Iowa people facts for kids
White Cloud, Chief of the Iowa, by George Catlin (1845), National Gallery of Art
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| estimated 2,567 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( Kansas,  Nebraska, and  Oklahoma) |
|
| Languages | |
| Chiwere language, English | |
| Religion | |
| traditional tribal religion, Native American Church, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Otoe, Missouria, Ho-Chunk, and other Siouan peoples |
The Iowa or Ioway people are a Native American group. In their own language, Chiwere (Báxoje ich'é), they are called Bah-Kho-Je or Báxoje. They are part of the Siouan language family.
Today, the Iowa people belong to two main tribes. These are the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma and the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. Both are officially recognized by the United States government.
The Iowa, Missouria, and Otoe tribes were once part of the Ho-Chunk people. All these groups speak the Chiwere language. Long ago, they left their original homes in Southern Wisconsin. They moved to Eastern Iowa, a state that is now named after them.
In 1837, the Iowa people were moved from Iowa. They went to special lands called reservations. These were in Brown County, Kansas, and Richardson County, Nebraska. Later, some Iowa groups moved to Indian Territory in the late 1800s. They settled near Perkins, Oklahoma, and became the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma.
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The Name of the Iowa People
The Ioway tribe is also known as the báxoje tribe. Their name, "Ioway," might come from the Sioux word ayuhwa. This word means "sleepy ones." Early European explorers often used names for tribes that other tribes gave them. They did not always know what the people called themselves. So, ayuhwa is not an Ioway word. The word Ioway comes from a Dakotan word, ayuxbe, through the French word aiouez.
The Iowa people's own name for themselves is Bah-Kho-Je. It is pronounced (báxoje). This name means "grey snow." Sometimes, Báxoje has been wrongly translated as "dusted faces" or "dusty nose."
The state of Iowa, where they once lived, got its name from this tribe. Their name is also used for other places. These include Iowa County, Iowa City, and the Iowa River.
Iowa Population Over Time
In 1760, there were about 1,100 Iowa people. By 1804, their population dropped to 800. This decrease was mainly because of smallpox. The Iowa people had no natural protection against this disease. By 1900, their numbers were only 500. In 1960, about 100 Iowa lived in Kansas and 100 in Oklahoma.
By 1980, their population grew to 1,000 people. Only 20 of them still spoke the Iowa language. In 1990, there were 1,700 Iowa people. By 1995, there were 533 people on the Iowa reservations in Kansas. Another 44 lived in Nebraska. In Oklahoma, 857 people belonged to the Iowa Tribe. This made a total of 2,934 Iowa people. The 2000 census showed 2,258 people identified as Iowa.
Iowa Culture and Lifestyle
The Iowa people had customs similar to other Siouan-speaking tribes. These include the Omaha, Ponca, and Osage tribes of the Great Plains. The Iowa were a semi-nomadic people. This means they moved around for hunting. They used horses for hunting.
However, they also farmed. Their farming life was like that of tribes in the Eastern woodlands. They grew maize (corn). They also made special pipes from alum. They traded these pipes and furs with French settlers.
Historically, the Iowa lived in different types of homes. They had bark lodges called chakiruthan. They also used tipis. Sometimes, they lived in earth lodges. These were oven-shaped buildings covered with earth. They protected people from very hot or cold weather. A hole in the roof let smoke out from a central fire. When hunting or at war, they used portable tipis.
Like the Osage or Kansa tribes, Iowa men traditionally shaved their heads. They decorated their heads with deer hide. Like other Great Plains tribes, they honored three brave acts during a battle.
Iowa History
Long ago, the Iowa people moved from the Great Lakes area. They settled in what is now Iowa. In the 1500s, they moved from the Mississippi River to the Great Plains. It was possibly then that they separated from the Ho-Chunk tribe.
From the 1400s to the 1700s, they lived near the Red Pipestone Quarry in Minnesota. In the early 1800s, the Iowa reached the Platte River. In 1804, Lewis and Clark visited their settlements there. The Iowa traded with the French and other local tribes. This was because they had good access to alum deposits.
Between 1820 and 1840, the Iowa gave up their lands in Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri. These lands went to the U.S. government. By 1837, most Iowa people moved to a reservation. This reservation was along the Kansas-Nebraska border. Their chief at the time was Chief Mahaska. His name meant "White Cloud." They gave up the Little Platte territory in Missouri in 1836. Other Missouri lands had been given up in 1824.
In 1837, they settled in a strip of land in Kansas. It was south of the Big Nemaha River. They lived there with the Sauk and the Fox tribes. The Iowa had been friends with these tribes for a long time. Even though they spoke different languages, they had good relations. About 45 Iowa men fought in the American Civil War. They fought for the Union Army. Chief James White Cloud, Mahaska's grandson, was among them.
In 1883, some Iowa people moved to Indian Territory. They wanted to keep their old village way of life. The new reservation was in Lincoln, Payne, and Logan counties. These were in the Indian Territory. The Iowa tried to stop their lands from being divided. But their lands were divided anyway. Today, the Iowa Reservation in Nebraska and Kansas is about 2,100 acres (8.5 km²) in size. More than 150 people live there.
In 2013, Tim Rhodd became the chairman of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. Bobby Walkup is the current tribal chairperson of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma.
The Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska runs the Casino White Cloud. It is located at White Cloud, Kansas, on the Ioway Reservation.
The Ioway Tribe of Oklahoma runs the Cimarron Casino in Perkins, Oklahoma. They also operate the Ioway Casino in Chandler, Oklahoma.
Notable Iowa people
See also
In Spanish: Iowa (pueblo amerindio) para niños
