Missouri tribe
Encyclopedia
The Missouria or Missouri (in their own language, Niúachi, also spelled Niutachi) are a Native American
tribe
that originated in the Great Lakes
region of United States
before European contact. The tribe belongs to the Chiwere division of the Siouan
language family, together with the Iowa
and Otoe
. Historically, the tribe lived near the mouth of the Grand River
at its confluence with the Missouri River
; the mouth of the Missouri at its confluence with the Mississippi River
, and in Saline County, Missouri. Today they live primarily in Oklahoma
.
-name for the people: Wimihsoorita. Their name means "One who has dugout canoes". In their own language, the Missouri call themselves Niúachi, also spelled Niutachi, meaning "People of the River Mouth." The Osage
called them the Waçux¢a, and the Quapaw
called them the Wa-ju'-xd¢ǎ.
The state of Missouri and the Missouri River are named for the tribe.
The tribe's oral history
says they once lived north of the Great Lakes. They began migrating south in the 16th century. By 1600, the Missouria lived near the confluence of the Grand
and Missouri
rivers, where they settled through the 18th century. Their tradition says that they split from the Otoe tribe, which belongs to the same Chiwere branch of the Siouan language, because of a love affair between the children of two tribal chiefs.
The 17th century brought hardships to the Missouria. The Sauk and Fox
frequently attacked them. Their society was more disrupted by the fatalities from epidemics of smallpox
and other introduced Eurasian infectious disease
s. The French explorer Jacques Marquette
contacted the tribe in 1673 and paved the way for trade with the French.
The Sauk staged a devastating attack on the Missouria in 1730, killing hundreds of people. The Missouria migrated west of the Missouri River into Osage
territory. During this time, they acquired horses and hunted buffalo
. The French explorer visited the people in the early 1720s and took as wife a daughter of a Missouri chief. They settled near and he created alliances with the people, building the Fort Orleans in 1723 for trading near present-day Brunswick, Missouri
. It was occupied until 1726.
An attack by the Fox tribe nearly destroyed the Missouria. Most survivors reunited with the Otoe, while some joined the Osage and Kansa
. After a smallpox outbreak in 1829, fewer than 100 Missouria survived, and they all joined the Otoe.
They signed treaties with the US government in 1830 and 1854 to cede their lands in Missouri. They relocated to Otoe-Missouria reservation, created on the Big Blue River
at the Kansas-Nebraska border. The two tribes were pressured into ceding more lands in 1876 and 1881.
In 1880 the tribes split into two factions, the Coyote, traditionalists, and the Quakers, assimilationists
. The Coyote settled onto the Iowa Reservation in Indian Territory
. The Quakers negotiated a small separate reservation in Indian Territory. By 1890 most of the Coyote band rejoined the Quakers on their reservation. Under the Dawes Act
, by 1907 members of the tribes were registered and allotted individual plots of land per household.
Despite tribal courts in Oklahoma being disbanded under the Curtis Act, the tribe created their own court system in 1900. The Missouria were primarily farmers in the early 20th century. Oil was discovered on their lands in 1912, and the US government forced many of the tribe off their allotted land.
, the population of the tribe was about 200 families in 1702; 1000 people in 1780; 300 in 1805; 80 in 1829, when they were living with the Otoe
; and 13 in 1910; afterward, their populations numbers are combined with those of the Otoe.
, based in Red Rock, Oklahoma
.
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...
that originated in the Great Lakes
Great 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 of United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before European contact. The tribe belongs to the Chiwere division of the Siouan
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...
language family, together with the Iowa
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....
and Otoe
Otoe tribe
The Otoe or Oto are a Native American people. The Otoe language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family and closely related to that of the related Iowa and Missouri tribes.-History:...
. Historically, the tribe lived near the mouth of the Grand River
Grand River (Missouri)
The Grand River is a river that stretches from northernmost tributary origins between Creston and Winterset in Iowa approximately to its mouth on the Missouri River near Brunswick, Missouri....
at its confluence with the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
; the mouth of the Missouri at its confluence with 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...
, and in Saline County, Missouri. Today they live primarily in 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...
.
Name
French colonists adapted a form of the Illinois languageIllinois language
The Miami-Illinois language is a Native American Algonquian language formerly spoken in the United States, primarily in Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, western Ohio and adjacent areas along the Mississippi River by the tribes of the Inoca or Illinois Confederacy, including the Kaskaskia, Peoria,...
-name for the people: Wimihsoorita. Their name means "One who has dugout canoes". In their own language, the Missouri call themselves Niúachi, also spelled Niutachi, meaning "People of the River Mouth." The Osage
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,...
called them the Waçux¢a, and the Quapaw
Quapaw
The Quapaw people are a tribe of Native Americans who historically resided on the west side of the Mississippi River in what is now the state of Arkansas.They are federally recognized as the Quapaw Tribe of Indians.-Government:...
called them the Wa-ju'-xd¢ǎ.
The state of Missouri and the Missouri River are named for the tribe.
History
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
says they once lived north of the Great Lakes. They began migrating south in the 16th century. By 1600, the Missouria lived near the confluence of the Grand
Grand River (Missouri)
The Grand River is a river that stretches from northernmost tributary origins between Creston and Winterset in Iowa approximately to its mouth on the Missouri River near Brunswick, Missouri....
and Missouri
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
rivers, where they settled through the 18th century. Their tradition says that they split from the Otoe tribe, which belongs to the same Chiwere branch of the Siouan language, because of a love affair between the children of two tribal chiefs.
The 17th century brought hardships to the Missouria. The Sauk and Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
frequently attacked them. Their society was more disrupted by the fatalities from epidemics of 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"...
and other introduced Eurasian infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
s. The French explorer Jacques Marquette
Jacques Marquette
Father Jacques Marquette S.J. , sometimes known as Père Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. Marie, and later founded St. Ignace, Michigan...
contacted the tribe in 1673 and paved the way for trade with the French.
The Sauk staged a devastating attack on the Missouria in 1730, killing hundreds of people. The Missouria migrated west of the Missouri River into Osage
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,...
territory. During this time, they acquired horses and hunted buffalo
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
. The French explorer visited the people in the early 1720s and took as wife a daughter of a Missouri chief. They settled near and he created alliances with the people, building the Fort Orleans in 1723 for trading near present-day Brunswick, Missouri
Brunswick, Missouri
Brunswick is a rural city in Carroll County, Missouri, United States. The population was 925 at the 2000 census. The Missouri Farmers Association was founded here in 1914. Today the city is considered the Pecan Capital of Missouri...
. It was occupied until 1726.
An attack by the Fox tribe nearly destroyed the Missouria. Most survivors reunited with the Otoe, while some joined the Osage and Kansa
Kaw (tribe)
The Kaw Nation are an American Indian people of the central Midwestern United States. The tribe known as Kaw have also been known as the "People of the South wind", "People of water", Kansa, Kaza, Kosa, and Kasa. Their tribal language is Kansa, classified as a Siouan language.The toponym "Kansas"...
. After a smallpox outbreak in 1829, fewer than 100 Missouria survived, and they all joined the Otoe.
They signed treaties with the US government in 1830 and 1854 to cede their lands in Missouri. They relocated to Otoe-Missouria reservation, created on the Big Blue River
Big Blue River (Kansas)
The Big Blue River is the largest tributary of the Kansas River. The river flows for approximately from central Nebraska into Kansas, where it intersects with the Kansas River east of Manhattan. It was given its name by the Kansa tribe of Native Americans, who lived at its mouth from 1780 to...
at the Kansas-Nebraska border. The two tribes were pressured into ceding more lands in 1876 and 1881.
In 1880 the tribes split into two factions, the Coyote, traditionalists, and the Quakers, assimilationists
Americanization (of Native Americans)
The Americanization of Native Americans was an assimilation effort by the United States to transform Native American culture to European-American culture between the years of 1790–1920. George Washington and Henry Knox were first to propose, in an American context, the cultural transformation of...
. The Coyote settled onto the Iowa Reservation 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...
. The Quakers negotiated a small separate reservation in Indian Territory. By 1890 most of the Coyote band rejoined the Quakers on their reservation. 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...
, by 1907 members of the tribes were registered and allotted individual plots of land per household.
Despite tribal courts in Oklahoma being disbanded under the Curtis Act, the tribe created their own court system in 1900. The Missouria were primarily farmers in the early 20th century. Oil was discovered on their lands in 1912, and the US government forced many of the tribe off their allotted land.
Population
According to the enthnographer James MooneyJames Mooney
James Mooney was an American ethnographer who lived for several years among the Cherokee. He did major studies of Southeastern Indians, as well as those on the Great Plains...
, the population of the tribe was about 200 families in 1702; 1000 people in 1780; 300 in 1805; 80 in 1829, when they were living with the Otoe
Otoe tribe
The Otoe or Oto are a Native American people. The Otoe language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family and closely related to that of the related Iowa and Missouri tribes.-History:...
; and 13 in 1910; afterward, their populations numbers are combined with those of the Otoe.
Today
Currently the Missouria are members of the federally recognized tribe, the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of IndiansOtoe-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:...
, based in Red Rock, Oklahoma
Red Rock, Oklahoma
Red Rock is a town in Noble County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 293 at the 2000 census...
.