A look around the Arvid E. Miller Museum, is like looking back to the 1700’s.
"It means everything. It'd be the same question, what is it to be part of your family, because that's what we are here. We're family,” said Councilmember, Jereemy Mohwak.
The Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican tribe lived in what's now New York. The tribe was forced to move to central Indiana, and then again to Bowler, Wisconsin where they are today. Even though the tribe moved, the history never changes, showing moments of both pride and pain.
"We've had a lot of atrocity, we've had a lot of setbacks, we had land loss, we had all of those things, but we're still here and we're still here and we're still strong and we're going to remain here,” Mohwak said.
The tribe also looks back at where it's been. The "Wall of Elders" takes up a corner of the museum, each an influential person in tribe history, and the ones who made it what it is today.
"A lot of times, the headstart will come over and they'll point out their grandma or grandpa and that's, it's really heartwarming when you see that happen,” said Museum Manager, Nathalee Kristiansen.
Some of the stories are shared by several tribes, all sharing the Mohican background.
"It's awesome to connect and share stories and even sometimes find relatives,” Mohwak said.
Even though these rooms are full of the past, the tribe says it's a good reminder of where they want to go in the future. Spreading their culture and keeping it alive.
"I think being in a community building, it gives people a sense of belonging here,” Kristiansen said.
"We push education very hard for the next generations and to prepare them for the world that they're going to be going into,” Mohwak said.
