Emma Big Bear Foundation

82 North Street
P. O. Box 93
Marquette, IA 52158
Phone: (563) 880-9190
Website: emmabigbearfoundation.org
Facebook: facebook.com/EmmaBigBearFoundation
Email us: info@emmabigbearfoundation.org

BIG BEAR HISTORY: Emma Big Bear Holt (Wa' ka' ja' ze Winga), a Ho-Chunk woman born in 1869 near Tomah, Wisconsin of the Bear tribal family, was the daughter of Chief Big Bear and Mary Blue Wing, wife of Henry Holt (Floating in Air) and mother of Bertha Emiline. Big Bear, who walked in silence, kindness and humbleness, was a direct descendant of Ho-Chunk Chief Waukon Decorah, and instilled in her bloodline was the fortitude to be honest, strong in beliefs and to march ahead, never complaining of the hardships she encountered and endured. Outliving her husband and daughter, Big Bear made a living by selling her black ash baskets, beaded jewelry and ginseng, and by accepting food and assistance offered by the caring local people of McGregor and Marquette, Iowa. She didn't wander far from the graves of her ancestors and lived out her days until 1968 as the last in the tradition of the ancestors who inhabited the prehistoric site near the Effigy Mounds sacred space along the Mississippi River in northeast Iowa.

Emma Big Bear Holt c. 1953 on the McGregor, Clayton Co., Iowa Mississippi River waterfront; b. 7/5/1879; d. 8/21/1968
(photo used permission of Joan Liffring-Zug Bourret)

Established in 2012, EMMA BIG BEAR FOUNDATION (EBBF) is a non-profit organization formed under the "Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque" 501(c)(3) corporate structure and guided under its county affiliate "Clayton County Foundation for the Future". EBBF's mission is to educate the public and preserve hand-made black ash baskets and beaded jewelry, artifacts such as photos and paintings, research materials, traditions, history, heritage and family stories of Emma Big Bear and her Winnebago (today known as Ho-Chunk) family, some shared directly by her family. Each year EBBF's board and volunteers hold an educational and celebratory event to give people a chance to discover and remember the great contribution that Emma Big Bear and her Winnebago people gave to our immediate area and Iowa.

Shown above is Emma Big Bear Holt in her squaw dress and shawl, ceremonial earrings (the longer the earrings, the more noble or important was the wearer) and beaded necklace, and two crossed-over beaded bandolier bags (not Winnebago, but maybe Oneida, stated family members). All but her dress and shawl were borrowed from Moody's Museum of McGregor, Iowa (went out of business decades ago). Photo captured by McGregor's Marjory Goergen, c. 1960s.

Prime examples of Emma Big Bear's fine craftsmanship on her black ash baskets.

Shown above is Emma Big Bear with 8-year old Jim Hendrickson of McGregor, Iowa in about 1950 on the Mississippi River waterfront where Big Bear made her home, living by traditional tribal means. Living directly across McGregor's Main Street, Hendrickson and his father delivered wood, fish, and aid to Big Bear to help her sustain a living, especially in the cold of winter with her living in a tin Quonset hut on land temporarily allowed by the city as negotiated by the federal government for her camp. The great river flood of 1965 completely ruined Big Bear's hut and its location was no longer deemed suitable or safe for Big Bear, so the government requested her to leave and moved her to a house on Marquette's Bench. Photo was shared by Hendrickson, who today is in his 80s and cherishes his personal memories and river life with friend Emma Big Bear.

Prime examples of Emma Big Bear's finely-crafted pendant, pins and earrings.

Below is a samples of EBBF's "Emma Big Bear & Winnebago History Day" celebration EBBF holds annually on a Saturday that's close to Emma Big Bear's birthday (July 5) and also coincides with city of Marquette, Iowa's Independence Day town celebration. There are also several private collections of baskets, jewelry, photographs, Big Bear and Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) research materials, etc. on display in the exhibition hall. The public is invited to attend, free of charge, to enjoy the historical presentations, demonstrations, and exhibits.

Please visit our presentation and exhibit hall at our annual July educational program. Other nearby places that you'll find Emma Big Bear's history told and basket artistry on display are at Marquette's Eagles Landing Winery (the right-most building was Big Bear's last home before she moved to the rest home and soon after died), Marquette Depot Museum and McGregor Historical Museum. If you have questions, need more information or would like EBBF to authenticate a basket you suspect may be Winnebago or Emma Big Bear-made, please reach us at (563) 880-9190 or email above.