Kickapoo
Encyclopedia
The Kickapoo are an Algonquian
-speaking Native American
tribe
. According to the Anishinaabe
g, the name "Kickapoo" (Giiwigaabaw in the Anishinaabe language
and its Kickapoo cognate Kiwikapawa) means "Stands here and there". It referred to the tribe's migratory patterns. The name can also mean "wanderer". This interpretation is contested and generally believed to be a folk etymology.
Today there are three federally recognized Kickapoo tribes in the United States
: Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas
, the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
, and the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas
. The former two groups are politically associated with the Texas band. Others live in small groups throughout the western United States. Around 3,000 people claim to be tribal members. There is also a small community in Douglas, Arizona
.
Another band resides in area of Múzquiz, in the Mexican
state of Coahuila
.
into the Illinois Country
in the late 17th century, as the French set up remote fur trading posts throughout the region, including on Wabash River
. The Kickapoo at that time inhabited a large territory along the Wabash in the area of modern Terre Haute, Indiana
. They were confederated with the larger Wabash Confederacy
, that included the Piankeshaw
to their south, the Wea
to their north, and the powerful Miami Tribe
, to their east.
As white settlers moved into the region beginning in the early 19th century, the Kickapoo participated in several treaties, including the Treaty of Vincennes
, the Treaty of Grouseland
, and the Treaty of Fort Wayne. They sold most of their lands to the United States and moved north to settle among the Wea. Rising tensions between the regional tribes and the United States led to Tecumseh's War
in 1811. The Kickapoo were one of Tecumseh's closest allies. Many Kickapoo warriors participated in the Battle of Tippecanoe
and the subsequent War of 1812
. A prominent, nonviolent spiritual leader among the Kickapoo was Kennekuk, who led his followers to their current tribal lands in Kansas, where he died in 1852. Kennekuk
The close of the war led to a change of Indian policy in the Indiana Territory
, and later the state of Indiana
. American leaders began to advocate the removal of the tribes
to land west of the Mississippi River
. The Kickapoo were among the first tribes to leave Indiana. They accepted land in Kansas
and an annual subsidy in exchange for leaving the state.
Kickapoo speak an Algonquian
language closely related to that of the Sauk and Fox
. They were classified with the Central Algonquians, and were also related to the Illiniwek
.
, Jackson
, and Atchison
. It has a land area of 612.203 square kilometres (236.4 sq mi) and a resident population of 4,419 as of the 2000 census
. The largest community on the reservation is the city of Horton
. The other communities are:
on the U.S.-Mexico border in western Maverick County
, just south of the city of Eagle Pass
, as part of the community of Rosita South
. It has a land area of 0.4799 square kilometres (118.6 acre) and a 2000 census population of 420 persons. The Texas Indian Commission officially recognized the tribe in 1977.
There are undetermined numbers of other Kickapoo in Maverick County, Texas, who constitute the "South Texas Subgroup of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma". That band owns 917.79 acres (3.7 km²) of non-reservation land in Maverick County, primarily to the north of Eagle Pass. It has an office in that city.
After being expelled from the Republic of Texas
, many Kickapoo moved south to Mexico
, but the population of two villages settled in Indian Territory
. One village settled within the Chickasaw Nation
and the other within the Muscogee Creek Nation. These Kickapoo were granted their own reservation in 1883.
The reservation was short-lived, because in 1893 their communal tribal lands were broken up and assigned to separate households in allotments under the Dawes Act
. The tribe's government was dismantled by the Curtis Act of 1898
, which encouraged assimilation by Native Americans. Tribal members struggled under these conditions.
In 1936, the tribe reorganized as the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
.
Today the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
is headquartered in McLoud, Oklahoma
. Their tribal jurisdictional area is in Oklahoma
, Pottawatomie
, and Lincoln Counties
. They have 2,719 enrolled tribal members.
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
-speaking Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
. According to the Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
g, the name "Kickapoo" (Giiwigaabaw in the Anishinaabe language
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
and its Kickapoo cognate Kiwikapawa) means "Stands here and there". It referred to the tribe's migratory patterns. The name can also mean "wanderer". This interpretation is contested and generally believed to be a folk etymology.
Today there are three federally recognized Kickapoo tribes in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
: Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
The Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma is one of three federally recognized Kickapoo tribes in the United States. There are also Kickapoo tribes in Kansas, Texas, and Mexico. The Kickapoo are a Woodland tribe, who speak an Algonquian language.-Early history:...
, and the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The former two groups are politically associated with the Texas band. Others live in small groups throughout the western United States. Around 3,000 people claim to be tribal members. There is also a small community in Douglas, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Another band resides in area of Múzquiz, in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
.
History
The earliest European contact with the Kickapoo tribe occurred during the La Salle ExpeditionsLa Salle Expeditions
The Expeditions of René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle were a series of trips into the Mississippi and Ohio Valley by French explorers led by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle that began in the late 1660s and continued for two decades. Much of the area that was explored was land that no...
into the Illinois Country
Illinois Country
The Illinois Country , also known as Upper Louisiana, was a region in what is now the Midwestern United States that was explored and settled by the French during the 17th and 18th centuries. The terms referred to the entire Upper Mississippi River watershed, though settlement was concentrated in...
in the late 17th century, as the French set up remote fur trading posts throughout the region, including on Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
. The Kickapoo at that time inhabited a large territory along the Wabash in the area of modern Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
. They were confederated with the larger Wabash Confederacy
Wabash Confederacy
The Wabash Confederacy, also referred to as the Wabash Indians or the Wabash tribes, is a term used to describe a number of 18th century Native American villagers in the area of the Wabash River in what are now the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The Wabash Indians were primarily Weas...
, that included the Piankeshaw
Piankeshaw
The Piankeshaw Indians were Native Americans, and members of the Miami Indians who lived apart from the rest of the Miami nation. They lived in an area that now includes western Indiana and Ohio, and were closely allied with the Wea Indians...
to their south, the Wea
Wea
The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking tribe originally located in western Indiana, closely related to the Miami. The name Wea is used today as the a shortened version of their many recorded names...
to their north, and the powerful Miami Tribe
Miami tribe
The Miami are a Native American nation originally found in what is now Indiana, southwest Michigan, and western Ohio. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is the only federally recognized tribe of Miami Indians in the United States...
, to their east.
As white settlers moved into the region beginning in the early 19th century, the Kickapoo participated in several treaties, including the Treaty of Vincennes
Treaty of Vincennes
The Treaty of Vincennes is the name of two separate treaties. One was an 1803 agreement between the United States of America and the Miami and their allies, the Wea tribes and the Shawnee...
, the Treaty of Grouseland
Treaty of Grouseland
The Treaty of Grouseland was an agreement negotiated by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory on behalf of the government of the United States of America with Native American leaders, including Little Turtle and Buckongahelas, for lands in Southern Indiana, northeast Indiana, and...
, and the Treaty of Fort Wayne. They sold most of their lands to the United States and moved north to settle among the Wea. Rising tensions between the regional tribes and the United States led to Tecumseh's War
Tecumseh's War
Tecumseh's War or Tecumseh's Rebellion are terms sometimes used to describe a conflict in the Old Northwest between the United States and an American Indian confederacy led by the Shawnee leader Tecumseh...
in 1811. The Kickapoo were one of Tecumseh's closest allies. Many Kickapoo warriors participated in the Battle of Tippecanoe
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of...
and the subsequent War of 1812
Indiana in the War of 1812
During the War of 1812, Indiana Territory was home to several conflicts between the United States territorial government and partisan Native American forces backed by the British in Canada. The Battle of Tippecanoe, which had occurred just months before the war began, was one of the catalysts that...
. A prominent, nonviolent spiritual leader among the Kickapoo was Kennekuk, who led his followers to their current tribal lands in Kansas, where he died in 1852. Kennekuk
Kennekuk
Kennekuk , also known as the "Kickapoo Prophet", was a Kickapoo medicine man and spiritual leader of the Vermilion band of the Kickapoo nation. He lived in East Central Illinois much of his life along the Vermilion River and led a community of followers, whose beliefs centered on non-violence,...
The close of the war led to a change of Indian policy in the Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
, and later the state of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. American leaders began to advocate the removal of the tribes
Indian removals in Indiana
Indian removals in Indiana began in the early 1830s and was mostly completed by 1846. The removals were preceded by several treaties, beginning in 1795, that gradually purchased most of the state from various tribes...
to land west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The Kickapoo were among the first tribes to leave Indiana. They accepted land in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and an annual subsidy in exchange for leaving the state.
Language
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
language closely related to that of the Sauk and Fox
Fox language
Fox is an Algonquian language, spoken by around 1000 Fox, Sauk, and Kickapoo in various locations in the Midwestern United States and in northern Mexico...
. They were classified with the Central Algonquians, and were also related to the Illiniwek
Illiniwek
The Illinois Confederation, sometimes referred to as the Illiniwek or Illini, were a group of twelve to thirteen Native American tribes in the upper Mississippi River valley of North America...
.
Kickapoo tribes and communities
There are three federally recognized Kickapoo communities in the United States: one in Kansas, one in Texas, and the third in Oklahoma.Kickapoo Indian Reservation of Kansas
The Kickapoo Indian Reservation is located at 39°40′51"N 95°36′41"W in the northeastern part of the state in parts of three counties, BrownBrown County, Kansas
Brown County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 9,984. Its county seat and most populous city is Hiawatha...
, Jackson
Jackson County, Kansas
Jackson County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 13,462. Its county seat and most populous city is Holton...
, and Atchison
Atchison County, Kansas
Atchison County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 16,924. Its county seat and most populous city is Atchison. The county is named in honor of David Rice Atchison, a United States Senator from Missouri...
. It has a land area of 612.203 square kilometres (236.4 sq mi) and a resident population of 4,419 as of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. The largest community on the reservation is the city of Horton
Horton, Kansas
Horton is a city in Brown County, Kansas, United States. The population was 1,967 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Horton is located at...
. The other communities are:
- MuscotahMuscotah, KansasMuscotah is a city in Atchison County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 176. Muscotah was named for the Kickapoo Native American word for "prairie"-History:...
- NetawakaNetawaka, KansasNetawaka is a city in Jackson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 170 at the 2000 census. Netawaka takes its name from the Pottawatami Native American word meaning "grand view".-Geography:Netawaka is located at ....
(most of the city, with all of the population) - PowhattanPowhattan, KansasPowhattan is a city in Brown County, Kansas, United States. The population was 91 at the 2000 census. The city was named for the father of Pocahontas and was originally a stagecoach station named Locknane.-Geography:...
- WhitingWhiting, KansasWhiting is a city in Jackson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 206 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Whiting is located at ....
- WillisWillis, KansasWillis is a city in Brown County, Kansas, United States. The population was 69 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Willis is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
Kickapoo Indian Reservation of Texas
The Kickapoo Indian Reservation of Texas is located at 28°36′37"N 100°26′19"W on the Rio Grande RiverRio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
on the U.S.-Mexico border in western Maverick County
Maverick County, Texas
Maverick County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 47,297. Its county seat is Eagle Pass. Maverick County is named for Samuel Maverick, cattleman and state legislator....
, just south of the city of Eagle Pass
Eagle Pass, Texas
Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County The population was 27,183 as of the 2010 census.Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across the Rio Grande. The Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras Metropolitan Area is one of six...
, as part of the community of Rosita South
Rosita South, Texas
Rosita South is a census-designated place in Maverick County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,574 at the 2000 census. The Kickapoo Indian Reservation of Texas is located within the community.-Geography:...
. It has a land area of 0.4799 square kilometres (118.6 acre) and a 2000 census population of 420 persons. The Texas Indian Commission officially recognized the tribe in 1977.
There are undetermined numbers of other Kickapoo in Maverick County, Texas, who constitute the "South Texas Subgroup of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma". That band owns 917.79 acres (3.7 km²) of non-reservation land in Maverick County, primarily to the north of Eagle Pass. It has an office in that city.
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
, many Kickapoo moved south to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, but the population of two villages settled in Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
. One village settled within the Chickasaw Nation
Chickasaw Nation
The Chickasaw Nation is a federally recognized Native American nation, located in Oklahoma. They are one of the members of the Five Civilized Tribes. The Five Civilized Tribes were differentiated from other Indian reservations in that they had semi-autonomous constitutional governments and...
and the other within the Muscogee Creek Nation. These Kickapoo were granted their own reservation in 1883.
The reservation was short-lived, because in 1893 their communal tribal lands were broken up and assigned to separate households in allotments under the Dawes Act
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey Indian tribal land and divide the land into allotments for individual Indians. The Act was named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act was amended in 1891 and again...
. The tribe's government was dismantled by the Curtis Act of 1898
Curtis Act of 1898
The Curtis Act of 1898 was an amendment to the United States Dawes Act that brought about the allotment process of lands of the Five Civilized Tribes of Indian Territory: the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee, Cherokee, and Seminole...
, which encouraged assimilation by Native Americans. Tribal members struggled under these conditions.
In 1936, the tribe reorganized as the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
The Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936, also known as the Thomas-Rogers Act, is a United States federal law that extended the US Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. It sought to return some form of tribal government to the many tribes in former Indian Territory...
.
Today the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
The Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma is one of three federally recognized Kickapoo tribes in the United States. There are also Kickapoo tribes in Kansas, Texas, and Mexico. The Kickapoo are a Woodland tribe, who speak an Algonquian language.-Early history:...
is headquartered in McLoud, Oklahoma
McLoud, Oklahoma
McLoud is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States, and is part of the Oklahoma City Consolidated Metropolitan Area. The population was 4,044 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. Their tribal jurisdictional area is in Oklahoma
Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
Oklahoma County is a county located in the central partof the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 718,633 at the 2010 census. The county seat and principal city is Oklahoma City...
, Pottawatomie
Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma
Pottawatomie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 65,521 as of the 2000 census. Its county seat is Shawnee...
, and Lincoln Counties
Lincoln County, Oklahoma
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population as of 2010 was 34,273. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.Its county seat is Chandler....
. They have 2,719 enrolled tribal members.
See also
- Whistled speech among Kickapoo Indians in MexicoWhistled Speech Among kickapoo Indians in MexicoWhistled speech is a system of whistled communication that allows subjects to transmit and exchange a potentially unlimited set of messages over long distances.- Whistled speech among the Kickapoo :...
Further reading
- Grant Foreman, The Last Trek of the Indians: An Account of the Removal of the Indians from North of the Ohio River, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1946
- Arrell M. Gibson, The Kickapoo: Lords of the Middle Border, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1963
- M. Christopher Nunley, "Kickapoo Indians," in The New Handbook of Texas, Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1996.
- Muriel H. Wright, A Guide to the Indian Tribes of Oklahoma, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986
- Joseph B. Herring, Kennekuk: The Kickapoo Prophet, Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 1988
External links
- First nations – Kickapoo from Lee Sultzman
- The Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas
- http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-CHECK_SEARCH_RESULTS=N&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_P001&-tree_id=4001&-transpose=N&-all_geo_types=N&-redoLog=true&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=25000US1770&-geo_id=25000US1775&-search_results=25000US1775&-format=&-fully_or_partially=N&-_lang=en&-show_geoid=YKickapoo Reservation, Kansas and Kickapoo Reservation, Texas] United States Census Bureau
- Kickapoo State Park
- Matthew R. Garrett, Kickapoo Foreign Policy, 1650–1830. PhD dissertation, University of Nebraska, 2006
- Kickapoo, The Novel