community in Rural Wisconsin, 1870-1970.

Yong Kay Moua has worked with Hmong refugees for the last 23 years.  He is a clan leader and has served many offices for the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, including executive director.  He coordinates federally-funded Hmong intern programs for the City of Eau Claire.
 

Early Feminists and Women's Advocacy Today
Monday, April 20

The years between 1920 (when women won the right to vote) and 1960 (when President Kennedy appointed a presidential Commission on the Status of Women) are often thought of as a lull in movements for equal rights.  But during that time, the Wisconsin Legislature was the first state body in the nation to pass an equal rights amendment, and Wisconsin women figured prominently in the founding of the National Organization for Women.  A slide lecture explores
what it was about Midwestern political culture in these years that brought Wisconsin women to the forefront of modern feminism.  The program will also show how Wisconsin models, which shaped and tested directions in the women's movement, provoke serious questions for the movement's future.

Presenters Joyce Follet is U.S. historian in the Division of Continuing Studies at UW-Madison. She is currently producing a television documentary on Midwestern leaders of the modern women's movement for Wisconsin Public Television.

Sarah Harder is coordinator of women's studies at UW-Eau Claire. She has worked for 20 years on issues involving women at grassroots, national and international levels.  She currently co-chairs the National Women's Conference Committee and is vice-president of the International Federation of University Women.
 

The Evolution and Continuation of Wisconsin Progressivism
Monday, April 27

At the turn of the century, Wisconsin citizens "reinvented government" and instituted various progressive reforms.  Yet the progressives disagreed with each other over the correct course to follow and were influenced by other reformers, most notably the Social Democrats.  This program will discuss how progressive reform in Wisconsin synthesized these various influences and offer us many lessons.  It will also look at county governance in Wisconsin and how the counties have recently responded to social issues and the need to address questions of public policy.

Michael Stevens is state historian at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.  Stevens has done extensive research on the Progressive era in Wisconsin and has edited three volumes in the Voices of the Wisconsin Post series published by the State Historical Society.

J. Thomas McCarty has a broad background and experience in Wisconsin county government. He served as administrative coordinator for Sauk County from 1991 to 1997 and became administrator for Eau Claire County in June 1997.
 

The Changing Character of Wisconsin's Environment and Environmental Policy-Making
Monday, May 4

During Wisconsin's 150 years of statehood, the relationship between its people and the natural landscape has changed dramatically.  New technologies helped foster the state's development by promoting agriculture, industry, and the rise of towns and cities.  In the process, such changes altered not only the face of the landscape, but also the way people used and thought about the natural environment.  This program will look at the roles of various players in the making of environmental policy and at important environmental controversies to see how they were resolved ... or not resolved.

Greg Summers is completing his Ph.D. dissertation in history (The Unseen Landscape: Nature, Artifice, and the Rise of Environmentalism) at UW-Madison.

Mary Lou Munts has a long career as an interpreter and creator of public policy.  She served 12 years as state representative in the Wisconsin Assembly where she chaired the Committee on Environmental Resources for eight years.  She is a specialist on energy policy and served six years on the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.

Sign language interpreters are available.  Please call the library (839-5060) one week before the program you'll attend.