The Menominee community will play a role in the United States’ 250th anniversary celebration. “Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals” will host about 40 festivals around the country, with the July 29 production of the Menominee Pageant being the only event held in Wisconsin.
A revived tradition of the Menominee Nation, the annual production is a show of pantomime, live music and Native dance that marks the beginning of Menominee Powwow week each summer. Since the pageant’s renaissance in 2016, the College of Menominee Nation has imagined the event as an opportunity to engage performers and storytellers across generations, bridging heritage with contemporary theater practices and highlighting culture bearers of all ages.
Staged in the famed Woodland Bowl at dusk, the show offers patrons a chance to partake in a cultural exchange that the Smithsonian concurs will further the mission to “commemorate, celebrate and contemplate” our shared national milestone.
Pageant attendees will be treated to a new script titled “Timeless Teachings.” Written by the Menominee Pageant Players Guild, the 2026 show includes adaptations from “A Sampling of Menominee Legends,” assembled by the Menominee Tribal Historic Office, and “The Legend of the Dells” by the late Theresa Wescott, as well as additional songs and performances from Menominee youths sharing their language and culture.
Joining existing sponsors, the Wisconsin Arts Board, the Menominee Powwow Committee, and Taproot Artists and Community Trust, this year’s Smithsonian collaboration enables CMN to purchase new lighting and technical equipment that will enhance the special effects, as well as a designated sound system that Menominee elders requested be placed at the top of the amphitheater.
Because encouraging the next generation is central to both Menominee teachings and the Smithsonian festivals’ ideals, this summer will also extend intern and mentorship opportunities to emerging voices.
While the union between the Menominee Pageant and the Smithsonian is unique to America’s semiquincentennial, the value of the show is as evident now as it was during the initial run that spanned from 1937 into the 1970s.
“The pageants are the highlight of my year,” stage manager Melinda Cook said. “I have been a part of the planning since the start of the revival pageants. I believe the pageants provide an avenue to share Menominee history, language, songs, dancing and community.”
Pageant actor Karen Ann Hoffman agrees about the value of the shows.
“Being part of the Menominee Pageant is a highlight of my year,” Hoffman said. “It’s fun. It’s a welcoming group. It’s a chance to use Menominee language while we act out and celebrate traditional values.”
Cook and Hoffman are members of the team writing this summer’s show. Dawn Wilbur is also an integral person in the process of guiding a show from concept to script to staging.
“My mother and grandfather’s connection to the past pageants inspired me to be a part of the shows,” Wilbur said. “I enjoy planning and creating the most recent plays and scripts. I believe it can help portray our legends and help our people, especially our youth to learn about our history.”
This summer’s cast and crew have yet to be set, as auditions will be held on CMN’s Keshena campus from 5-7 p.m. June 8. Interested members should arrive at the campus atrium or contact me through the college’s website or phone switchboard.
Non-Native pageant veteran Brian Marquardt expressed the sentiments of the Pageant Players Guild concerning anyone who is debating joining us this summer.
“Anyone interested in attending pageants should attend. Those who wish to be part of the show should simply audition. Regardless if they’re Native American or not, I’m certain they all will enjoy it,” Marquardt said.
“The 250th anniversary is a time to celebrate our extraordinary cultural democracy, to visit with the people, places and traditions within it and to contemplate our shared future,” wrote Clifford Murphy, director of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. “By taking the Folklife Festival beyond Washington, we recommit to our original purpose to take the Smithsonian beyond objects and buildings; we also carry out our mission to connect communities across cultures —cultivating curiosity, understanding and belonging for all people.”
CMN and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival hope you’ll join us as we mark our shared contribution to this national celebration. The pageant builds upon traditions while looking to the future, creating space for everyone to come and partake in the wisdom of Menominee cultural teachings.
Ryan Winn, Ph.D., teaches communications, English, history and theater at the College of Menominee Nation. Visit www.menominee.edu for more information about the school.
