Native American tribes in Nebraska facts for kids

Native American tribes have lived in what is now the U.S. state of Nebraska for thousands of years. These tribes are the descendants of many different groups of indigenous peoples who have called this area home. Over 15 historic tribes have been identified as having lived, hunted, or used land within Nebraska's current borders.

In the 1800s, eight Indian reservations were created in Nebraska, including a special area for people of mixed Native American and European heritage. Today, six tribes have reservations in Nebraska: the Omaha, Winnebago, Ponca, Iowa, Santee Sioux, and Sac and Fox. In 2006, about one percent of Nebraska's population was made up of American Indian and Alaska Native people. Towns near Nebraska's northern border also have connections with reservations in South Dakota.

Native American Tribes in Nebraska

This map shows the land used by several tribes in Nebraska.

This map from the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1804 shows Native American villages in the area. It identifies the Otoe, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas tribes.

Many different language groups were spoken by Native Americans in what is now Nebraska. The Algonquian-speaking Arapaho lived in western Nebraska for over 1,000 years. The Arikara and Pawnee spoke a Caddoan language. The Arikara even returned from North Dakota to live with the Skidi Pawnee for two years after 1823. The Kiowa once lived in western Nebraska. The Cheyenne, who also spoke Algonquian, lived in western Nebraska after the Comanche moved south towards Texas.

The Great Sioux Nation, including the Ihanktowan-Ihanktowana and the Lakota, used Nebraska for hunting and battles. However, they did not have long-term settlements here.

The Omaha belong to the Siouan-language family. They have lived along the Missouri River in northeastern Nebraska since the late 1600s. They moved there from eastern areas with other tribes. The Omaha, along with the Ponca, moved into Nebraska in the 1670s from the Ohio and Wabash rivers. Other Siouan tribes like the Osage, Kansa, and Quapaw also moved west around this time. The Ponca then separated from the Omaha, and the Omaha settled on Bow Creek in Cedar County. Before 1700, the Iowa, another Siouan people, moved into Nebraska.

The Omaha and Ponca tribes separated near the White River in South Dakota. The Ponca moved west to the Black Hills but later rejoined the Omaha. The Ponca settled near the Nemaha River, while the Omaha stayed at Bow Creek.

In 1854, the Omaha tribe signed a treaty and gave up most of their land to the United States government. They moved to a reservation within two years. Later, they shared their land with the Winnebago tribe. The Winnebago, also known as Ho-Chunk, moved to the reservation in 1862 after an uprising by the Lakota. The U.S. government later gave land within the Omaha reservation to the Ho-Chunk, where their descendants still live today.

In 1877, the United States government made the Ponca tribe move south to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). They had wanted to stay on a reservation in Nebraska. The government did not support the Ponca well after the move, and many people died due to poor conditions. When some Ponca leaders returned to Nebraska, the U.S. Army held them. This led to a famous civil rights court case called Standing Bear v. Crook (1872). This case helped establish that Native Americans had certain rights under the U.S. Constitution. After the court case, the U.S. government gave the Ponca tribe some land in Nebraska. Today, the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska lives in Knox County. Another part of the tribe lives on their reservation in Oklahoma.

The Missouri and Otoe tribes lived south of the Platte River. They met with the Lewis and Clark Expedition at the Council Bluff. Like the Iowa, both tribes are part of the Siouan-language family. In 1804, the Otoe had a town near the mouth of the Platte River on the Missouri River. On March 3, 1881, the Otoe tribe sold all their land in Nebraska to the government and moved to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

In 1830, the Fox and Sauk tribes, who spoke Algonquian languages and were closely related, gave up a lot of land in Nebraska to the United States. Today, these tribes are officially recognized together by the government.

The Pawnee tribe, which included four smaller tribes, lived in villages along the Platte River. In the mid-1800s, they gave up all their lands in Nebraska to the United States, except for one reservation. In 1876, they gave up this last piece of land 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.

Loss of Land and Treaties

Between 1857 and 1862, tribes were forced to give up, or ceded, land for sale in Nebraska. This happened through five separate treaties with the U.S. government, just before the Homestead Act was passed. In 1854, Logan Fontenelle, an Omaha chief and translator, helped with the first of five times the Omaha gave up their lands to the United States. During these talks, the tribe agreed to move to their current reservation in Thurston County. The Otoe and Missouri tribes also signed the last of their four treaties that same year. The Pawnee, Arapaho, and Cheyenne tribes signed treaties within a few years.

In the 1870s, the Nebraska Legislature asked the U.S. Congress to end the land rights of Native Americans in the state. They wanted these lands to be available for new settlers.

Tribes and Treaties

There are 18 separate treaties between Native American tribes and the U.S. government for land in Nebraska. These treaties were made 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.

Federal Recognition

Today, the United States government officially recognizes several tribes in Nebraska. These 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.

Reservations

Indian reservations in Nebraska currently include land belonging to the Ioway, Santee Sioux, Omaha, Sac and Fox, Winnebago, and Ponca tribes. The Omaha were forced to give up their Boone County lands to the U.S. government in 1854. The Pawnee were also forced to give up their Boone County lands in 1857. Nance County was a Pawnee reservation until 1875. At that time, difficulties caused by white settlers and the Sioux tribe led the Pawnee to move to Oklahoma. The Oto, Omaha, and Ioway tribes were forced to give up much of their land to the U.S. government in 1854. This resulted in them moving onto reservations in eastern Nebraska. That same year, the Nebraska Territory was created and opened for settlement.

Nemaha Half-Breed Reservation

The Nemaha Half-Breed Reservation was a special area of land in Nemaha County. It was located between the Great and Little Nemaha rivers. Some tribes, like the Omaha, had a system where children of white fathers were not considered part of the tribe. They were seen as white. This meant these mixed-race children could not receive land from the tribe. At the same time, many frontier communities were not always welcoming to mixed-race people. So, the tribes asked the government to give land to their mixed-race descendants to help them. On September 10, 1860, Louis Neal was the first person to officially own land there. People who owned land there did not have to live on it. After many people sold their lands to white settlers, the official name of the reservation was removed in 1861. Descendants of these mixed-heritage pioneers still live in the area. The town of Barada is named after Antoine Barada, an early settler who became a local hero.

Taxes and Tribal Government

Generally, if a Native American lives on an Indian reservation in Nebraska, they do not have to pay Nebraska state taxes. The Nebraska Department of Revenue can give a "reservation Indian" a special tax exemption card and number if they ask for it. If a reservation Indian registers a car on a reservation in Nebraska, they don't have to pay the state motor vehicle tax. However, they still need to pay for their license and registration fees.

The Omaha Tribal Council office is in Macy. The Winnebago Tribal Council is in nearby Winnebago. The offices for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Santee Sioux Tribal Council are in Niobrara. The Bureau of Indian Affairs office that helps Nebraska tribes is in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The Winnebago Agency office helps the Omaha and Winnebago tribes.

Current Issues

• Legal Borders: In recent years, the Omaha tribe has had ongoing discussions about the western border of their reservation. They believe the town of Pender, Nebraska is inside the reservation. Since January 2007, they have asked businesses selling alcohol in Pender to get a tribal license and pay tribal sales taxes. (Businesses in Rosalie and Walthill, which are clearly inside the reservation, already follow these rules.) A state court said that the western border had moved east of Pender over the years because individual Omaha people sold their land. However, the tribe argues that the state cannot change a border that was set by a treaty with the United States government.
• Casino Gaming: The Winnebago Tribe has opened a casino on their part of the reservation in Iowa. Because of the money earned from the casino, the tribe has been able to build a new school and hospital. They have also created many new jobs for tribal members.