GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A blank wall beneath a downtown Green Bay bridge has been transformed into a vibrant 130-foot mural honoring the heritage of the Ho-Chunk Nation.
Artists, community members and leaders from the Ho-Chunk Nation and the city of Green Bay gathered Thursday for a dedication ceremony.
More than 300 people worked with a few local artists to paint the mural during the 2nd annual ArtFest Green Bay. It is located under the Dousman Street (Ray Nitschke Memorial) Bridge.
The mural begins with the Ho-Chunk phrase “Wookixete” which means “Love One Another.” It features a traditional dugout canoe and twelve feathers, each of which symbolizes one of the Ho-Chunk Tribe’s clans.
“Green Bay is our place of origin. A long time ago, we called it the Red Banks. The history here is not just a place where we began,” said Jon Greendeer, president of the Ho-Chunk Nation.
Mayor Eric Genrich further explained how the mural represents the Ho-Chunk’s rich heritage in this area.
“Green Bay is a city with a proud history, a lot of history that exists here, and we celebrate much of it. But there isn’t a lengthier history that we could be celebrating than the history of the Ho-Chunk people. Our proximity here to their ancestral homelands — really just up the river and up the bay at Red Banks — it’s just a real honor to be able to pay tribute to the Ho-Chunk people and the proud heritage that they all represent,” Genrich said.
Thursday’s dedication ceremony also featured songs led by a traditional drum group.
The creation of the Ho-Chunk Heritage Mural was part of a collaboration between Downtown Green Bay, Inc., the Ho-Chunk Nation and the city of Green Bay.
