Accessories

This ring is a combination of a wedding and engagement ring. Martha Hansen received this ring in 1931. This ring is made of 14k gold, and the two rings are attached. On the inside of the ring there is an engraving that says, "Love is Eternal". This ring would of course be worn everywhere but it was gifted on two celebratory occasions; an engagement and a wedding. ​

The Ho-Chunk are an Indigenous group of people that have lived along the Mississippi River before the first settlers into Wisconsin had arrived and tried to drive them out. Despite the horrendous actions of the Indian Removal Act ordered by President Andrew Jackson, the Ho-Chunk had still found their way back to their homeland. We honor the people by recognizing the stolen ground we are on and by acknowledging how the origins of how this belt was made and its history are generally unknown. The care in how the beadwork was designed and the red yarn at the ends indicate, however, its importance to the Ho-Chunk. This accessory piece may have been worn with traditional Ho-Chunk clothing, which may have been worn during ceremony or worship.