In an effort to create a place to truly commemorate their deeply rooted history in the state, the Ho-Chunk Nation is trying to collaborate with the City of Madison to create “a cultural destination” on their casino grounds.

Ho-Chunk leaders reached out to the City of Madison a week ago to start discussion of developing approximately 47 acres of open land on its current casino grounds.

The local tribe has been weighing feedback from its stakeholders and forming options for the undeveloped land for the last eight months.

The planning process is still in the preliminary stages, Missy Tracy, Ho-Chunk municipal outreach coordinator, said.

Three ideas have proved the most promising. These include a possible athletics facility, a Ho-Chunk cultural center and an entertainment venue, Tracy said.

Tracy stressed that the Ho-Chunk intended to draw from considerations of Madison’s needs when creating plans for the future project.

“We’re not looking to compete with the City of Madison, but rather to do something collaborative,” Tracy said. “We’re working towards Ho-Chunk cultural and historical significance, towards creating a cultural destination.”

There have not been enough collaborative efforts between the City of Madison and the Ho-Chunk Nation, Gerald Lee Cleveland, spiritual advisor for the On Wisconsin Annual Spring Powwow, said. There are many Ho-Chunk people living in the Madison area and good relations are beneficial for the city as well as the Ho-Chunk Nation, he said.

The Ho-Chunk Nation does not have designated reservation land, which has made maintaining a vibrant cultural identity more challenging, Cleveland said.

“Before we had the casinos, the other tribes had an advantage over us because they could receive everything the government gave out to people who owned land,” Cleveland said.

The Ho-Chunk have held early discussions about the potential developments for the land surrounding their casino expansion with the mayor’s office, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and the City Planning and Parks Divisions.

The City of Madison Parks Division office has received contact from the Ho-Chunk and is interested in the possibility of collaboration on land near the possible Ho-Chunk development, but details of the plan are far from definite, Eric Knepp, City of Madison parks division superintendent, said.

“The specifics are going to be a big deal,” Knepp said. “For us though, with the idea that they have raised of a sports complex of some kind, that’s a shared interest and it ties in with our community recreational needs.”

The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce has also engaged in early conversations with the Ho-Chunk Nation and has expressed interest in the potential impact the expanded site could bring, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce President Zach Brandon said.

“We have a good relationship with the Ho-Chunk Nation and we are excited by their early visioning of what they could do with their land near and Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison and what it would mean for the greater Madison area,” Brandon said.

The planning period is expected to extend through the summer months.

The opportunity to build on the existing site will ultimately benefit both tribal stakeholders and the City of Madison, stressing the Ho-Chunk’s long history in the region, Tracy said.

“We have many of our settlements in this area dating back to about 500 A.D.,” Tracy said. “We believe it’s very fitting, very appropriate for us to have this opportunity to do something here.”