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Early Life in Wisconsin

The Menominee, an Algonkian-speaking people, are the only present-day tribe in Wisconsin whose origin story indicates they have always lived in Wisconsin. The Menominee refer to themselves as Mamaceqtaw (pronounced ma-ma-chay-tau), meaning "the people." Other Indians called them Menominee (also spelled Menomini), derived from manomin -- an Algonkian word for wild rice -- because it is a major food source for the tribe.

November is National Native American Heritage Month! 

This month is a time to reflect on and recognize the significant contributions Native Americans have made and continue to make in the United States. Our featured exhibit is A Tribute to Survival. We invite you to join us in learning and exploring!

That the MPM endures as one of the finest institutions of its kind in the world is due in no small part to efforts of the Museum’s first Curator of Anthropology, Samuel A. Barrett (1879-1965). Barrett, born in Conway, Alaska, was a student of University of California anthropologist Alfred Kroeber and the first person to receive a PhD in anthropology west of the Mississippi (Lurie 1983: 48).

Cosmic Curiosities

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
- Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian Poet-Writer

The Universe, Us, and the Coronavirus

Cosmic Curiosities

“No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.”
~ Helen Keller

Space Junk Reality