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Tribe separates tourism from communications department
Tribe separates tourism from communications department
When many Northeast Wisconsin residents think "Oneida," it's immediately followed by "Bingo & Casino."
"We've continually updated our research and polls, and there's a sentiment that's out there in Wisconsin that focuses on the casino," said Bobbi Webster, public relations director for the tribe. "'Oneida Nation' and 'Oneida Casino' seem to be almost synonymous."
The casino, of course, is a major draw — it helps fund the Oneida Nation operating budget, which grew from $350 million in 2005 to $426 million this year. Webster herself once called it the "golden goose that fuels our economy."
But through an upcoming advertising campaign and a reorganization of the Oneida Nation communications department — tourism will become separate from advertising, public relations and the tribal newspaper — Webster and her colleagues hope to change what they see as an excessive focus on the tribe's gaming operations. They point to the Oneida cultural, entertainment and shopping opportunities available on and off the reservation.
"There are a number of initiatives that people just don't realize the Oneida Nation is involved with," said Crystal Holtz, tourism department advertising director, pointing out that Oneida helped sponsor the Baylake Bank Tall Ships Festival, is contributing to the Packers' Walk of Legends statues and held a family carnival June 2 and 3 that brought out a crowd of 20,000.
The point, Webster said, is that "there's more to us than just the casino."
Museum
One popular nongambling attraction is the Oneida Museum. Last year, about 8,100 people visited.
The museum grounds features an indoor longhouse structure, numerous exhibits and a gift shop stocked with often purple and white-themed Oneida and Iroquois jewelry, books and plates. The Oneidas came to Green Bay from New York, so the tribe's cultural heritage is significantly different from that of other area Native American groups.
"I'm getting in touch with my background," said first-time visitor Linda Kirby of Kansas City, Mo. She was in the area visiting relatives.
"I think it's fabulous and very educational. It's answering a lot of questions," Kirby added. "I like the longhouse and the way they lived at that time."
Tours run through the museum in a counter-clockwise motion, said cultural educator and museum tour guide Oakley Arnold.
"When we get together and greet people, there's a protocol where we shake hands in a counter-clockwise circle," Arnold explained. "When we dance, it's the same thing. At a certain point in a song, you might turn around counter-clockwise. It's the way we understand life on Earth."
Current exhibits include one on language and another on resettlement. The staff plans to update the museum by adding to it, focusing more on contemporary issues and complementing the exhibits with audio and visual material. They've already brought in consultants and started purchasing equipment.
"We're trying to get away from the idea of a museum as dead items behind glass," said assistant director Lydia Tall Chief.
There are also plans in the works for a new museum at the intersection of Brown County FF and Wisconsin 54, Tall Chief said. The time frame for that is seven years.
Organic farm
The Oneida also have roots in agriculture, a tradition the tribe promotes through the Tsyunhehkwa (pronounced "june-henk-qwa") farm, cannery and retail store.
"The main thing we look at is trying to share information with everyone, both tribal and nontribal, regarding sustainability," said manager Jeff Metoxen. "We're looking to show the community that you can have natural foods. We hope to have people instill in them that they can do this themselves as well."
Visitors to Tsyunhehkwa can stop by the farm, can their own organic foods, shop at the retail store and attend workshops. The next workshop takes place at 5 p.m. Thursday and is free.
"It's called Culinary Creations, and it's about using some of the grains we've planted here, and some you'd find in your yard, to make salads," Metoxen said. "Anything in our garden that's ready for harvesting can be used to make your own food."
Workshops typically last one hour, Metoxen said.
Arts program
Oneida also runs a series of house parties and concerts. At 5 p.m. Thursday the tribe will host Native American singer-songwriter Howard Lyons outside the Norbert Hill Center, N7210 Seminary Rd.
"You can hear some acoustic, pull-the-carpets-back-and-dance kind of entertainment," said arts program director Beth Bashara of the free show. "It will be a folksy, laid-back show."
A meal ($5 donation recommended) will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by Lyons at 6 p.m.
"We also have a series of artists we bring out into the community. We have them go into schools and various community functions to promote understanding, cultural awareness and history," Bashara added. "We have powwow troupes and individual storytellers. We bring people into our community, but we also bring people out to share."
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