Winter has most definitely arrived at Tippesaukee Farm, but we’re still basking in the radiance of Fall and the completion of our 2025 events.
We had two full houses–bursting with laughter and learning–for Casey Brown’s presentation “Shuffling Many Worlds” on September 13th and 14th. Casey’s experience in stand-up comedy was clear to all, as was his ability to articulate the paradoxes and complexities of life as a Ho-Chunk living in contemporary American society while honoring his traditional roots.
Casey describes himself as a Native Futurist. He joked that people think of the Ho-Chunk as the Amish. “Yay buttons; zippers, no,” he said to much laughter. But Casey, who studied history at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, explained, “There was no point in history that we said, ‘No, we’re done.’ Native people have always adapted and evolved.” He points to this ability to adapt and move forward whenever complications arise as the reason the Ho-Chunk are still here: “I mean the biggest change you could think of is a colonizing force coming in with technology, diseases, and different ways and mannerisms than you’ve ever been used to.”
Attendees also learned about “Indian Mounds in a Year,” the documentary film he is currently working on with Julia Pello. We’re planning to bring Casey and Julia back to Tippesaukee in the Spring of 2026 to tell us more about the project and hopefully to show us some of the footage.
On September 21st environmental educator Colleen Robinson brought us to our senses in the woods at Crosscurrents. Colleen helped us tune into our hearing, vision, and senses of smell and touch–as well as those subtle “other ways of knowing” we all possess. We received many positive responses to this experiential excursion into forest. One participant said she especially enjoyed “relating to each part of the ecosystem as a living being.”
As we wrap up the year, still basking in autumn’s rich and moody glow and bundling up against the cold, we are also dreaming of our events for Spring and Fall of 2026. Is there something you would like to see at Crosscurrents Heritage Center that relates to the natural and/or human history of the Driftless? Please let us know via email at crosscurrentsheritage@gmail.com.
We are grateful for the help we receive from our loyal and over-qualified volunteers. It’s exciting to be in on the ground floor of an endeavor such as Crosscurrents . . . especially one with such a deep foundation stretching back generations and ice ages.
In addition, we are thankful for the financial support we receive from individuals and the Richland County Campus Foundation, Greater Richland Tourism, and the Three Eagles Foundation. If you’ve been meaning to make a donation, there is no time like 2025! Bruce and Ben Moffat will each match any gift of $100 or less to Tippesaukee Reserve Inc. for the rest of the year. Learn more at Boards & Donations.
Sincere appreciation also goes to our community partners: Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board, Richland County Historical Society, Friends of Blue River, Friends of the Lower Wisconsin, WRCO, and WVRQ.
We don’t have public events during the winter months, but check your inbox early next year for the launch of a special video series. “Crosscurrents Conversations” will feature short interviews with local experts and highlights from our events. If our paths don’t cross this winter, we hope to see you at Crosscurrents in the Spring!
Crosscurrents Heritage Center 