Sturgeon in Indigenous Cultures
Indigenous communities around the Great Lakes sustainably caught lake sturgeon for thousands of years. Menominee and Ho-Chunk were early residents of southeastern Wisconsin along Lake Michigan, followed by Potawatomi, Fox, and Sauk in the 1600s and early 1700s. Sturgeon are incredibly important to Indigenous communities and are considered relatives rather than just fish.
The Menominee Connection
Sturgeon are an enduring part of Menominee history & culture. While the Wolf River is their ancestral home, Milwaukee, is part of Menominee ancestral lands.
Sturgeon are revered as a gift from the water, providing food, tools, and teachings.
They are regularly featured in traditional stories, ceremonies, and artwork. Menominee People have a “Fish Dance” that replicates the movements of the Sturgeon.
“When Sturgeon return home, we should be thinking about what kind of home that place will be. Like us, as Native people, sturgeon had been removed from their original homelands…so now our relatives are able to return, but return to what?”
— Marin Webster Denning, Sturgeon Clan, Oneida Nation
Lacrosse
The “Medicine Game” known as Lacrosse is a part of Menominee's heritage.
But how is Lacrosse related to Sturgeon?
In Menominee culture, both are related to Spring. Spring is signaled by the Thunderbeings which bring growth and renewal.
Two lacrosse sticks striking each other replicate the sound of the Thunderbeings. Sturgeon underwater also replicate the sound of the Thunderbeings.
