GREENVILLE – Paul Ackley, local cartoonist and member of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community, will be at Greenville Public Library to share about his Woodland Native American heritage with a display of hand-made pieces. The program will be held on Thursday, November 2 at 11 a.m.
The items Paul will be displaying were all created by his late father, Richard D. Ackley when he lived on the Chippewa reservation in Northern Wisconsin. Headdresses, moccasins, hand drums, and birch bark artifacts will be some of the pieces discussed at the presentation.
Before his passing, Richard was an active member of the Greenville community. From hosting artifact displays at Garst Museum to speaking to local Boy Scout troops, he was well-known for his passion of sharing his Native American heritage with others. He was also active in the Bicentennial Committee and gave lectures at Fort Jefferson.
In addition to his involvement locally, Richard was a veteran of the Air Force and proudly served 10 years for his country. He was also a well-respected member of his tribe in Wisconsin. Paul recalled of a time when his father was chosen as the number one elder in the entire state.
“It was pretty cool,” Paul said. “It may have been the number one Native American Veteran of Wisconsin, or something like that. It was out of the whole state. NPR interviewed my father on the radio program. It was a half-hour show, and he gave an interesting talk on the history.”
This is a free event and registration is not required to attend. For more information on this event, call the library and ask for Kelly.
Featured photo (provided): Paul Ackley (pictured right) is shown with his late father, Richard D. Ackley. Paul, a member of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community, will be sharing his father’s hand-made Chippewa pieces on at Greenville Public Library on Thursday, November 2 at 11 a.m.