The Kaw (or Kanza) are an American Indians people of the central Midwestern United States. The tribe known as "Kaw" have also been known as the "Wind People", "People of water", "Kansa", "Kaza", "Kosa", and "Kasa". Their tribal language is Kansa.
The toponym "Kansas" was derived from the name of this tribe. The Kaw are closely related to the Osage Nation, with whom members often intermarried.
History
The region claimed by the Kanza Nation was ceded to the United States by the treaty of June 1825. The Missouri Shawanoes (or Shawnees) were the first Indians removed to the territory set apart for tribes by the treaties of June 1825. The Kanzas and Osages were relocated to Oklahoma later.
The Curtis Act of 1898 in 1898 expanded the powers of the federal government over American Indian affairs. Congressman Charles Curtis was himself half American Indian and believed in the gains of assimilation. This was an era of much pressure for assimilation.
The Kaw Allotment Act of 1902 disbanded the Kaw tribe as a legal entity and allocated its land to enrolled members. This act transferred 160 acres (0.6 km²) to the federal government. Among those who received a land allocation was Congressman Charles Curtis of Topeka, Kansas, an enrolled member of the Kaw tribe through his mother's one-quarter descent. He and his three children received about 1,625 acres (6.6 km²) of Kaw land. Curtis was nearly half American Indian in ancestry.[1]
The federal land was the basis for the city of Washungah, Oklahoma.
The Kaw Nation of Oklahoma later was restored as a federally recognized tribe. The tribal center is in Kaw City, Oklahoma.
Famous Kaw people
- The U.S. jazz saxophonist, singer, and composer Jim Pepper was of both Kaw and Creek ancestry.
- Charles Curtis, the only Native American to be elected Vice President of the United States (under Herbert Hoover (1929–1933). More important was his Congressional career, where he served long terms both in the House and Senate, where he was elected Minority Whip and Majority Leader, reflecting his ability to manage legislation and build deals. Curtis' mother Ellen Pappan Curtis was one-quarter each of Kaw, Osage, Powattomie and French ancestry.[2]
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