Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
The Wyandotte Nation is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Oklahoma. They are descendants of the Wendat Confederacy and Native Americans with territory near Georgian Bay
and Lake Huron
. Under pressure from Iroquois
and other tribes, then from Europe
an settlers and the United States government, the tribe gradually moved south and west: to Ohio
, Michigan
, Kansas
and Oklahoma
in the United States. One group of Wendat descendants lives in Wendake, Quebec
, Canada
.
-speaking Indians from the eastern woodlands
. Their name is thought to mean "dwellers on a peninsula" or "islanders."
The first Wendat Confederacy was created around 1400 CE, when the Attignawantan (Bear Nation) and Attigingueenongnahac (Cord People) combined forces. They, in turn, were joined by the Arendaronon (People of the Rocks), Ataronchronon (People of One Lodge), and the Tahontaenrat (Deer Nation). At one time scholars believed these peoples to be remnant bands of the St. Lawrence Iroquoians
, who established villages located near present-day Montreal visited by early French explorers. But, archeologists have excavated large, 16th-century settlement sites north of Lake Ontario, with extensive evidence leading them to conclude that this was the original site of the coalescence of the Wendat people. They later migrated to the area near Georgia Bay, where they were encountered by French explorers in the early 17th century.
French explorers encountered the Wyandotte around 1536 and dubbed them the Huron. They were fierce enemies of the nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, then based in present-day New York. Decimated by smallpox
epidemics, the Wendat Confederacy became seriously weakened during the early decades of the early seventeenth century. In 1659, they were defeated by the Iroquois and most migrated southwest for safety, where they settled with Odawa
and Illinois tribes. Others moved east into Quebec.
Remnants of the associated Wendat and Petun
peoples came together as a new group, which became known as the Wyandot of Wyandotte. By the beginning of the 18th century, the Wyandotte people had moved into the Ohio River Valley, extending into areas of what would become West Virginia
, Indiana
and Michigan
. Around 1745, large groups settled near Sandusky, Ohio
. After the American Revolution
, a treaty signed with the United States in 1785 confirmed their landholdings. However, the 1795 Treaty of Greenville
greatly reduced its size.
The 1817 Treaty of Fort Meigs
reduced the Wyandotte lands drastically, leaving the people only small parcels in Ohio
. In 1842, the Wyandotte lost all of their land east of the Mississippi River, under pressure of the United States government policy to remove the Native Americans to the West. They made a treaty with the US government by which they were to be compensated for their lands.
They were removed to the Delaware
Reservation in present-day Kansas
, then considered Indian Territory. During this migration and the early months, their people suffered much illness. In 1843 survivors buried their dead on a high ridge overlooking the Missouri River in what became the Huron Cemetery
in present-day Kansas City, Kansas
. (In 1971 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. It is now called the Wyandot National Burying Ground.)
After the American Civil War
, Wyandotte people who had not become citizens of the United States in 1855 in Kansas, were removed a final time in 1867. They were settled on 20000 acres (80.9 km²) in the northeast corner of Indian Territory
. In 1893 the Dawes Act
required that this land be divided into individual allotments. The land was divided among 241 tribal members, who were listed on the Dawes Rolls
. The Wyandotte members in Oklahoma retained some tribal structure, and still had control of the communal property of the Huron Cemetery, by then annexed into Kansas City.
, the Brund Hotel, and the Masonic Temple
under reconstruction after a fire.
In 1906 the Wyandotte Nation authorized the Secretary of Interior to sell the cemetery, with the bodies to be reinterred at nearby Quindaro Cemetery. This proposal was opposed by Lyda Conley
and her two sisters in Kansas City, who launched what became a multi-year campaign to preserve the burying ground. They achieved much support, and in 1916 Senator Charles Curtis
of Kansas, who was of partially Native American descent, won passage of a bill protecting the cemetery as a national park and providing some funds for maintenance.
Over the years, the Wyandotte Nation continued to explore ways to increase revenues for the tribe, including redevelopment of the Huron Cemetery. Descendants in Kansas vigorously resisted these efforts. In 1971 the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. In 1998 the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma and the Wyandot Nation of Kansas came to agreement to preserve the Wyandot National Burying Ground for religious, cultural and related uses appropriate to its sacred history and use.
of 1934 to regain tribal structure and self-government, the Wyandotte organized themselves into the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma, later changing their name to simply Wyandotte Nation, and achieved federal recognition. The act enabled Native Americans to hold property in common again, and to develop self-government and sovereignty.
This followed an important meeting of Huronia reconciliation in Midland, Ontario, Canada, attended by representatives of the Iroquois Confederacy, Wyandotte nations, British, French, Dutch, Anglican Church and Catholic Jesuit brothers. The weekend of events was organized by the Huronia Reconciliation Committee.
, and their tribal jurisdictional area is in Ottawa County, Oklahoma
.
Leaford Bearskin is the elected Chief, currently serving a four-year term. He has been repeatedly re-elected, by 2008 serving as chief for 26 years. The Wyandotte Nation issue their own tribal vehicle tags and operate their own housing authority. They have a seven-man Police Department providing 24-hour law enforcement response to the Nation and surrounding area.
. They operate the Bearskin Fitness Center, the Wyandotte Nation Environmental Department, and the Bearskin Health and Wellness Center. The Turtle Speaks is the tribal newspaper. Additionally, the tribe owns a truck stop, a fuel station, and a smoke shop.
They also own the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Kansas City and have legal control of the nearby Wyandot National Burying Ground. The Wyandotte Nation has recently acquired land in Park City, Kansas
with the stated intention of building a gaming casino and hotel.
is held in Oklahoma during the first weekend of September and features contest dancing, gourd dancing
, and a social stomp dance
.
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
and Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
. Under pressure from Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
and other tribes, then from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an settlers and the United States government, the tribe gradually moved south and west: to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 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 Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
in the United States. One group of Wendat descendants lives in Wendake, Quebec
Wendake, Quebec
Wendake is the current name for the Huron-Wendat reserve, an enclave within Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. One of the Seven Nations of Canada, this was formerly known as Village-des-Hurons , and also as -Lorette....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
The Wendat, their name for themselves, or Wyandotte, are IroquoianIroquoian languages
The Iroquoian languages are a First Nation and Native American language family.-Family division:*Ruttenber, Edward Manning. 1992 [1872]. History of the Indian tribes of Hudson's River. Hope Farm Press....
-speaking Indians from the eastern woodlands
Eastern Woodlands tribes
The Eastern Woodlands was a cultural area of the indigenous people of North America. The Eastern Woodlands extended roughly from the Atlantic Ocean to the eastern Great Plains, and from the Great Lakes region to the Gulf of Mexico, which is now the eastern United States and Canada...
. Their name is thought to mean "dwellers on a peninsula" or "islanders."
The first Wendat Confederacy was created around 1400 CE, when the Attignawantan (Bear Nation) and Attigingueenongnahac (Cord People) combined forces. They, in turn, were joined by the Arendaronon (People of the Rocks), Ataronchronon (People of One Lodge), and the Tahontaenrat (Deer Nation). At one time scholars believed these peoples to be remnant bands of the St. Lawrence Iroquoians
St. Lawrence Iroquoians
The St. Lawrence Iroquoians were a prehistoric First Nations/Native American indigenous people who lived from the 14th century until about 1580 CE along the shores of the St. Lawrence River in present-day Quebec and Ontario, Canada, and New York State, United States. They spoke Laurentian...
, who established villages located near present-day Montreal visited by early French explorers. But, archeologists have excavated large, 16th-century settlement sites north of Lake Ontario, with extensive evidence leading them to conclude that this was the original site of the coalescence of the Wendat people. They later migrated to the area near Georgia Bay, where they were encountered by French explorers in the early 17th century.
French explorers encountered the Wyandotte around 1536 and dubbed them the Huron. They were fierce enemies of the nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, then based in present-day New York. Decimated by smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemics, the Wendat Confederacy became seriously weakened during the early decades of the early seventeenth century. In 1659, they were defeated by the Iroquois and most migrated southwest for safety, where they settled with Odawa
Odawa people
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
and Illinois tribes. Others moved east into Quebec.
Remnants of the associated Wendat and Petun
Petun
The Petún , or Tionontati in their language, were an Iroquoian-speaking First Nations people closely related to the Wendat Confederacy. Their homeland was located along the southwest edge of Georgian Bay, in the area immediately to the west of the Huron territory in Southern Ontario of...
peoples came together as a new group, which became known as the Wyandot of Wyandotte. By the beginning of the 18th century, the Wyandotte people had moved into the Ohio River Valley, extending into areas of what would become West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, 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...
and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Around 1745, large groups settled near Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
. After the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, a treaty signed with the United States in 1785 confirmed their landholdings. However, the 1795 Treaty of Greenville
Treaty of Greenville
The Treaty of Greenville was signed at Fort Greenville , on August 3, 1795, between a coalition of Native Americans & Frontiers men, known as the Western Confederacy, and the United States following the Native American loss at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. It put an end to the Northwest Indian War...
greatly reduced its size.
The 1817 Treaty of Fort Meigs
Treaty of Fort Meigs
The Treaty of Fort Meigs, also called the Treaty of the Foot of the Rapids, was signed September 29, 1817 between the chiefs and warriors of the Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Ottawa and Chippewa, tribes of native Americans and the United States of America, represented by Lewis...
reduced the Wyandotte lands drastically, leaving the people only small parcels in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. In 1842, the Wyandotte lost all of their land east of the Mississippi River, under pressure of the United States government policy to remove the Native Americans to the West. They made a treaty with the US government by which they were to be compensated for their lands.
They were removed to the Delaware
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
Reservation in present-day 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...
, then considered Indian Territory. During this migration and the early months, their people suffered much illness. In 1843 survivors buried their dead on a high ridge overlooking the Missouri River in what became the Huron Cemetery
Huron Cemetery
The Huron Indian Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas, also known as Huron Park Cemetery, is now formally known as the Wyandot National Burying Ground. It was established circa 1843, when Wyandots had first arrived in their removal from Ohio. The tribe settled in the area for years, with many in 1855...
in present-day Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
. (In 1971 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. It is now called the Wyandot National Burying Ground.)
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Wyandotte people who had not become citizens of the United States in 1855 in Kansas, were removed a final time in 1867. They were settled on 20000 acres (80.9 km²) in the northeast corner of 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...
. In 1893 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...
required that this land be divided into individual allotments. The land was divided among 241 tribal members, who were listed on the Dawes Rolls
Dawes Rolls
The Dawes Rolls were created by the Dawes Commission. The Commission, authorized by United States Congress in 1893, was required to negotiate with the Five Civilized Tribes to convince them to agree to an allotment plan and dissolution of the reservation system...
. The Wyandotte members in Oklahoma retained some tribal structure, and still had control of the communal property of the Huron Cemetery, by then annexed into Kansas City.
Huron Cemetery
For decades, the Huron Cemetery was a source of controversy between the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma and Wyandot descendants in Kansas. The former wanted to sell the property for redevelopment. Kansas City was also eager for that development, as the city had annexed all of the property in the area. By 1907 it was a prime site; nearby was a new Carnegie LibraryCarnegie Library
Carnegie Library, Carnegie Public Library, Carnegie Free Library, Carnegie Free Public Library, Andrew Carnegie Library, Andrew Carnegie Free Library or Carnegie Library Building may refer to any of the following Carnegie libraries:- California :*Carnegie Library , listed on the National Register...
, the Brund Hotel, and the Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple is a term commonly used in Freemasonry with multiple but related meanings. It is used to describe an abstract spiritual goal, the conceptual ritualistic space formed when a Masonic Lodge meets, and the physical rooms and structures in which a Lodge meets...
under reconstruction after a fire.
In 1906 the Wyandotte Nation authorized the Secretary of Interior to sell the cemetery, with the bodies to be reinterred at nearby Quindaro Cemetery. This proposal was opposed by Lyda Conley
Lyda Conley
Eliza Burton “Lyda” Conley was an American lawyer of Native American and European descent, the first woman admitted to the Kansas bar. She was notable for her campaign to prevent the sale and development of the Huron Cemetery in Kansas City, now known as the Wyandot National Burying Ground...
and her two sisters in Kansas City, who launched what became a multi-year campaign to preserve the burying ground. They achieved much support, and in 1916 Senator Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis was a United States Representative, a longtime United States Senator from Kansas later chosen as Senate Majority Leader by his Republican colleagues, and the 31st Vice President of the United States...
of Kansas, who was of partially Native American descent, won passage of a bill protecting the cemetery as a national park and providing some funds for maintenance.
Over the years, the Wyandotte Nation continued to explore ways to increase revenues for the tribe, including redevelopment of the Huron Cemetery. Descendants in Kansas vigorously resisted these efforts. In 1971 the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. In 1998 the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma and the Wyandot Nation of Kansas came to agreement to preserve the Wyandot National Burying Ground for religious, cultural and related uses appropriate to its sacred history and use.
Reorganization as a nation
In 1937, seizing the opportunity presented by the US Oklahoma Indian Welfare ActOklahoma 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...
of 1934 to regain tribal structure and self-government, the Wyandotte organized themselves into the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma, later changing their name to simply Wyandotte Nation, and achieved federal recognition. The act enabled Native Americans to hold property in common again, and to develop self-government and sovereignty.
Wendat Confederacy
In August 1999, the Wyandotte Nation joined the contemporary Wendat Confederacy, together with the Wyandot Nation of Kansas, Huron Wenday of Wendake (Quebec), and the Wyandot Nation of Anderdon in Michigan. The tribes pledged to provide mutual aid to each other in a spirit of peace, kinship, and unity.This followed an important meeting of Huronia reconciliation in Midland, Ontario, Canada, attended by representatives of the Iroquois Confederacy, Wyandotte nations, British, French, Dutch, Anglican Church and Catholic Jesuit brothers. The weekend of events was organized by the Huronia Reconciliation Committee.
Government
The headquarters of the federally recognized Wyandotte Nation is in Wyandotte, OklahomaWyandotte, Oklahoma
Wyandotte is a town in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 363 at the 2000 census.The town is the tribal headquarters of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma.-Geography:Wyandotte is located at ....
, and their tribal jurisdictional area is in Ottawa County, Oklahoma
Ottawa County, Oklahoma
Ottawa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 33,194. Its county seat is Miami. It was named for the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma.Ottawa County was established in 1907.-Geography:...
.
Leaford Bearskin is the elected Chief, currently serving a four-year term. He has been repeatedly re-elected, by 2008 serving as chief for 26 years. The Wyandotte Nation issue their own tribal vehicle tags and operate their own housing authority. They have a seven-man Police Department providing 24-hour law enforcement response to the Nation and surrounding area.
Economic development and programs
The Wyandotte Nation Casino is located in Wyandotte, OklahomaWyandotte, Oklahoma
Wyandotte is a town in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 363 at the 2000 census.The town is the tribal headquarters of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma.-Geography:Wyandotte is located at ....
. They operate the Bearskin Fitness Center, the Wyandotte Nation Environmental Department, and the Bearskin Health and Wellness Center. The Turtle Speaks is the tribal newspaper. Additionally, the tribe owns a truck stop, a fuel station, and a smoke shop.
They also own the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Kansas City and have legal control of the nearby Wyandot National Burying Ground. The Wyandotte Nation has recently acquired land in Park City, Kansas
Park City, Kansas
Park City is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States; it is a suburb of Wichita. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297.-History:...
with the stated intention of building a gaming casino and hotel.
Events
The tribe's annual powwowPowWow
PowWow is a wireless sensor network mote developed by the Cairn team of IRISA/INRIA. The platform is currently based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard radio transceiver and on an MSP430 microprocessor...
is held in Oklahoma during the first weekend of September and features contest dancing, gourd dancing
Gourd Dance
The Gourd Dance is a type of Native American celebration dance and ceremony. It is believed that the dance originated with the Kiowa tribe. Gourd dances are often held to coincide with a pow-wow, although the Gourd Dance has its own unique dance and history...
, and a social stomp dance
Stomp dance
The Stomp Dance is performed by various Eastern Woodland tribes and Native American communities, including the Muscogee, Yuchi, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Delaware, Miami, Caddo, Ottawa, Peoria, Shawnee, Seminole, Natchez, and Seneca-Cayuga tribes...
.
External links
- Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma, official website