Contributed Images Two covers of programs for past Menominee Tribal pageants are shown above. People at College of Menominee Nation are working to revive the pageant tradition this summer.
A research team at College of Menominee Nation hopes to revive a tribal tradition that ended more than three decades ago.
Menominee tribal pageants were presented in the Woodland Bowl from the 1950s to the 1970s, but then were discontinued.
As part of the revival effort, community members are invited to community meetings, to be held April 13 and April 27 at the College of Menominee Nation campus in Keshena, to discuss the pageants and interest in their revival as part of the tribe’s annual summer powwow.
The revival effort began about five years ago when CMN faculty member Ryan Winn was asked by community members to help bring back the pageant tradition. Winn, who teaches communication, English and theater, has directed 17 plays on American Indian themes for CMN over the past decade.
Winn did some preliminary investigation on scripts, dates when shows were staged, cast members and other information. He found only a few records and artifacts are available.
Winn said “no complete achieve exists that showcases the wealth of artifacts those shows likely produced.”
He applied for and won a research grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board last year to fund student intern help for the project. The intern team of Melinda Cook and Lloyd Frieson this spring secured an award from the college’s Scott Zager Venture Fund to support related research activities.
Winn said his goals are to create a complete archive of the pageants and to stage a traditional pageant in the Woodland Bowl this summer.
Cook and Frieson, both enrolled Menominee, are searching through the materials in the college library’s special collections archive, files at Menominee Historic Preservation, and various statewide and online resources.
“We have tracked down a few scripts, one of which is incomplete, and some photos, programs and videos, but now we are reaching out to Menominee community members to fill in the gaps in our findings,” Winn said.
To do that, tribal members and others from the area who have scripts, souvenir programs, old photographs, posters, newspaper clippings or other material are being asked to let the college make digital copies that can become part of the permanent record. Original materials will be returned upon request.
Stories and general information are also needed, including who appeared in pageants or helped with productions.
People with artifacts or information are asked to contact Winn or one of the project interns, or to take part in one of the community discussions.
Winn said the meetings are for sharing stories to better help the project team understand the significance of the pageants at the time they were produced, identify key players who were involved in their staging, and create a historical timeline to document which shows were produced in which years.
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: Public meetings to discuss history of Menominee tribal pageants.
WHEN: 12-2 p.m. April 13 and April 27
WHERE: Library, College of Menominee Nation, N172 State Highway 47-55, Keshena.
FYI: For information, contact Ryan Winn at 715-799-6226, ext. 3070, or rwinn@menominee.edu.