As the newly re-established WAA: Cooweeja Native and Indigenous Affinity Group in 2021, we are thankful for the original alumni who first formed the WAA: American Indian Affinity Group over 30 years ago.  Their work to establish the group and an endowment gives us a wonderful foundation for continuing to build our alumni networks while supporting students for years to come.

Below you will find our re-establishment timeline and a history of the WAA: Cooweeja Native and Indigenous Affinity Group. We hope this record provides institutional memory as Cooweeja continues to expand and define its work.

After over a decade of dormancy, the process of re-establishing our affinity group began during the 2020-2021 school year through a series of listening and learning sessions. Janice Rice, one of the original members of the WAA: American Indian Affinity Group, shared history and stories with us. Native and Indigenous alumni also connected through listening sessions and discussions. Through these sessions, alumni agreed to seek a name that reflected our mission and honored the Ho-Chunk people, the original stewards of the land where UW-Madison (a land grant institution) stands. We officially re-established in the Fall of 2021 as the WAA: Cooweeja Native & Indigenous Affinity Group.  Cooweeja means “Forward” in Hoocąk (the Ho-Chunk language).

Check out this short video to hear more about Cooweeja's meaning by Henning Garvin.

In 2022, we held a series of virtual Fireside Chats. We celebrated our formal re-establishment and re-introduced ourselves to the community who participated and helped during the Community Listening and Learning Sessions. We engaged in good discussions and heard good ideas for continuing to improve and build Cooweeja. We talked about future plans and gatherings.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022
The Laughter Is Medicine event brought us together for a fun evening, at the Memorial Union Play Circle Theatre, featuring a Native Comedy Show with nationally known comedians Marc Yaffee and Janelle Niles. UW-Madison alumni Casey Brown was our evening host and DJ Kyree provided music for the night. The evening was followed by an alumni and community networking reception in Tripp Commons. The Laughter is Medicine event was part of the official UW Homecoming offerings that year. We believe this event to be the first Native/Indigenous led Homecoming event in campus history. Check out photos from the event!

Cooweeja focused on building campus and community connections during  2023-2024. We met and collaborated with Indigenous student groups and Indigenous organizations on campus and in the community. In 2024, The WAA: Cooweeja Native & Indigenous Affinity Group was invited to join the Indigenous Student Center Coalition (ISCC) to continue building connections with and support for future alumni.  Connecting with programs and current students helps to build a collaborative foundation for the future. During this time, our collaborations included:

Currently, Cooweeja is deepening our community and campus connections while expanding opportunities for our Native and Indigenous alumni to engage, reconnect, and have fun.