Kaw (tribe)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kaw |
|---|
 |
| Total population |
| Regions with significant populations |
| United States (Oklahoma) |
| Languages |
| English, Kaw |
| Religions |
| Christianity, other |
| Related ethnic groups |
| other Siouan peoples |
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 "Wind People", "People of the South Wind", "Kaza", Kanza", Kosa", and "Kasa".
It is from the name of this tribe that the toponym "Kansas" is derived. The Kaw are closely related to the Osage Nation.
The region claimed by the Kanza Nation was ceded to the United States by the treaty of June 1825. The Missouri Shawanoes (or Shawnees) were the first Indians removed to the territory set apart for emigrant tribes by the treaties of June, 1825. The Kanzas and Osages were relocated later.
The only Native American to reach the Vice Presidency of the United States was Charles Curtis, under Herbert Hoover (1929–1933). His mother was a Kaw.
The Curtis Act, named for the Congressman and future Vice-President who sponsored it, in 1898 expanded the powers of the federal government over American Indian affairs. An act of congress in 1902 disbanded the Kaw tribe as a legal entity. This act transferred 160 acres (0.6 km²) to the federal government and about 1,625 acres (6.6 km²) of Kaw land to Curtis and his children.
The federal land was used to found the city of Washungah, Oklahoma. The Kaw Nation of Oklahoma later regained recognition and is currently located in Kaw City, Oklahoma.
The U.S. jazz saxophonist, singer, and composer Jim Pepper (1941-1992) was of both Kaw and Creek ancestry.
On April 23, 2000 the last Kaw fullblood, William A. Mehojah died: and, the Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park (AMHP) was dedicated on June 19, 2005 near Council Grove, Kansas.
[edit] See also
- Kansas River (Northeast Kansas)
- Kaw Lake (Northern Oklahoma)
- Native History in Kansas
- National Museum of the American Indian (Cultural Resource Center)
- Dawes Act (1887)
- Dawes Rolls
- Oklahoma Territory land runs
