Current Efforts involving the Otoe, Missouria, and Ioway Tribes
So far, this website has attempted to explain how the Otoe, Missouria, and Ioway tribes were forced from their native lands. However, their story did not end with their confinement to reservations. This section therefore serves to showcase how the Otoe, Missouri, and Ioway tribes honor their traditions and native lands. They have not only worked to regain lost lands but validate their way of life.
Opening of National Museum of the American Indian
Data Source: National Museum of the American Indian
Catalog Number: 26/4575
The Oto tribe was historically located in the Northwest corner of Missouri. During the 18th century the Missouria tribe with its remaining members (who were lost from warfare or smallpox) joined the Oto tribe where they can be found today in Oklahoma. This particular piece was made in 2004. The artists who worked on this piece were employed to make this drum during the First Americans Festival in Washington, DC. This festival was created to honor the American Indians and to celebrate the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian.
To see a video clip from the First Americans Festival in 2004 click on the link below:
Reclaiming Lost Lands
“Iowa Tribe regains part of its reservation in Nebraska in deal with Nature Conservatory” – Omaha World-Herald
The Ioway tribe currently resides in two reservations, one in Oklahoma and one in Kansas/Nebraska. This article is about the Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska’s efforts to regain tribal lands. Their tribal lands were established in 1836 before the states of Kansas and Nebraska in 1854 which is why the tribal lands currently straddle the border.
However, by the 1940s the tribe had lost or sold the rights to almost 90% of its reservation lands. Since then, the Ioway Tribe has been attempting to regain control through purchases and land deals. At the time of this article, the members of the tribe now own around 30% of their tribal lands.
A major triumph for the Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska occurred early in 2018 when they were able to regain a portion of the Nebraska Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska has returned 160 acres of land along the Missouri River to the tribes control. One tribal member, Alan Kelley who is the tribal vice chairman, said “this return of a part of our reservation, in a natural condition much as our ancestors would recognize it and which we will continue to restore, is helping us to heal the land and as a tribe” (Hendee).
This recently returned land falls within the reservation boundaries and is another step closer to full ownership for the Ioway of Kansas and Nebraska.
Source:
Hendee, David. “Iowa Tribe regains part of its reservation in Nebraska in deal with Nature Conservatory.” Omaha World Herald, 5 April 2018, www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/iowa-tribe-regains-part-of-its-reservation-in-nebraska-in/article_4921e9f4-3709-57d8-a00b-2146fcf0ec2e.html. Accessed 20 Oct. 2018.