Otoe–Missouria Tribe of Indians

The Otoe–Missouria Tribe of Indians is a federally recognized tribe, located in Oklahoma. The tribe is made up of Otoe and Missouria peoples. Their language, the Chiwere language, is part of the Siouan language family.

The Otoe (Jiwere) and Missouria (Nutachi) tribes both originated in Wisconsin in the Great Lakes region. They had once been a single tribe that included the ancestors of the Ho-Chunk, Winnebago, and Iowa tribes. In the 16th century, the Iowa, Otoe, and Missouria broke away and moved to the south and west. By the late 17th century, the Missouria had settled near the Missouri and Grand rivers in what became Missouri.

Meanwhile, the Otoe settled along what is now the Iowa–Minnesota border. They first came into contact with Europeans in late 17th century. Jacques Marquette, the French explorer, included them on a 1673 map, placing the Otoe near the Des Moines and upper Iowa rivers.

In 1700, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville wrote that the Otoe and the Iowa lived with the Omaha tribe in territory to the west of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. After contact and continued pressure by European-Americans, they migrated to the territory of later Nebraska, settling near the Platte River. This area was later set aside for them as the Otoe Reservation.

During the 18th century, the Missouria people suffered from epidemics of new infectious diseases, especially smallpox, which killed many in the tribe. They also lost people to frequent warfare with enemies, such as the Sac and Fox. In 1796, some surviving Missouria joined the Osage and Kaw tribes, while 80 Missouria joined the Otoe.

In the 19th century, the Missouria and the Otoe established permanent villages consisting primarily of earth lodges, but also occasionally tipis and bark lodges. Their joined society was patrilineal and comprised seven to ten clans, each with distinct assigned responsibilities. Tribal citizens had exogamous marriage practices; young people had to marry outside their clan. Each clan had a leader, and together the clan chiefs formed a tribal council. By tradition, the chief of the Bear Clan was the principal leader of the tribes. The men hunted buffalo. The women processed meat and used hides, bone, horn, and other parts of the animals for tools, clothing, etc. In addition, they cultivated and processed such crops as squash, beans, corn, and pumpkins.

In 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition estimated their population to be 500. Artist George Catlin, who also traveled in their territory in 1833, estimated their population at 1,200. In 1830, there were an estimated 1,500 Otoe–Missouria living together as a group. By 1886, only 334 Otoe–Missouria survived.

The first land cession treaty between the Otoe–Missouria and the United States was in 1830. More treaties followed in 1833, 1836, and 1854. The 1854 Treaty established a reservation on the Kansas-Nebraska border, near the Big Blue River. The tribe split in factions between assimilationists and traditionalists. Quaker missionaries influenced the assimilationist Otoe–Missouria faction, who became known as the Quaker Band. The traditionalists were known as the Coyote Band.