Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohican Tribe

Mailing Address

N8476 MoHeCoNuch Road
Bowler, WI 54416

Contact Information

715-793-4111

Website

http://www.glitc.org/web-content/pages/smiw.html

Casino(s)

Cultural History

Around the 1600's, a group of people would often be seen roaming around the streets of Manhattan extending to the Lake Champlain and across the coast of the Housatonic River in search for a habitat. In 1609, Henry Hudson discovers this group of people of which are called the Mohicans. Later on, the tribe was defeated in a war between Mohicans and Mohawks in 1628 to 1675. The epidemics killed several tribesmen during the 1675-1710 years. The epidemics included tuberculosis and small pox. In 1734, a missionary work began and this nomadic tribe was settled in the Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The tribe, now known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohican Tribe joined the colonists in the revolutionary war. Later on, in 1785, they were given a settlement 6 square miles long from the Oneida Indians in New York. They were again offered land by the Miami Indians as attested by President Jefferson in the year 1808. In 1818, however, they decided to move to Indiana and the land grants that they had were sold to settlers. They were offered citizenship by the U.S government but those who chose not to avail were allotted a 40,000 acre reservation. The Indian Reorganization Act allowed the tribe to purchase lands for reservations. In 1935, some of the lands that they have acquired were lost so they had to repurchase the 2,250 of the original 40,000 acres of land. When the tribal council was formed in 1938, the legal title to the purchased 2,250 acres of land was given to the tribe. In 1972, the Mohicans were given additional 13,000 acres of land. Today, the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohican reservation located in the east central Wisconsin is prosperous.

The Mohicans have their own dialect which is distinctly their own. Some words and phrases from the dialect include Onayo Uske-kateek which means Good New Year, the aquai meaning hello, nomasis meaning "my little grandmother", nohhum meaning "my grandmother", nemoghhome meaning "my grandfather", tpochgo meaning "night", namees meaning fish and gemeze meaning "eat". Nia ktachwahnen means "I thee love" while quin’a month’ee means "How are you?" Their Mohican dialect is now extinct and only a few members know about it. Their language comes from the Eastern Algonquian branch.

In 1740, the first Christian Indian Community was established. Its founding church was the Moravian Church Missionaries located in Shekomeko. They desired to harmonize the religious relationships between Indians and non-Indians.

Today, the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohican Tribe operates the North Star Casino. Their rich culture and history is also depicted in several documentaries. John Wannuaucon Quinney, a diplomat is a well-known member of this tribe. Their current community is located in the Shawano County, in Wisconsin. It is in the towns of Bartelem and Red Springs. 

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