Eight presenters representing different Native tribes will lead programs as part of Teejop & Beyond: Celebrating Native Nations, returning to Madison Public Library this fall. The program is hosted in partnership with Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison and highlights both traditional and contemporary practices, stories, and community relationships.
The presenters will lead programs from October through December that will focus on Native art making and handicrafts, according to a press release from the City of Madison, and program participants will have the opportunity to try hands-on crafts like beading, collage, and basket-weaving and understand how techniques and approaches vary depending on the tribal traditions guiding them.
“The focus on Native art came about naturally,” said Neeyati Shah, the community engagement librarian who has facilitated the program for the past three years. “The community has appreciated past opportunities to interact with presenters in small group settings, as well as the history and cultural insights they gain while learning about the significance of beading or basketmaking to different Native traditions.”
The 2025 Teejop & Beyond program presenters for the series represent the Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oglala Sioux, and Oneida nations and include:
- Kimberly Crowley [Ho-Chunk Nation – Thunder Clan]
- Charlotte Easterling [Enrolled Member of the Ogalala Sioux Tribe and Ojibwe by descent]
- Sherman Funmaker [Ho-Chunk Nation – Bear Clan Elder]
- Jennifer J. Jordan [Enrolled Member of the Oneida Nation]
- Tonia Lowe [Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk)]
- Yvette Peguero [Menominee Tribe Elder] and daughter Adriana Peguero [Menominee]
- Melanie Tallmadge Sainz [Enrolled Member of the Ho-Chunk Nation]
You can read the full bios of all the presenters by clicking here.
The first event will be Growing Up Native in Wisconsin: Storytelling and Writing Workshop on Monday, Oct. 20, 5:45-7:45 pm at Meadowridge Library, 5726 Raymond Rd. in Madison. Read more about all of the Teejop & Beyond events here.
