Madison Public Library and Ho-Chunk Gaming are collaborating to host a Storyteller-In-Residence program at the library from October 11 through December 18 to engage the community in creative and cross-cultural learning opportunities.

The program will host art workshops, activity kits, storytelling hours, social media shares and exhibits to provide the Madison community with ways to celebrate and learn about Indigenous culture. . Each Story Time will have an original narrative created by storyteller and Ho-Chunk Nation tribe member Andi Cloud, who talks about different aspects of Ho-Chunk culture, according to the City of Madison Web page.

Cloud said she plans to talk about the history of the Ho-Chunk community, parentage, harvest season, and life in America. There has already been a positive response from the Madison community, and she believes it will open more doors to talk about different cultures and the people who make them up.

“I just want people to come away with, you know, something that they can take away from that and say, ‘Oh yeah, I know the Ho-Chunk, this is their land, these are the people and they still are. there and a part of us, ”Cloud said. “We’re all in this together, we’re all family. “

The program is inspired by the Vancouver Public Library’s Native Storyteller in Residence program, which aims to promote cross-cultural understanding and the sharing of stories, according to the Vancouver Public Library Web page.

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There will also be exhibits at Madison Public Libraries showing a variety of traditional clothing and badges, and a Ho-Chunk flag will be hung on the lower level of the Central Library. The residence intends to make a space for healing and connection in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial justice movements, according to the City of Madison webpage.

Madison Public Library Digital Services and Marketing Manager Tana Elias said this was not the first time the library has hosted such a program.

In the past, different libraries have worked with local artists to provide a space for storytellers to share their stories with the Madison community. She said the Madison Public Library prioritizes working with community groups to elevate their perspectives and stories.

“This program was born because the Madison Public Library has made an intentional effort to focus much of our programming over the past several years on highlighting voices of color in particular and on equity in multiple areas.” , said Elias. “We really want to broaden our reach to community groups and build our relationships with community groups. “

The public library aims to work closely with Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison and other local representatives to ensure that the material they have prepared for the residency is designed in the correct language, Elias said.

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Elias also said library staff believe the library provides an accessible vehicle to communicate these stories. By providing a platform for these communities to tell their own stories, she said it makes the learning experience more intimate.