Red Cliff gets Wisconsin’s first dual-language road sign

Wisconsin’s first dual-language road sign marking tribal boundaries is now posted at Red Cliff.

The sign was unveiled Wednesday in an event involving leaders from the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Wisconsin Department of Transportation. It features the tribal seal and the tribe’s name in Ojibwe, Gaa-Miskwaabikaang, as well as the English name, Red Cliff.

Gaa-Miskwaabikaang, pronounced "ga-misk-wah-be-kong," means the place where there is red rock cliffs.

WisDOT said Wisconsin’s dual-language signs are similar to those seen near tribal areas in other states. Drivers may have previously seen dual-language road signs in Minnesota, including on the Fond du Lac Reservation.

WisDOT says it is working with the other ten federally-recognized tribes in the state to update their signage as well.

The signs cost about $350 to $400 and are funded either through the standard sign replacement proess or an application for federal funding through the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer’s program.

There are more than 300,000 traffic signs throughout Wisconsin’s highway system.