Kansas

Kaw

Total population
2940
Regions with significant populations
United States (Oklahoma)
Languages
English, Kansa
Religion
Christianity, other
Related ethnic groups
other Siouan peoples

Kansa tribe land

The Kaw (or Kanza) are an American Indian people of the central Midwestern United States. The tribe known as Kaw have also been known as the "People of the South wind", "People of water", Kansa, Kaza, Kosa, and Kasa. Their tribal language is Kansa, classified as a Siouan language.^[1]

The toponym "Kansas" was derived from the name of this tribe. The Kaw are closely related to the Osage Nation, with whom members often intermarried.

History

In about 1000 CE, the Kaw people lived in the lower Ohio Valley, but they migrated west because of warfare. By 1750 they had settled in their historic territory of northeastern Kansas.^[1] They left the Ohio Valley in response to years of warfare by invading Iroquois. The Iroquois pushed out the Kaw by about 1200 CE.^[1]

In the early 19th century, the Kaw began to see the arrival of more European-American settlers in their territory. In June 1825, the Kaw signed a treaty with the United States ceding their 20-million-acre (81,000 km²) homeland for a 2-million-acre (8,100 km²) reservation west of what is now Topeka, Kansas, as well as a promise of annuities and schools.^[2] The Treaty of 1846 reduced tribal landholdings; the reservation was decreased to 256,000 acres (1,040 km²). The tribe sold their other lands for ten cents an acre.^[2]

Non-Indian squatters usurped Kaw land, and the town of Council Grove, Kansas was illegally established in the middle of their reservation. Another land cession treaty was signed in 1859. Despite protests by Allegawaho, chief of the tribe, and most of Kaw people, on May 27, 1872 the US Congress passed an act to remove the tribe to a 100,137-acre reservation in Indian Territory, carved out of the Osage Nation area.^[2]

The Curtis Act of 1898 expanded the powers of the federal government over American Indian affairs. The original author of the Act, Congressman Charles Curtis of Topeka, Kansas, was 3/8 American Indian by ancestry (1/8 Kaw, 1/8 Potawatomi, 1/8 Osage), as well as Anglo-American and French.^[3] He believed in the merits of education and assimilation for Native Americans. This was an era of much pressure for assimilation.

The Kaw Allotment Act of 1902 disbanded the Kaw tribe as a legal entity and allocated its land to individual enrolled members. This act transferred 160 acres (0.6 km²) to the federal government. Among those who received a land allocation was Congressman Curtis, who together with his three children received about 1,625 acres (6.6 km²) of Kaw land.

In the mid-1960s, much of the Kaw's remaining trust lands were flooded by creation of the Kaw Reservoir. The Kaw Council House and tribal cemetery both had to be moved to Newkirk, Oklahoma.^[1]

The federal land was the basis for the city of Washungah, Oklahoma, named for the Kaw chief, Washungah.

The Kaw Nation later was restored as a federally recognized tribe. In 1990 the Kaw ratified a new tribal constitution and created a tribal court in 1992. In 2000, the tribe purchased lands on their pre-1873 reservation near Council Grove, Kansas to create a park commemorating their history in Kansas,^[1] named the Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park.

Today

The tribal headquarters is in Kaw City, Oklahoma, and the tribal jurisdictional area is within Kay County, Oklahoma. The elected Chairman is Guy G. Munroe, currently serving a four-year term. Of the 2940 enrolled members, 1291 of them live within the state of Oklahoma.

The Kaw Nation operates its own housing authority and issues its own tribal vehicle tags. The tribe owns a truck stop, two gas stations, four smoke shops, a bingo hall, and a tribal casino. The estimated annual economic impact of the tribe is $225,000,000.^[4] The tribal Southwinds Casino is located in Newkirk, Oklahoma.^[5] The tribe also operates the Kanza Health Clinic and Wellness Center, a fitness center, a daycare center, and a multi-purpose community building.^[2]

Famous Kaw people

• The U.S. jazz saxophonist, singer, and composer Jim Pepper was of both Kaw and Creek ancestry.

• Charles Curtis, the only Native American to be elected Vice President of the United States (under Herbert Hoover (1929–1933). More important was his Congressional career, where he served long terms both in the House and Senate, where he was elected Minority Whip and Majority Leader, reflecting his ability to manage legislation and build deals. Curtis' mother Ellen Pappan Curtis was one-quarter each of Kaw, Osage, Potawatomi and French ancestry.^[3]

• William A. Mehojah, the last Kaw full blood, died on April 23, 2000.^[1] The Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park (AMHP) was dedicated in his name on June 19, 2005 near Council Grove, Kansas.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Unrau, William. Kaw (Kansa). Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. (retrieved 21 Feb 2009)
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Kanza Cultural History. The Kaw Nation. (retrieved 21 Feb 2009)
3. ^ ^{a b} Charles Curtis, U.S. Senate: Art & History, US Senate.gov, reprinted from Vice Presidents of the United States, 1789-1993, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1997, accessed 10 Aug 208
4. ^ Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission. Oklahoma Indian Nations Pocket Pictorial Directory. 2008: page 16.
5. ^ Oklahoma Indian Casinos: Casinos by Tribe. 500 Nations. 2009 (retrieved 21 Feb 2009)

External links

• Kaw Nation
• Al-le-ga-wa-ho Memorial
• Rootsweb Kaw article.