Winnebago, << `wihn` uh BAY goh, >> were a Native American people of the eastern woodlands. The language of the Winnebago resembled that of the Sioux people (see Sioux). Tribal traditions say that at one time the Winnebago lived near the Missouri River, but that they were forced east and settled near Green Bay in Wisconsin. The tribe hunted buffalo, caught fish, and raised corn and squash. They built long lodges with arched roofs and arbors over the entrances. Chiefs, who were sometimes women, inherited their rank. Important tribal ceremonies included the Medicine Dance, organized around a secret society, and the Winter Feast, a war ceremony.
The Winnebago had many conflicts with neighboring groups and they were nearly destroyed by the Illini people sometime before 1670. But small groups continued to live along Lake Winnebago and elsewhere in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. They were friendly to most nearby tribes, and to the French. During the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, the Winnebago sided with Britain. Some Winnebago lived in a village, now called Prophetstown, on the Rock River in Illinois. The town was named after their leader, Wabokieshiek (White Cloud), who was called the Prophet. The Winnebago ceded their lands in Wisconsin and Illinois to the federal government in the 1830’s. They were moved to Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and finally to Nebraska. Some of the Winnebago refused to leave Wisconsin and Minnesota, and they still live there. Today, the Wisconsin Winnebago go by the name Ho-Chunk. According to the 2020 United States census, there are about 8,700 Winnebago.
