DC | Ancient Canoes of Wisconsin: Ancestry and Archaeology (Panel Discussion)

Join the museum for a lively discussion with Bill “Nąąwącekǧize” Quackenbush, former Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Ho-Chunk Nation, and Dr. Amy Rosebrough, Wisconsin’s State Archaeologist, about the archaeological dugout canoes found in Lake Mendota, Wisconsin. Dugout canoes are hollowed out logs, and the world's oldest type of boat found to date. For an understanding of their historical scale, some of the canoes found in Lake Mendota are as old as Egypt's Great Pyramids.

Canoes were a favorite subject of artist Truman Lowe (Hoocąk, 1944-2019), who appreciated their enduring design, well-suited to the waters they travel. Since 2021, sixteen dugout canoes ranging from 700 to 5,200 years old have been found in Lake Mendota (Tee Waksikhominak) in Lowe’s home of Madison, Wisconsin. Lowe’s work is featured in the exhibition Water’s Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe.

Bill “Nąąwącekǧize” Quackenbush is a Ho‑Chunk Deer Clan tribal member and the Nation’s recently retired Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and Cultural Resources Division Manager. He spent more than two decades protecting Ho‑Chunk cultural sites, leading repatriation efforts, and advancing public understanding of Ho‑Chunk history.

Dr. Amy Rosebrough serves as Wisconsin's State Archaeologist, leading the Archaeology Program at the Wisconsin Historical Society within the federally-designated State Historic Preservation Office and overseeing site protection and federal preservation grants statewide.

Image: Wisconsin state archaeologist Amy Rosebrough works to preserve a 3,000-year-old dugout canoe. Dean Witter / Wisconsin Historical Society