Thurston County: 157 Years of Native American Celebration

The Ho-Chunk people of the Winnebago Tribe have lived in Thurston County, Nebraska for over 157 years celebrating the Oldest Native American Celebration in North America. But even through hundreds of years of tribulations caused by European settlers, displacement from the U.S. government and religious attempts of cultural erasure, the Winnebago tribe still gathers every year to celebrate their annual Winnebago Homecoming Celebration to honor current and past veterans, remember their last great war chief, Chief Little Priest, who helped solidify the foundation of the Ho-Chunk people in Nebraska, and to create lasting memories.

Produced by KRNU Studios
Written and Scripted by Alex Neill
Voiced and Edited by Mari Pilling
Thank you to Sunshine Thomas Bear, Bethani Redhorn, Jordana Bass, Lewis "Blue" Stcyr, Thelma Whitewater, Misty Jefferson, and Ben Crawford for sharing your amazing stories and the history of the Ho-Chunk People.

Additional audio:
Primary music - “Critically Ill” FineTune Music Adobe Stock Asset ID: #481059801
Live Tribal Music - Credit to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska FaceBook Page
WINNEBAGO TALKS SZN 2 EP. 7 - KWTN The Big Voice Radio
Tribal Music Slow Shamanic Meditation Music for Trance Dance Soft Drumming Hypnotizing Mandala - Luna Priscilla 

What is 93 Counties?

93 Counties is a weekly show hosted by students at the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Each episode is a story from one of the 93 counties in Nebraska, rural and urban, from the panhandle to the Missouri River.