How is the Winnebago Indian nation organized?
There are two Winnebago tribes today: the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin, and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Though the Ho-chunk people consider themselves one tribe culturally, the two governments are politically independent. Each Winnebago tribe has its own laws, police, and other services, just like a small country. However, the Ho-chunks are also US citizens and must obey American law. In the past, each Ho-chunk village was led by one war chieftain (who was in charge of military decisions and law enforcement) and one peace chieftain (who was in charge of mediation and negotiations.) The war chief was always a man, but occasionally the peace chief could be female. Ho-chunk chiefs were chosen by a council of clan leaders. Today, Ho-chunk leaders (called “presidents” in Wisconsin and “chairmen” in Nebraska) are popularly elected, just as senators and governors are, and can be either gender. What language do the Ho-chunk Indians speak? Most Ho-chunk people speak English today, but some
