Donna Yahola, member of the Bar River Band in Odanah, stands before the tapestry honoring her mother and grandmother. The women are both depicted in decorated dress and holding the Eagle Staff. (Submitted photo)
The Ancestral Women Exhibit at Holy Family Church in Woodruff was a response to addressing the question: Who is my neighbor?
The Feb. 23 to March 3 exhibit featured women portraits from Wisconsin’s 12 tribes. Mary Burns, the fiber artist, wove portraits of each of these role models. Additional tapestries included in the exhibit were clan symbols and landscape scenes.
Each of the 12 tribes of Wisconsin named a woman leader in their tribe who kept traditions, cultures and languages alive.
The only living honoree, Tinker Schuman, was one of the speakers at the opening reception Feb. 23. A member of the Lac du Flambeau Band, she continues her leadership in many ways and will lead a communitywide Day of Prayer for Peace June 21.
Other speakers included the artist and Donna Yahola.
Yahola represented the intergenerational influence of women in Wisconsin’s tribes. She was present with her daughter Celine Gray and Celine’s pregnant daughter.
An event will be held April 24 at 7 p.m. at the Campanile Center in Minocqua. The live presentation will feature a storyteller by a descendent of each woman in the Ancestral Woman Exhibit. The program, which is free and open to the public, is designed to draw attendees into the generational heritage of the honored women.
