Kickapoo

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This article is about the Native American tribe. For other uses, see Kickapoo (disambiguation).
Kickapoo
Kickapoo flag
Total population

3,000
Regions with significant populations
Languages
English, Kickapoo
Religions
 
Related ethnic groups
other Algonquian peoples

The Kickapoos are one of the Algonquian speaking Native American tribes. According to the Anishinaabeg, the name "Kickapoo" (Giiwigaabaw in the Anishinaabe language) means "Stands Here and there" and refers to the tribes migratory patterns, but this is merely a folk etymology[citation needed] which is not supportable within the Kickapoo language.

There are three recognized Kickapoo tribes remaining in the United States: the Kickapoo of Kansas, the Kickapoo of Oklahoma, and the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. There is another band in the Mexican state of Coahuila. There is also a large group in Arizona currently seeking federal recognition. Thus far the former two groups have been politically lumped with the Texas band. Additionally, Kickapoos live in small groups throughout the western United States. Around 3,000 people claim to be tribal members.

Contents

[edit] History

The tribe originated in the Michigan area of the Great Lakes and shares a common origin with the Sauk and Fox tribes. The primary Clan of the tribe, as recorded by the French, was the "Outitchakouk" or the "Cranes." Conflict between Kickapoos and Iroquois from the 1640s forced the tribe west into Wisconsin. In the 1700s, the tribe migrated southward, and, by 1770, they had resettled in the Wabash Valley and the general area of central Illinois. There, they dominated neighboring tribes, and with French support nearly eradicated their former allies the Fox.

Under pressure from Euro-American colonists, the tribe splintered into three major factions. Some moved southwest, resisting by retreat rather than assimilation or conflict. Other stayed in the Wabash region and joined Indian resistance movements, such as those led by Tecumseh and Black Hawk; these resisters were forcefully removed to Missouri in 1820 and 1834. A third group, led by Kennekuk the Kickapoo prophet, peacefully resisted encroachment but eventually ceded their eastern lands for tracts in Kansas. This Kickapoo band absorbed many Potawatomi Indians. Those Kickapoos who relocated to Missouri frequently conflicted with Osage and other tribes. Many grew discontented and the band further divided, many moving to Oklahoma, others joining the southwest band in Mexican Texas, virtually abandoning Missouri. After the Mexican-American War, the Texas Kickapoos splintered yet again; some migrated to Coahuila; others remained in Eagle Pass, Texas. Circa 1850, heavy migrations from Oklahoma and Kansas traveled to Coahuila. More Kickapoos followed them into Mexico in 1857 and 1863. In the late 1870s, border raids from Mexico led the United States to pursue a policy of repatriation, first peacefully but later by force. Ultimately, the Kickapoos remain a highly splintered tribe residing in Coahuila, Eagle Pass, Arizona, Oklahoma and Kansas.

The Traditional Tribe of Texas was not recognized until 1983, having previously been ignored as a fragment of Coahuila band (and thus not legally recognized). Today, the Texas band owns and operates The Lucky Eagle casino near Eagle Pass, Texas.

Kickapoo wickiup on the Sac and Fox Reservation, about 1880
Kickapoo wickiup on the Sac and Fox Reservation, about 1880

After 250 years of European physical and social conflict, the Kickapoos remain resilient today. Many consider the Oklahoma, Texas, and Coahuila bands to be among the most conservative and "traditional" surviving Indian nations. The Kickapoos' survival is a testament to their character.

[edit] Language

The Kickapoo speak an Algonquian language closely related to that of the Sauk and Fox.

[edit] Reservations

[edit] Kickapoo Indian Reservation of Kansas

The Kickapoo Indian Reservation is located in the northeastern part of the state in parts of Brown, Jackson, and Atchison Counties. It has a land area of 612.203 km² (236.373 sq mi) and a resident population of 4,419 as of the 2000 census. The largest community on the reservation is the city of Horton.

[edit] Communities

[edit] Kickapoo Indian Reservation of Texas

The Kickapoo Indian Reservation of Texas is located on the Rio Grande River on the U.S.-Mexico border in western Maverick County, just south of the city of Eagle Pass, as part of the community of Rosita South. It has a land area of 0.4799 km² (118.6 acres) and a 2000 census population of 420 persons.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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