Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau and Washburn counties.
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St. Croix Tribe unveils signs
On May 25, 2023 Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Secretary Thompson joined Governor Evers and the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin to unveil dual-language highway signs to signify tribal boundaries.
The new signs, in English and the Ojibwe Language, signify the entrance to the Sand Lake tribal community. The sign features the St. Croix Tribal Seal next to the community's name in its native language – Metaawangaag – (Meh-ta-wan-gog) the traditional name for the community, which means "sandy beach." The English language version of the highway sign is located beneath the Ojibwe version. Similar signs will be installed at the borders of other tribal communities, as the St. Croix Tribe is unique in its noncontiguous land base.
The St. Croix Tribe is Wisconsin's fifth tribe to install signs through our dual-language sign program since it launched in 2021.
Dual-language signs installed in Red Cliff
Wisconsin's first
dual-language sign was installed in November of 2021 in Bayfield County in partnership with the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
The 8.5-by-4.5-foot sign features the tribal seal followed by the tribe’s name in its native language -- Gaa-Miskwaabikaang, the English version and population of the tribal lands.
Gaa-Miskwaabikaang -- pronounced ga-misk-wah-be-kong -- means the place where there is red rock cliffs.
"We are truly honored to be the first of the 11 federally recognized tribes in the state of Wisconsin to have the dual-language signs. They incorporate our language into state signage, and those signs will identify to the general public that travel our area they are entering the boundaries of our reservation.”
Red Cliff Chairman Christopher Boyd