Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma is one of two federally recognized Iowa tribe
s. The other is the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. Traditionally Iowas spoke the Chiwere language
, part of the Souian language
family. Their own name for their tribe is Bahkhoje, meaning, "grey snow," a term inspired by the tribe's traditional winter lodges covered with snow, stained grey from hearth fires.
region. They are thought, along with the Ho-Chunk, Otoe, and Missouria tribes, to have once been a single tribe. In the 16th century, the Iowa, Otoe, and Missouria broke away from that tribe and moved to the south and west. The first recorded contact between the Iowa and Europeans was in 1676, in Green Bay, Wisconsin
, where they lived among the Ho-Chunk people.
Traditionally, Iowa society was divided into two moieties, the Buffalo and the Bear clans, who would govern the tribe on an alternating, semiannual basis.
In face of European-American encroachment, the Iowa moved east in what is now Iowa and Missouri, but in 1839 the tribe ceded their lands and moved to the Ioway Reservation
on the Kansas-Nebraska border. There factionalism broke out between the mixed blood and full blood Iowas. The mixed bloods advocated assimilation, while the full bloods wanted to follow their traditional way of life.
In the attempt to preserve their traditions, the full blood faction of the Iowa Tribe began moving into Indian Territory
in 1878. They were given lands within the Sac and Fox Reservation in 1883. Their collective tribal landholdings were broken up by the Dawes Act
and, in 1890, individual land was allotted by the Cherokee Commission
to 109 tribal members.
The Curtis Act of 1898
dismantled tribal government, but the tribe was able to reorganize under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
of 1936, as the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma. They ratified a constitution and by-laws in 1937.
, and their tribal jurisdictional area is in Lincoln
, Logan
, Oklahoma
, and Payne Counties, Oklahoma
. Of the 567 enrolled tribal members, 413 live within the state of Oklahoma. Janice Kurak is the current tribal chairperson. She replaced Christie Modlin, the youngest person to ever have held this position.
The tribe issues their own vehicle tags and operates the Bahkhoje Housing Authority. They own a truck stop, a gas station, a smoke shop, a bingo hall, and an off-track wagering facility. The estimated annual economic impact of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma was $65,259,059 in 2009. The tribe operates the Cimarron Casino in Perkins, the Iowa Tribe Smokeshop in Coyle
, and the Ioway Casino Resort in Chandler
.
The Bah-Kho-Je Journal is a newspaper published by the tribe for enrolled members. The tribe also owns BKH Solutions, a SBA 8(A) certified company providing trucking, construction, environmental, archaeological, and energy services and consulting. They have their own tribal police department and Tah-Je Do-Weh Che Child Development and Head Start program.
The tribe owns its own Bah-Kho-Je Gallery that represents Iowa artists, such as Jean Bales (Iowa) and Daniel Murray (Iowa/Otoe), as well as artists from related tribes, such as Mars Biggoose (Ponca
), Gina Gray (Osage Nation
), David Kaskaske (Otoe-Missouri
), and others. The gallery was based in Guthrie, Oklahoma
, but is now located in the Iowa tribal complex in Perkins.
Since 1985, the tribe has held an annual powwow
. It takes place in mid-June four miles south of Perkins on Highway 177.
An estimated thirty tribal members still speak the Iowa or Chiwere language
, a Siouan language. The tribe has offered language classes in the past and is currently providing elders with recording devices to archive language material they feel important to share with the younger generations.
The aviary is one of the few in the country is open to the public, and visitors have come from all over the world, including tribal elders from many different Oklahoman Indian tribes. Naturally molted eagle feathers are gathered by the tribe for legally permitted religious use. Victor Roubidoux, an Iowa tribal member, serves as the aviary manager. The tribe is currently raising funds to expand the aviary, since spaces for eagles filled up almost immediately with birds from throughout the United States. The tribe recently added a new flight cage. Says Roubidoux, "We believe that the eagle is the only animal that has seen the face of the creator and so we honor him with respect and dignity."
Iowa tribe
The Iowa , also known as the Báxoje, are a Native American Siouan people. Today they are enrolled in either of two federally recognized tribes, the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma and the Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska....
s. The other is the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. Traditionally Iowas spoke the Chiwere language
Chiwere language
Chiwere is a Siouan language originally spoken by the Missouria, Otoe, and Iowa peoples, who originated in the Great Lakes region but later moved throughout the midwest and plains. The language is closely related to Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago...
, part of the Souian language
Siouan languages
The Western Siouan languages, also called Siouan proper or simply Siouan, are a Native American language family of North America, and the second largest indigenous language family in North America, after Algonquian...
family. Their own name for their tribe is Bahkhoje, meaning, "grey snow," a term inspired by the tribe's traditional winter lodges covered with snow, stained grey from hearth fires.
History
The Iowa, or Ioway, originated in the Great LakesGreat Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
region. They are thought, along with the Ho-Chunk, Otoe, and Missouria tribes, to have once been a single tribe. In the 16th century, the Iowa, Otoe, and Missouria broke away from that tribe and moved to the south and west. The first recorded contact between the Iowa and Europeans was in 1676, in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
, where they lived among the Ho-Chunk people.
Traditionally, Iowa society was divided into two moieties, the Buffalo and the Bear clans, who would govern the tribe on an alternating, semiannual basis.
In face of European-American encroachment, the Iowa moved east in what is now Iowa and Missouri, but in 1839 the tribe ceded their lands and moved to the Ioway Reservation
Ioway Reservation
The Iowa Reservation of the Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska straddles the borders of southeast Richardson County in southeastern Nebraska and Brown and Doniphan Counties in northeastern Kansas. Tribal headquarters are west of White Cloud, Kansas. The reservation was defined in a treaty from...
on the Kansas-Nebraska border. There factionalism broke out between the mixed blood and full blood Iowas. The mixed bloods advocated assimilation, while the full bloods wanted to follow their traditional way of life.
In the attempt to preserve their traditions, the full blood faction of the Iowa Tribe began moving into 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 1878. They were given lands within the Sac and Fox Reservation in 1883. Their collective tribal landholdings were broken up by 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...
and, in 1890, individual land was allotted by the Cherokee Commission
Cherokee Commission
The Cherokee Commission, was a three-person bi-partisan body created by President Benjamin Harrison to operate under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, as empowered by Section 14 of the Indian Appropriations Act of March 2, 1889. Section 15 of the same Act empowered the President to...
to 109 tribal members.
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...
dismantled tribal government, but the tribe was able to reorganize 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...
of 1936, as the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma. They ratified a constitution and by-laws in 1937.
Today
The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma is headquartered in Perkins, OklahomaPerkins, Oklahoma
Perkins is a city in Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,272 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from Walden Perkins, a congressman who helped establish the local post office. The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma is headquartered here....
, and their tribal jurisdictional area is in Lincoln
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....
, Logan
Logan County, Oklahoma
Logan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population as of 2009 was 39,301. Its county seat is Guthrie. Logan County is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, 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...
, and Payne Counties, Oklahoma
Payne County, Oklahoma
Payne County is a county in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population as of 2010 was 77,350. Its county seat is Stillwater, and the county is named for Capt. David L. Payne...
. Of the 567 enrolled tribal members, 413 live within the state of Oklahoma. Janice Kurak is the current tribal chairperson. She replaced Christie Modlin, the youngest person to ever have held this position.
The tribe issues their own vehicle tags and operates the Bahkhoje Housing Authority. They own a truck stop, a gas station, a smoke shop, a bingo hall, and an off-track wagering facility. The estimated annual economic impact of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma was $65,259,059 in 2009. The tribe operates the Cimarron Casino in Perkins, the Iowa Tribe Smokeshop in Coyle
Coyle, Oklahoma
Coyle is a town in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 337 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Coyle is located at ....
, and the Ioway Casino Resort in Chandler
Chandler, Oklahoma
Chandler is a city in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,842 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area.Chandler is located east of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on U.S...
.
The Bah-Kho-Je Journal is a newspaper published by the tribe for enrolled members. The tribe also owns BKH Solutions, a SBA 8(A) certified company providing trucking, construction, environmental, archaeological, and energy services and consulting. They have their own tribal police department and Tah-Je Do-Weh Che Child Development and Head Start program.
The tribe owns its own Bah-Kho-Je Gallery that represents Iowa artists, such as Jean Bales (Iowa) and Daniel Murray (Iowa/Otoe), as well as artists from related tribes, such as Mars Biggoose (Ponca
Ponca
The Ponca are a Native American people of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan-language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma...
), Gina Gray (Osage Nation
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation is a Native American Siouan-language tribe in the United States that originated in the Ohio River valley in present-day Kentucky. After years of war with invading Iroquois, the Osage migrated west of the Mississippi River to their historic lands in present-day Arkansas, Missouri,...
), David Kaskaske (Otoe-Missouri
Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians
The Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians is a single, federally recognized tribe, located in Oklahoma. The tribe is made up of Otoe and Missouria Indians. Traditionally they spoke the Chiwere language, part of the Souian language family.-Government:...
), and others. The gallery was based in Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma...
, but is now located in the Iowa tribal complex in Perkins.
Since 1985, the tribe has held an annual powwow
PowWow
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...
. It takes place in mid-June four miles south of Perkins on Highway 177.
Language
Chiwere language
Chiwere is a Siouan language originally spoken by the Missouria, Otoe, and Iowa peoples, who originated in the Great Lakes region but later moved throughout the midwest and plains. The language is closely related to Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago...
, a Siouan language. The tribe has offered language classes in the past and is currently providing elders with recording devices to archive language material they feel important to share with the younger generations.
Bah Kho-Je Xla Chi: Eagle Rehabilitation Program
A unique tribal service is the Bah Kho-Je Xla Chi or Grey Snow Eagle House. This eagle aviary was built in January 2006, within the tribe's buffalo preserve. Bah Kho-Je Xla Chi serves both to rehabilitate injured eagles and to house eagles that cannot be released back in the wild. The program works with golden eagles and bald eagles. Located in Perkins, this is the first facility that can house injured eagles in the state of Oklahoma and meets US Fish and Wildlife Service standards.The aviary is one of the few in the country is open to the public, and visitors have come from all over the world, including tribal elders from many different Oklahoman Indian tribes. Naturally molted eagle feathers are gathered by the tribe for legally permitted religious use. Victor Roubidoux, an Iowa tribal member, serves as the aviary manager. The tribe is currently raising funds to expand the aviary, since spaces for eagles filled up almost immediately with birds from throughout the United States. The tribe recently added a new flight cage. Says Roubidoux, "We believe that the eagle is the only animal that has seen the face of the creator and so we honor him with respect and dignity."