The Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin was originally part of the Oneida Nation of New York. During the Revolutionary War the Oneida at first tried to remain neutral, but soon were forced to choose a side. Most Oneidas supported the colonists. After the War, the Oneida soldiers returned to find their villages burned and looted.

Although the Oneida originally controlled 5.3 million acres of land in what is now New York State, treaties with the United States eventually reduced their land base to 32 acres. Efforts by the United States government to remove the Oneida from valuable lands in the east, especially those in the path of what was to become the Erie Canal, led some of the Oneida to seek a new home. 

In 1822 the Oneida purchased land from the Menominee and Winnebago Nations in the Great Lakes region.  Eleazor Williams, a Christian Mohawk who ran a children’s school, influenced many Oneida families to relocate to the Wisconsin territory by speaking with the clan mothers and women in the community.  These families and others from New York formed the foundation of a new community.

Today, the Oneida of Wisconsin share ownership of 4,600 acres southwest of Green Bay, Wisconsin.  They are the largest Oneida group, with approximately 12,000 tribal members.  They have a General Tribal Council and elect a Business Committee of nine individuals that represent and govern the community.  They take special pride in their military veterans and honor and remember those who have fought with the United States in every war since the Revolution.