UW-Madison flies Ho-Chunk Nation flag atop Bascom Hall

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has raised the Ho-Chunk Nation flag over its main administration building, marking the first time that the university has flown another nation’s flag with the U.S. and Wisconsin flags.

Friday’s ceremony at Bascom Hall felt historic to senior Paige Skenandore, one of roughly 100 Native American students on campus. She told the Wisconsin State Journal it was “a great first step.”

Chancellor Rebecca Blank says the flag-raising was part of an ongoing commitment to educate and acknowledge Wisconsin’s tribes and their sovereignty.

The Ho-Chunk Nation gave up territory that includes the campus under an 1832 treaty.