INVESTED IN COMMUNITY

Aaron LaPointe is honoring his elders and bringing hope to the youth of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.

- Lisa Foust Prater

Every road that goes through Winnebago, a village of about 2,000 people on the reservation of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, passes miles of corn, soybeans, and alfalfa before reaching the next town. Non-Natives own much of the farmland within the reservation, which is located primarily in northeast Nebraska. And, until about a decade ago, non-Native farmers leased most of the tribe-owned cropland.

Today, tribe members farm their own land, thanks in large part to Aaron LaPointe, who grew up hunting, fishing, skateboarding, and playing basketball in Winnebago. Despite so much farmland surrounding his hometown, LaPointe says, “I had never even stepped foot on a farm until I was in college.”

Today, at age 32, LaPointe is senior director of business operations for Winnebago-owned Ho-Chunk, Inc., where he leads several subsidiary companies, including Ho-Chunk Farms. (Ho-Chunk is a shortened form of Hochungra, meaning “people of the big voice,” as the Winnebagos refer to themselves.)

This year, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development awarded LaPointe its Native American 40 Under 40 Award, which recognizes Native citizens for outstanding leadership and community contributions.

Finding His Purpose