Powwow Bound

A Menominee Homecoming

Powwow Bound: A Menominee Homecoming

Gameplay: The family discusses their powwow plans.

Gameplay: DJ walks towards the Woodland Bowl sign.

Gameplay: Experience select dance styles in a rhythm game.

Gameplay: Participate in a scavenger hunt set between the family lake lot and the powwow grounds.

A handcrafted sign created by Menominee students says, “Welcome to the Woodland Bowl.”

Powwow attendees walk and shop in Vendors Row.

Attendees save their spots in the Woodland Bowl before the Powwow begins.

Grand Entry is led by veterans of each military branch, who are followed by all classes of dancers.

Powwow Bound: Bottom of the Woodland Bowl

Powwow Bound: A Menominee Homecoming is a 3D narrative-driven adventure game developed by Nebraska Public Media and PBS Wisconsin and funded by Vision Maker Media. Scroll down to play!

Experience the story of a Menominee family returning to the reservation for the annual contest powwow. Play as Deborah Jo (DJ) as she works to uncover her mom’s history with the powwow dance circle through narrative set pieces and Powwow-inspired minigames. Learn about traditional dance styles through a rhythm game and take photos of recreated locations set on the Menominee Reservation in Wisconsin.

Powwow Bound: A Menominee Homecoming is coming to Steam in late November for both PC and Mac. Check out the demo and wishlist the game to get notified when it releases!

Who are the Menominee?

The Menominee are an Algonquin tribe in the Great Lakes region whose homelands encompass what is now known as Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. They are one of two tribes who have always lived in Wisconsin, and now reside on the Menominee Reservation located 30 minutes west of Green Bay, WI.

The name Menominee is derived from the Ojibwe word “manoomin,” which means “wild rice.” This name was established through communications between European settlers and the Ojibwe, who called the tribe “The People of the Wild Rice.”

Today, the Menominee are most well known for their sustainable forestry practices, their tribal college, and a successful Tribal Restoration grassroots campaign known as DRUMS.

Play Powwow Bound

The game works on Mac and Windows computers, but isn’t supported on tablets or phones.
For the best experience, use Chrome, Edge, or Safari.

Community Partnership

To authentically present the culture and traditions of the Menominee Nation, Nebraska Public Media and PBS Wisconsin worked with Menominee collaborators in every step of the design and development process for Powwow Bound: A Menominee Homecoming. This included hiring advisors, voice actors, a writer, and a character designer who are all Menominee. Additionally, the production team included community members in the playtesting sessions at the S. Verna Fowler Library in Keshena, WI, and worked with the College of Menominee Nation’s Digital Media program, giving students first-hand professional experience in recording voice actors.

Māēc Wāēwāēnen (Thank you very much) to everyone who shared their knowledge and talents to help tell the story of Powwow Bound.