'Unity is our community:' Hoan Bridge lights up for Indigenous Peoples’ Day

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- If you saw the Hoan Bridge Monday night, chances are you saw it lit up differently than normal.

Instead, red, black, white, and yellow illuminated the water below.

Those colors represent the traditional medicine wheel in indigenous culture, and can mean different things for different tribes, including the four seasons or the four directions.

The reason for the colorful lighting? Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which fell on Oct. 9.

To celebrate, dozens came out underneath the Hoan to honor their heritage and cultures.

“It’s just breathtaking, it’s amazing,” said Tonya Mommaerts, an enrolled member of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi. “It just means we’re finally being recognized.”

The Little Priest Drum group also performed several traditional songs for the crowd.

“This evening I’ve seen some friends I haven’t seen in decades and it’s amazing, and I love the fact that everyone’s gathered here at such an event,” said Eric Logan, one of the performers and a member of the Ho-Chunk National. “Just to see those colors makes a lot of us proud.”

Logan, who was born and raised in Milwaukee, said it’s important for current and future generations to "remember their traditions” and “know who their tribe is.”

“It makes me stand up strong, it makes me stand up tall, it makes me feel proud and I’m glad that so many of us here in Milwaukee can feel the same way,” Logan said.

The event was hosted by the Indigenous Business Group ahead of their annual four-day Indigenous Biz Con in Milwaukee.

“We have a really robust tribal presence in our Great Lakes region and there’s so much education and awareness already out there that you can touch and feel right now,” said IBG Co-Founder Rob Pero. “You don’t have to do digging in history that’s already here, like we just have to realize that it’s there. Unity is our community, and the inclusivity that we really need to all come together to make this a better place.”