Native American tribes in Nebraska
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Native American tribes in the U.S. state of Nebraska have been Plains Indians, descendants of succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples who have occupied the area for thousands of years. More than 15 historic tribes have been identified as having lived in, hunted in, or otherwise occupied territory within the current state boundaries.[1]
The 19th-century history of the state included the establishment of eight
Tribes
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Pawnee01.png/290px-Pawnee01.png)
Several language groups were represented by the American Indians in present-day Nebraska. The Algonquian-speaking Arapaho lived for more than 1,000 years throughout the western part of Nebraska.[3] In a prehistoric period; Nebraska was home to the Arikara, who spoke a Caddoan language, as did the Pawnee; after 1823 they returned from present-day North Dakota to live with the Skidi Pawnee for two years.[4] The Kiowa once occupied western Nebraska.[5] The eastern range of the Algonquian-speaking Cheyenne included western Nebraska, after the Comanche who had formerly lived in the territory had moved south toward Texas.[6]
The
The
The Omaha separated from the Ponca at the mouth of
By the Treaty of 1854, the Omaha ceded most of their land to the United States. They moved to a reservation within two years and later shared their land with the Winnebago. Also known by their autonym of Ho-Chunk, the latter moved to the reservation in 1862 after an uprising by the Lakota. The US government later granted land within the Omaha reservation boundaries to the Ho-Chunk, whose descendants still live there.[11]
In 1877 the United States forced the Ponca tribe to move south to
The
In 1830 the
The Pawnee, which included four tribes, lived in villages along the Platte River. In the mid-nineteenth century, they ceded all of their lands in Nebraska to the United States except one reservation; in 1876 they surrendered this tract and moved to Indian Territory. The battle of Massacre Canyon on August 5, 1873, was the last major battle between the Pawnee and the Sioux. About 70 Pawnee were killed, mostly women and children.[14]
Loss of land
Between 1857 and 1862 tribes were forced to give up, or
In the 1870s the Nebraska Legislature petitioned the U.S. Congress for the extinction of the original holders' land rights in the state by drafting the following statement:
Whereas, the Indians now on special reservations in Nebraska hold and occupy valuable and important tracts of land, which while occupied will not be developed and improved; and Whereas the demand for lands which will be improved and made useful, are such that these Indian lands should no longer be held, but should be allowed to pass into the hands of enterprising and industrious citizens; ... [W]e urge upon our delegation in Congress to secure the removal of all Indians now on special reservations in Nebraska to other ... localities, where their presence will not retard settlements by the whites.[18]
Tribes and treaties
There are 18 separate treaties between American Indian tribes and the U.S. government for land in Nebraska which were negotiated between 1825 and 1892. By the 1850s the Pawnee, Omaha, Oto-Missouri, Ponca, Lakota, and Cheyenne were the main Great Plains tribes living in the Nebraska Territory.[19]
U.S. government treaties with American Indian tribes for land in Nebraska.[17] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tribe | Year | Notes | |||
Kansas | 1825 | Ceded much of severe southeast Nebraska. | |||
Oto | 1830 | The severe southeastern corner of Nebraska. | |||
Oto | 1833 | Southeast Nebraska, near the mouth of the Platte, included land where the Moses Merill Mission was located.
| |||
Pawnee | 1833 | South-central Nebraska. | |||
Pawnee | 1848 | A small tract along the Platte River in central Nebraska. | |||
Omaha | 1854 | Almost all of east-central and northeast Nebraska. | |||
Oto and Missouri | 1854 | East-central Nebraska immediately south of the Platte River. | |||
Pawnee | 1857 | All of north-central Nebraska between the Platte River and the South Dakota border. | |||
Arapaho and Cheyenne | 1861 | All of southwestern and some of west-central Nebraska south of the North Platte River. | |||
Omaha | 1865 | A small parcel of land compromising 1/4 of their reservation. | |||
Lakota | 1875 | All of west-central Nebraska north of the North Platte River. | |||
Pawnee | 1875 | A small tract north of the Platte River that included the land that became the Genoa Indian Industrial School. | |||
Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho
|
1876 | All of severe northwestern Nebraska. | |||
Omaha | 1882 | Two parcels of land in two treaties comprising 1/2 of their reservation lands, including land for the Winnebago reservation. | |||
Lakota | 1892 | Ceded a parcel of land including Pine Ridge, Nebraska. |
Federal recognition
Today the United States government recognizes several tribes in Nebraska. They include the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, the Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska, the Santee Sioux Tribe of the Santee Reservation of Nebraska, and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.[20]
Reservations
Indian reservations in Nebraska.[23] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reservation name | Tribe | Established | Size | History | Notes |
Niobrara Reservation | Santee Sioux
|
1863 | 41,000 acres (17,000 ha) | Established by Act of March 3, 1863 (12 school, and mission purposes; unratified agreement of October 17, 1882.
|
The tribal offices are located in Niobrara, with reservation lands in Knox County.[24] |
Omaha Reservation | Omaha | 1854 | 12,421 acres (5,027 ha) | Established by Treaty of March 16, 1854 (10 Stat. 1043); selection by Indians with the President's approval, May 11, 1855; treaty of March 6, 1865 (14 Stat. 667); act of June 10, 1872 (17 Stat. 391); act of June 22, 1874 (18 Stat. 170); deed to the Winnebago, dated July 31, 1874: act of August 7, 1882 (22 Stat. 341): act of March 3, 1893 (27 Stat. 612); 129,470 acres (523.9 km2) allotted to 1,577 Indians; the residue, 12,421 acres (50.27 km2), unallotted. | The reservation is located mostly in Thurston County, with sections in Cuming County and Burt County.[25] The tribal council offices are in Macy,[26] with the towns of Rosalie, Thurston, Pender and Walthill located in reservation boundaries. |
Ogallala Sioux reservation
|
Ogallala Sioux | 1882 | 640 acres (260 ha) | Established by Executive order on January 24, 1882 and sold to the U.S. government in 1899. | |
Oto Reservation
|
Oto
|
1834 | 160,000 acres (65,000 ha) | Located near the Platte River in eastern Nebraska, the reservation was the site of the Moses Merrill Mission. It was completely sold to the U.S. government by 1884. | |
Pawnee Reservation | Pawnee | 1833 | 19,200 acres (7,800 ha) | The Pawnee sold all of their land to the U.S. government by 1870. | Located along the Loup River. |
Ponca Reservation | Ponca | 1858 | 27,500 acres (11,100 ha) | Established by Treaty of March 12, 1858 (12 Stat. 997), and supplemental treaty March 10, 1865 (14 Stat. 675); act of March 2, 1899 (25 Stat. 892). 27,202.08 acres (110.0829 km2) were allotted to 167 Indians, and 160 acres (0.65 km2) reserved and occupied by agency and school buildings. | The tribal council offices are located in Niobrara.[27] This is also the location of the historic Ponca Fort called Nanza. |
Sac and Fox Reservation | Sac and Fox
|
15,129 acres (6,122 ha) | Located in southeastern Richardson County, Nebraska and northeastern Brown County, Kansas | ||
Winnebago Reservation | Winnebago | 1863 | 1,711 acres (692 ha) | Established by Act of February 21, 1863 (12 Stat. 658): treaty of March 8, 1865 (14 Stat. 671): act of June 22, 1874 (18 Stat. 170); deed from the Omaha, dated July 31, 1874 (Indian Deeds, VI, 215). 106,040.82 acres (429.1320 km2) were allotted to 1,200 Indians; 480 acres (1.9 km2) reserved for agency, etc.; the residue, 1,710.80 acres (6.9234 km2), unallotted. | The tribal council offices are located in the town of Winnebago.[28] The city of Emerson, south of First Street, as well as Thurston, is located on the reservation, as well. The reservation occupies northern Thurston County, Nebraska, as well as southeastern Dixon County and Woodbury County, Iowa, and a small plot of off-reservation land of southern Craig Township in Burt County, Nebraska. |
Nemaha Half-Breed Reservation
The Nemaha Half-Breed Reservation was located between the Great and Little Nemaha rivers in
Taxation
Generally, no Nebraska state taxes are imposed on an American Indian living on an Indian reservation located within the state of Nebraska. A Nebraska State
Tribal administration
The Omaha Tribal Council office is located in Macy, with the Winnebago Tribal Council in nearby Winnebago. The offices of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Santee Sioux Tribal Council offices are in Niobrara. The Bureau of Indian Affairs office serving Nebraska is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, while the Winnebago Agency office serves the Omaha and Winnebago.[33]
Contemporary issues
- Legal jurisdiction: In the 21st century, the Omaha have had continuing issues related to the western border of their reservation. They contend that the town of Pender, Nebraska is within the reservation and, since January 2007, have required its seven liquor merchants to get a tribal license and pay tribal sales taxes to operate. (The same conditions apply to such merchants in Rosalie and Walthill, both towns within the reservation.) A state court ruled that the western border was now located east of Pender, due to sales by individual Omaha over the years, but the tribe says that the state cannot redefine a border set by treaty with the United States government.
- Alcohol sales: The extraordinary level of beer sales at Whiteclay, Nebraska, a border town with four liquor stores and 14 residents, has given rise to an organized protest movement. The stores sell more than 4.5 million cans of beer annually, mostly to residents of the Oglala Sioux Tribe filed suit for $500 million in damages against the four stores, their distributors and the beer manufacturers for costs of health care and rehabilitation related to alcoholism on the reservation.[34]
- Casino gambling: The Winnebago Tribe has established a casino on its portion of the reservation located in Iowa. As a result of increased revenues, it has built a new school, hospital and provided numerous new jobs for tribal members.[35]
See also
- American Indian reservations in Nebraska (category)
- History of Nebraska
- Indigenous peoples of North America
- Indian Congress
- Nebraska Indian Community College
References
- ^ Swanton, J.R. (1952) The Indian Tribes of North America. Washington, DC: General Printing Office. p 283.
- U.S. Census. Retrieved 6/28/08.
- ^ Andersen, J.D. (2001) The Four Hills of Life: Northern Arapaho Knowledge and Life Movement. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
- ^ Deetz, J. (1965) "The Dynamics of Stylistic Change in Arikara Ceramics", Illinois Studies in Anthropology No. 4. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.
- ^ Morton, J.S. (1918) History of Nebraska. Western Publishing and Engraving Company. p 29.
- ^ Swanton, J.R. (1952) p 283.
- ^ DeMallie, R.J. (2001a). "Sioux until 1850", in Handbook of North American Indians: Plains. Volume 13, Part 2. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. p 740.
- ^ DeMallie, R.J. (2001b). "Teton", in Handbook of North American Indians: Plains. Volume 13, Part 2. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. p 810.
- ^ Fletcher, A.C. (1885) Historical Sketch of the Omaha Tribe of Indians in Nebraska. Washington: Judd & Detweiler.
- ^ Swanton, J.R. (1952) p 264.
- ^ "History", Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Retrieved 6/27/08. Archived May 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Fort Atkinson State Historical Park" Archived 2008-10-07 at the Wayback Machine, Nebraska Economic Development Council. Retrieved 6/27/08.
- Office of Indian Affairs. Retrieved 6/27/08.
- ^ "Massacre Canyon Monument"
- ^ "Tribes in Nebraska Give Up Lands in Treaties 1854 - 1857", NebraskaStudies.org. Retrieved 6/27/08.
- ^ Logan Fontenelle Archived 2008-04-20 at the Wayback Machine. Nebraska Department of Education. Retrieved 6/22/07.
- ^ a b Royce, C.C. (1899) "Indian Land Cessions in the United States," in Powell, J.W. 18th Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1896-97, Part 2. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
- ^ (Laws of Nebraska, 1879-71, quoted in Sheldon 1936, 10-11.)
- ^ "Native Americans meet challenges", NebraskaStudies.org. Retrieved 6/28/08.
- ^ "Alphabetical List of Federally Recognized Native American Tribes", Retrieved 6/28/08.
- ^ Fink, D. (1992) Agrarian Women: Wives and Mothers in Rural Nebraska, 1880-1940. University of North Carolina Press. p. 37.
- ^ Fowler, L. (2005) The Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Great Plains. Columbia University Press. p. 201.
- ^ "Nebraska Indian reservations", Retrieved 6/28/08.
- ^ Santee Sioux Archived 2007-07-29 at the Wayback Machine, Nebraska Indian Commission. Retrieved 6/28/08.
- ^ "Brancroft, Cuming County" Archived 2008-10-07 at the Wayback Machine, University of Nebraska. Retrieved 6/28/08.
- ^ "Omaha Tribe" Archived 2007-07-29 at the Wayback Machine, Nebraska Indian Commission. Retrieved 6/28/08.
- ^ "Ponca Tribe" Archived 2007-07-29 at the Wayback Machine, Nebraska Indian Commission. Retrieved 6/28/08.
- ^ "Winnebago Tribe" Archived 2007-07-29 at the Wayback Machine, Nebraska Indian Commission. Retrieved 6/28/08.
- ^ "Half-Breed Tract"[usurped], Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 1/28/08.
- ^ Foster, L.M. (1965) "The Nemaha Half-Breed Reservation, 1830-1860", Ioway Cultural Institute. Retrieved 1/28/08.
- ^ "Barada" Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Retrieved 1/28/08.
- ^ (2007) "Nebraska Taxation of Native American Reservation Indians", Nebraska Department of Revenue. Retrieved 6/29/08.
- ^ Nebraska Indian Tribes. Retrieved 8/17/08.
- ^ Schulte, Grant (9 February 2012). "Tribe suing beer companies for alcohol problems". Boston Globe. Associated Press. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ^ KEVIN ABOUREZK, "Winnebago business leader: Poverty at heart of Whiteclay debacle", Lincoln Journal Star, 7 April 2010, accessed 29 February 2012
External links
- Historical map illustrating land ceded through treaties.
- Native American tribes in Nebraska