'People of the big voice:' Ho-Chunk Nation storyteller keeps her culture alive

Andi Cloud is a teacher, a tribal member of the Ho-Chunk nation and a storyteller. Last October through December, she was the Madison Public Library's first Native American storyteller in residence.

She said it was the perfect time for the residency because Ho-Chunk people traditionally tell their stories in winter. Like many Ho-Chunk traditions, that's something she's always known was true, but she didn't know the reason for it.

Many Native American tribes tell stories in winter because other seasons have traditionally been dedicated to growing, gathering, harvesting and hunting food.

There's also a tradition that says stories are told in winter because animals are hibernating then, and they're less likely to overhear stories told about them; thus, wintertime stories are more respectful.

And then there's the story Cloud learned "by happenstance" one February from a Ho-Chunk elder at a ceremonial gathering.

"We had just had supper, and I was sitting at a table with one of the elders, and it was so cold outside we could hear the branches snapping," said Cloud. "He told me, 'you know, when we hear that, that's when we tell our stories.'"

The elder explained to Cloud that according to tradition, Sirius, the dog star, is closest to earth during the coldest months and that the Ho-Chunk believe that when they die, their spirits travel to that star.

"He told me that's why we tell our stories then, because when we tell our stories when our ancestors are closest to us, they can hear us," said Cloud.

Ho-Chunk stories explain Ho-Chunk traditions

Cloud now shares that encounter in her storytelling events; she calls it her story about the story. Cloud said many Ho-Chunk stories she heard throughout her childhood, including ones from her grandfather, seemed as if they had "holes" in them.

"If you're getting a lesson from an elder, you're only going to get half of it, and the rest you have to figure out," said Cloud. "My grandpa would always start a story, always lead into something and then not talk anymore."

Growing up, Cloud said she always wanted more from her grandfather — an end to the story, an explanation of the lesson — but as she's gotten older, she's realized she often discovers the rest of the story on her own, or from talking with others. And that's often the point.

"I wanted more, but I realize you take these things and then somewhere along the road, you figure it out," said Cloud.

Cloud said she recently learned that the Ho-Chunk origin story explains many of the tribe's customs, and she was thrilled to share "the rest of the story" with her sisters.

"In our origin story, it talks about four brothers and how one of them dies. Then the other three go to the four different winds that Earthmaker had made. The west wind says, 'I will take your brother,' and they give him to the west wind. It took the brothers four days to make the journey to talk to the winds," said Cloud. "So I now realize how much that story explains. That's why when someone dies, our wakes last four days. And that's why when we're buried, we face west, because that's how we make our journey to the dog star."

Cloud understands that the stories often don't have satisfying conclusions, so when she tells the stories to non-native people, she uses them as a starting point to educate about her culture and history.

"When a story cuts off like that, I have to figure out how do I move on, what do I say next?" said Cloud. "That's when I try to tell it the best I can, then I explain things like the winds, who Earthmaker is, how he made the land and how it all relates to the things we do in nature."

What does a storyteller in residence do?

Her commitment to sharing the stories and culture of the Ho-Chunk people and other Native American tribes led Cloud to apply to be the Madison Public Library's first Native American storyteller in residence when she heard about the program last year.

Neeyati Shah, Madison's community engagement librarian, said she modeled the program after the Vancouver Public Library's Indigenous storyteller in residence program. She said Madison's library staff had been trying to do more programming related to Native communities. Giving a Native person a stipend to create their own programming was a good way to allow someone to represent the community in their own voice, rather than having library staff try to create program ideas.

Shah said they wanted to focus on the Ho-Chunk nation for their first year because Madison is on historically Ho-Chunk land and the programming would "be an opportunity for Madison residents to learn about who was here and who's still here."

After choosing Cloud as the storyteller, library staff met with her to talk about what kinds of programs to have over the two months of the residency.

"She had so many things she wanted to do and ended up doing 24 programs in two months," said Shah, laughing. "We told her you need to pull back a bit. It was a lot and she did it so well."

Cloud included programs for all age groups — things she knows a lot about like bead work and the stories she learned from her family, and things she's picked up along the way — like stories from other Native tribes. Cloud also wanted to highlight the history of the Ho-Chunk people, and when she felt she didn't know enough about the subject, she brought in guests to help her out.

Keeping the stories alive

Shah said the next storytellers will likely share stories from other Native American tribes, something Cloud already set the stage for as she said she loves hearing and telling stories from other tribes.

"All these stories are sacred in their culture, and they all have a special tie-in to the outside, to Mother Earth," said Cloud.

For those reasons, the Ojibwe story of Turtle Island is one of Cloud's favorites to tell groups of children.

Turtle Island is another name for North America for many Native American tribes. In the Ojibwe creation story, different animals are asked to dive underwater to re-create the world after it has been flooded. Many animals try and fail until the muskrat dives under water and resurfaces with soil in his hand. Although the muskrat dies, his soil is used to replenish the land.

"You have all these animals trying to help one another and problem solve, and the turtle gives us his back so we can live on the land," said Cloud.

She said when she told the story in an elementary school, the kids were engaged and enthusiastic, asking how the turtle turned into land.

"I told them it was magic," she said, laughing. "And they were like, wow, that's really cool, we've have to treat the turtle with respect. We have to recycle and pick up trash. There are a lot of really good lessons still happening."

Nature figures heavily into Native American stories, and thus the stories Cloud tells. They're also a good way to connect her listeners to the history of Native American people, and how they lived off the land, going from place to place, following the seasons to hunt, gather and harvest food.

In one of her most popular programs during her storyteller residency, Cloud led a nature walk in a Madison park where she explained which plants were harvested by Ho-Chunk people and told stories about the animals that feature prominently in Ho-Chunk tales. That included the origin of many of the nation's 12 clans, some of which get their names from animals, such as Bear, Deer, Elk and Snake.

Shah said around 60 people came out to the event, testifying to its popularity as it was a cold winter day and people had to bundle up to hear Cloud's stories.

Cloud said the outdoor setting was not only a good way to tell stories of her tribe, but also to have conversations with people in a way that had been difficult during the pandemic.

"I met this woman at the nature walk and she was talking to me about her boys. She's a foster mom, and she knows they're from the warrior clan," Cloud said. "I told the boys they're allowed to wear red because that's one of their rights as members of the warrior clan. They were so grateful for that, and I just love having these little bits of knowledge in my head that I can share with people."

"People ask me what does 'Ho Chunk' mean, and one meaning is 'people of the big voice,'" said Cloud. "That speaks to our oratory tradition and our stories. That's why I take so much pride in storytelling, so I can pass on to our children who we are as people and keep that alive."

Ho-Chunk storytelling event in West Allis

After Sarah Lange, a librarian at the West Allis Public Library, learned about Cloud through an article in a library trade journal, she invited Cloud to host a storytelling event at the West Allis Public Library on Nov. 12.

"We always want to make sure we're offering programming and information for all people in the community," said Lange. "And even though a lot of us have been living in this area for a long time, we didn't necessarily learn a lot about Native culture in school. This type of event is a fun opportunity to learn about another culture through stories."

Lange also pointed out that people often think about "storytime" when they hear about a storytelling event and assume the program is just for kids. "You don't have to have kids to come to this event; I'm looking forward to hearing Andi's stories."

If you go

Where: West Allis Public Library, 7421 W. National Ave.

When: Saturday, Nov. 12, 1-3 p.m.

The program will start with Cloud's stories for about an hour, followed by a miniature canoe craft. Registration is recommended for the craft in order to make sure there are enough supplies.

Contact Amy Schwabe at (262) 875-9488 or amy.schwabe@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @WisFamilyJS, Instagram at @wisfamilyjs or Facebook at WisconsinFamily.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ho-Chunk Nation storyteller comes to West Allis Public Library