Ben Bearskin was a member of the ancient Winnebago tribe, now confined mostly to Wisconsin and Nebraska. He grew up in a tri-lingual household hearing Dakota, Ho-Chunk and English. Ben Bearskin lived in Chicago most of his life and was one of the elders of the Indian community. In addition to his photography Ben Bearskin was active with the American Indian Center and the Chicago Drum singing group, which performed throughout the Midwest. Bearskin (80 years old in 1999) was also a teacher of Ho-Chunk Indian language. During decades as a pipefitter in Chicago, he did volunteer work among the 20,000 Indians in the city. He was also a member of the first Chicago American Indian Camera Club and took photographs of various Chicago and other area tribal celebrations for many years.