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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. Kanza (also known as Kaw, Kansa, Konze, or Kansas) is a member of the Dhegiha (pronounced they-GEE-hah) branch of Mississippi Valley Siouan languages. It is most closely related to the other Dhegiha languages, including Omaha, Ponca, Quapaw, and especially Osage, but is also related to the various languages of the Sioux, Ioway, and Crow tribes, just to name a few. It is believed these peoples once lived as one along the Ohio Valley in early times, then migrated west of the Mississippi onto the prairies. The Kansa settled along the river which bears their name, the Kansas River. Their territory stretched into modern Nebraska too. Many foreigners passed through their lands - from the Spanish, to the French, English, and Americans. An old Indian Trail became a main thoroughfare for settlers, the Santa Fe Trail. All who rode it recognized the Kaw from their distinctive hair style - they shaved the entire head except for one lock at the back. One such person was Father Pierre-Jean DeSmet, (30 January 1801 at Dendermonde, Belgium – 23 May 1873 at St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.), also known as Pierre DeSmet and Peter DeSmet, a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus. He was a native Belgian who had escaped from European persecution and became the most trusted of the white men among the Native Americans of the Western United States in the mid-1800s.
A Kaw served as Vice-President under Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) - Charles Curtis. He was successful jockey, then became a lawyer, and ran for elected office. The Curtis Act 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 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 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.
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American Indian Almanac by Terrell |
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WebKanza Kaw Nation of Oklahoma |
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