The Teejop Initiative
A partnership to spark and sustain a cultural movement to care for our lakes, lands, and waters.
Clean Lakes Alliance recognizes that Indigenous cultures have called this place home for time immemorial. Today, Wisconsin is home to 11 sovereign tribal Nations. We acknowledge that the Yahara Watershed is the ancestral homeland of the Ho-Chunk, or People of the Big Voice, who called this place Teejop, meaning Four Lakes. As we seek to forge a healthier relationship with the sacred lands and waters we now occupy, there is much to be learned from Teejop’s original inhabitants and natural resource stewards. You are invited to join us on this journey of reflection and discovery, and to understand how Indigenous knowledge and traditions can help us shape a better future together.
What is the Teejop Initiative?
The Teejop* Initiative is a partnership between Clean Lakes Alliance and the Ho-Chunk Nation that will help to educate the community on how to sustainably use the waterways and land around Madison for many generations that follow, using the history and perspectives of Indigenous communities to guide this process. Establishing an understanding of lakes and land as living entities will help the community work toward protecting these resources for the future.
*In Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk language), Teejop – pronounced Day-JOPE – translates as “Four Lakes,” and refers to the area around the four major Yahara lakes
Vision
We see a future in which Greater Madison is widely renowned for its healthy lakes, lands, and waters. Long called Teejop (meaning “Four Lakes”) by the native Ho-Chunk people, this special place has been defined by water and treated as sacred by its Indigenous caretakers for thousands of years. Honoring this rich history and the value of a sustainable watershed, we want to redefine our community’s relationship with these life-giving lands and waters. In partnership with the Ho-Chunk Nation, the Teejop Initiative will lead an engagement effort to help build future generations of stewards. In addition, we hope to positively change stakeholder attitudes and actions so they embody a “seven-generation” caretaking mindset.
Why Ho-Chunk?
Ho-Chunk have always lived in Teejop, and they always will. Occupying this region and greater Wisconsin since time immemorial, Ho-Chunk have lived on and interacted with the lands and waters around Teejop for many generations. The Mound Builders that Ho-Chunk are descendants of also resided in this region, leaving behind conical, linear, and effigy mounds that can still be viewed today. There are 11 federally-recognized tribes now residing in Wisconsin that have endured individual forced removals and relocation to reservations. Their presence today is a testament to their strength and resilience as a people. You can visit the Ho-Chunk website here. Both Wisconsin First Nations and Milwaukee Public Museum have wonderful information if you’d like to learn more about Ho-Chunk or other Wisconsin Indigenous Peoples.
In partnership
We are proud to have formally partnered with the Ho-Chunk Nation through an official Ho-Chunk Nation Proclamation to help advance community education on becoming lake stewards for future generations (see below). To achieve our overall goal of producing lake stewards, Clean Lakes Alliance has engaged in various activities and projects around Teejop. See below for more information and educational resources.
Ho-Chunk Nation Proclamation
Teejop and Effigy Mounds
Teejop has one of the largest concentrations of mounds in the United States, with some mounds dating to over 2,800 years old. Roughly 80% of the 1,500 mounds that once occupied the Teejop region have been destroyed from agriculture and development. Click here for a quick fact sheet on effigy mounds, focusing on the bear, lynx, and water panther/spirit in Hudson Park. Want even more information? Check out the City of Madison Parks Historical Feature page, the Native American Mounds in Madison and Dane County brochure, Native Americans and the Preserve from the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve, and Wisconsin Mounds.
Ecology kiosks
The Teejop Ecology Kiosks will provide information that will give a sense of place within Teejop and knowledge of the time prior to European settlement. These self-driven education stops will be located at Marshall, Wingra, and Brittingham Boats. These kiosks will include site-specific information that would give more insight on nearby areas of interest. Be on the lookout for more information regarding opening dates in the future!
Teejop ecology days
How can I improve Teejop? Similar to our volunteer days, Teejop Ecology Days will aid native species and improve our watershed through education and volunteer action. Participants will learn more about the history of the area they are working in and how their work will improve it. We plan these activities around specific areas around Teejop that hold significance in some way, especially focusing on effigy mound sites. This work not only improves the quality of the soil surrounding the mounds but also the runoff and washout protection of the area.
