Awhile back I started on another Discover piece called The Indian Tribes of the United States for our Diversity page. I was wondering how many are there out there. The only ones I knew in my childhood in VN were the ones in, shameful to say, spaghetti westerns, Bonanza and Daniel Boone on TV. It turned out to be a monumental task. Do you know there are over 600 tribes all over the U.S.A? Some may branch out from a few but after awhile, they all created their own distinctive languages and traditions. It was amazing to read and learn about them and their cultures. It was however impossible to shrink all that information into one page. My view about the recent immigration debate was if you came here to stay and prosper, you better learn the language. As I said that, I was thinking our Native Americans could have the same rhetoric too, why not? Well sorry buddy, but it’s easier to learn one language than 600 of them! So I’m going to focus on just a few Indian tribes in Indiana this time.

The Chippewa Tribe
The Chippewas were one of the largest American Indian groups in North America. There were nearly 150 different bands of Chippewa Indians throughout their original homeland in the northern United States (especially Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan) and southern Canada (especially Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan). They also went by 'Ojibway,' 'Ojibwe,' and 'Ojibwa' which came from an Algonquian word meaning 'puckered,' probably because of their characteristic puckered moccasin style. The Ojibway people called themselves 'Anishinabe' in their own language, which means 'original person.' Like most Native American tribes, each Ojibway community lived on its own reservation, and is legally under their control. Each band of Ojibway Indians, known as a "tribe" in the United States, is politically independent and has its own leadership. Representatives of this tribe appeared as parties to the Treaty of Greenville in 1795 and treaties made in 1817 and 1821 by which lands in Indiana were relinquished to the “white” people.

The Delaware Tribe
The Delaware tribe, originally from Ohio, received permission from the Miami tribe to occupy that part of Indiana between the Ohio and White Rivers. Later they all moved west of the Mississippi to Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The name Delaware was given to the people who lived along the Delaware River which was named after Lord de la Warr, the governor of the Jamestown colony (and he didn’t have to pay or raise money for it!). Later it was applied to almost all Lenape people which means "The People." The Delaware were called the "Grandfather" tribe, respected by other tribes as peacemakers since they often served to settle disputes among rival tribes. They were also known for their fierceness and tenacity as warriors when they had to fight. The early Delaware had no idea that land was something that could be sold. They thought the land belonged to the Creator, and the Lenape people were only using it to shelter and feed their people. When the poor, bedraggled people got off their ships (uh, u, bad news) after the long voyage and needed a place to live, they shared the land with them (big mistake!). These white folks gave them a few token gifts for their kindness, but in the mind of the Europeans these gifts were actually the purchase price for the land. The Delaware people signed the first Indian treaty with the newly formed United States Government on September 17, 1778. Nevertheless, through war and peace, they had to continue to give up their lands and move westward (first to Ohio, then to Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, and finally, Indian Territory, now Oklahoma).

The Illinois Tribe
When European explorers first entered Illinois, they encountered a tribe who became known as the…Illinois or Illiniwek Indians. The Illinois were a populous and powerful tribe that occupied a large section of the Mississippi River valley. They became important allies of French fur traders and colonists who came to live among them, and they played a key role in the early Midwest history. The Illinois people were remarkable at adaptation and change. Their world was turned upside down during their long association with French settlers and, later, British and American colonists (another big mistake!). As time passed, their population declined and many of their traditional ways of life changed. Eventually the Illinois were forced to leave their traditional lands and move west to Indian Territory. Their descendants, the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, are now scattered throughout the United States but maintain their tribal headquarters in Miami, Oklahoma. Representatives of this tribe also appeared as parties to the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, relinquishing land in Indiana to the white folks.

The Iroquois Tribe
When I was little I loved the look of these mohawked warriors. They always looked so fierce, so mean, and that was cool! Actually the earlier Indian occupants of Indiana were largely driven out by these same Iroquois, particularly by the westernmost of the Iroquois tribes, the Seneca, yet they have had just a few settlements in the State. Seneca came from the name of one of their villages, Osininka. In their own language, the Seneca people call themselves Onandowaga, which means "people of the mountain." The Senecas were original residents of what is now New York state. Today there are three Seneca bands in New York state, one combined Seneca-Cayuga tribe in Oklahoma, and the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario which the Senecas share with members of the other Iroquois nations.

The Kickapoo Tribe
The Kickapoo were on Vermilion River, Ill., occupying some of western Indiana for brief periods. They are now a group of fewer than 1,000 individuals scattered across Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and northern Mexico. In the early 1640s, the Kickapoos, or Kiikaapoa, were living in the region between lakes Michigan and Erie, the area considered to have been their ancestral home. By the 1660s, however, accelerating conflicts with the Iroquois over access to hunting grounds rich in fur-bearing animals had driven the Kickapoos to seek refuge in Wisconsin. There they carried on a vigorous trade with the French. The Kickapoos were independent, self-sufficient and adapted well to their rich environment. Their self-reliant attitude set them apart from other Indians. They lived in a fashion best described as semi nomadic. Their yearly subsistence pattern was split between periods of sedentary village life, when the group practiced horticulture and performed religious ceremonies, and time spent on the prairies, where, they hunted game and gathered wild foods.

The Miami Tribe
Their name is thought to be derived from the Chippewa word Omaumeg, signifying "people on the peninsula," but according to their own traditions, it came from the word for pigeon! Actually the name used by the Miami is Twigbtwees, derived from the cry of a crane. The colonists in turn called them Naked Indians from a confusion of twanh, twanh, the cry of a crane, with tawa, "naked."! Hey, I’m just reporting. The Miami Indians originally lived in Indiana, Illinois, and southern Michigan. They moved into the Maumee Valley about 1700. They soon became the most powerful Indian tribe in Ohio. The Miamis were allies of the French until British traders moved into the Ohio Country, about 1740. The French forced the British out of Ohio, and the Miamis allied themselves with the French again until the British victory in the French and Indian War. As French trading posts turned into British forts, many Miami Indians moved to Indiana to avoid further battles with the more powerful British. During the American Revolution, the Miamis fought with the British against the Americans. After the defeat of the British, the Indians continued to fight the Americans. General Anthony Wayne finally defeated the Miamis at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. They surrendered most of their lands in Ohio with the signing of the Treaty of Greeneville. In 1818, the United States forced the Miami Indians to give up their last reservation in Ohio. Most of these natives settled in Indiana.

The Wea Tribe
The Wea Indians were members of the Miami Indians, although they lived apart from the Miami nation. The United States referred to the Weas as a separate tribe in the Treaty of Greeneville. The Weas were a small group of Indians who lived originally in Wisconsin. They were part of the Algonquian Indians. The Algonquian Indians consisted of various tribes that spoke similar languages. In the late 1700s and the early 1800s, the Piankashaw Indians and the Wea Indians worked closely together, oftentimes sharing the same villages. In 1820, the Weas sold their lands in Indiana to the United States. They remained in Missouri and Illinois until 1832, when they agreed to move to a reservation in Kansas. The Wea Indians did not play a major role in Ohio during the 1700s and the 1800s, but they did sign numerous treaties. In these agreements, the Weas forfeited all claims to the land in what is modern-day Ohio.

The Shawnee Tribe
Shawnee comes from their native word Shawanwa, which means "southerner." The Shawnee were original inhabitants of modern-day Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, but they were far-ranging people, and their villages could be found as far north as New York state and as far south as Georgia. Today, most Shawnees live in Oklahoma, where they were deported by the US government. Like most American Indian tribes in the United States, the Shawnees live on reservations. There are three Shawnee bands in Oklahoma, each with its own government, laws, police, and other services, just like a small country, but the US government still considers the Shawnees citizens and controls some of their decisions.

The Potawatomi Tribe
The correct spelling is actually Bode'wadmi. The Potawatomi people hail from the Great Lakes region and are relatives and allies of the Ojibwe and Ottawa. The name "Potawatomi" refers to their religious/political role as "fire keepers" in that alliance. Their name for themselves is "Nishnabek" (related to the Ojibwe word "Anishinabeg.") There are about 28,000 Potawatomi Indians today. The Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Ottawa belong to a traditional alliance known as the Council of Three Fires. This alliance is not as well-known as the Iroquois Confederacy, with whom they often clashed. During the War of 1812, the Potawatomi tribe supported the Shawnee leaders Tecumseh and Prophet, who were fighting on the British side. The defeat of this pan-Indian alliance meant the relocation of many tribes, including the Potawatomi, who were moved to Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma, some peaceably by treaty, others on forced marches by gunpoint. Some groups of Potawatomi Indians remained in the Great Lakes region by fleeing into Canada, finding refuge with their Ojibwe allies, or negotiating with their white neighbors; others still live in Kansas or Oklahoma to this day.

The Andersontown Powwow & Indian Market this year is scheduled for Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10, 2006 at the Athletic Park in Anderson, Indiana. So now you know a little bit more about the first inhabitants of this land. Remember that when some folks celebrate Columbus Day. This dude didn’t discover anything, he just walked right in somebody’s house and declared himself an explorer. Come on out to the Indian Market and meet some descendants from the Delaware tribe.

For more information go to www.andersontownpowwow.org