Dave Grignon
People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish
People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish showcases the cultural and scientific history of an iconic Wisconsin fish, the lake sturgeon. Throughout the process of writing the book, the authors interviewed community activists, sturgeon-spearing enthusiasts, spear and decoy craftsmen, and scientific researchers associated with the Lake Winnebago sturgeon population. Because of the cultural, social, economic, and scientific knowledge captured in these interviews, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin Water Library preserved the audio files as a collection of oral histories. This collection, People of the Sturgeon, encapsulates perspectives on lake sturgeon as they are reflected in the book. The People of the Sturgeon collection includes interviews with outdoorsmen, scientists, and craftsmen associated with the Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, lake sturgeon population.
The collection was compiled by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin Water Library. Audio courtesy of the Oshkosh Public Museum. Recordings were collected as part of the research for People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Madison, Wisconsin.
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On January 10, 2007, Kathleen Schmitt Kline interviewed Dave Grignon for the People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish project. Dave Grignon, whose Menominee name is Nahwahquaw, serves as the tribal historic preservation officer for the Menominee tribe. The interview begins with Grignon explaining the significance of the sturgeon in Menominee culture and history. The sturgeon is a clan symbol under the Bear clan and is integral to the Menominee creation story, symbolizing the keeper of the wild rice and tribal history. Grignon outlines how the Menominee have lived in what is now Wisconsin for thousands of years, with their origins at the mouth of the Menominee River, and have always depended on the sturgeon for sustenance, particularly after long winters. Grignon details the annual sturgeon ceremonies held by the Menominee, which include giving thanks, special prayers, and offerings of tobacco. These ceremonies were disrupted after the construction of dams, such as the Shawano Dam in 1892, which prevented the sturgeon from reaching their traditional spawning grounds at Keshena Falls. Despite the loss of the sturgeon, the Menominee continued to maintain their cultural practices. In the early 1990s, Menominee leaders, including Grignon, initiated efforts to restore sturgeon ceremonies by negotiating with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to provide sturgeon for their annual celebrations. This led to the reintroduction of sturgeon to the Menominee Reservation, allowing the tribe to resume their traditional ceremonies and feasts, now celebrated each April with the participation of the community and the DNR. Grignon also discusses the Menominee tribe's historical negotiations with the U.S. government, including treaties that resulted in significant land cessions but also the establishment of the Menominee Reservation. He highlights the tribe's sustainable forestry practices initiated by Chief Oshkosh and the ongoing efforts to maintain their natural resources. The interview covers the cultural importance of wild rice and the tribe's efforts to restore rice beds on the reservation. Grignon describes the challenges of transplanting and cultivating wild rice, as well as the ceremonial aspects of its harvest. He emphasizes the tribe's identity as "people of the wild rice" and the significance of these resources to their cultural heritage.
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