WHEN THE FRENCH ENCOUNTERED THEM IN MID17TH CENTURY THEY HAD 6 MAJOR DIVISIONS. IN 1696 THE FRENCH EXPLORERS BEFRIENDED THE MIAMI. THEY SETTLED AT ST. JOSEPH RIVER 1704 AND BUILT A TRADING POST. DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION THE MIAMI HAD MIXED RELATIONS WITH THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH. SOME SUPPORTED THE REBELS AND SOME WERE OPENLY HOSTILE. THE MIAMI OF KEKIONGA WERE ALLIES WITH THE BRITISH.
IN 1826 THE TREATY OF MISSIUN FORCED THE MIAMI TO CEDE MOST OF THEIR LAND TO THE US WHILE SOME PEOPLE HELD PRIVATE PROPERTY. THOSE FOLKS AFFILIATED WITH THE TRIBE WERE MOVED TO THE RESERVATIONS NEAR OKLAHOMA. PLACES THAT WERE NAMED FOR THE MIAMI INDIANS INCLUDE; MIAMI, OKLAHOMA, FT. MIAMI, MICHIGAN; GREAT MIAMI RIVER AND LITTLE MIAMI RIVER, OHIO; MAUMEE RIVER, INDIANA; MIAMI UNIVERSITY, OXFORD, OHIO.
MIAMI INDIANS WERE PART OF THE ALGONQUIN INDIAN TRIBE. THEY LIVED IN ONIO AND SOME REFUGEES WERE FOUND NORTHWEST OF OF GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN. THE FRENCH REFERRED TO THEM AS AMANIK. THEY ALONG THE GREAT LAKES AND SOUTHEAST OF LAKE MICHIGAN. THEY WERE LIKE THE ILLINOIS INDIANS IN LANGUAGE AND CUSTOM. THEY SURROUNDED THEIR VILLAGES WITH FIELD OF CORN WHICH WAS THERE MAIN CROP. THEY MARRIED OUTSIDE OF THEIR CLAN ALL CHILDREN WERE COUNTED WITH THE CLAN.
EACH CLAN WAS HEADED BY A MALE CHIEF. THE CHIEF HELD A HEREDITARY OFFICE. THEY MADE DECISIONS ABOUT THE TRIBE AND HAD A GROUP OF YOUNG MEN WHO TRADED WITH THEM. SOME OF THE WOMEN WERE CHIEFS ON OCCASION IF THEY HAD A DREAM OR VISION. THEY COULD GO WITH WAR PARTIES. THEY DID TREMENDOUS AMOUNTS OF THE WORK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE FOR THE TRIBES. THEY CULTIVATED THE CROPS, GATHERED MAIZE, JERKED THEIR DEER, BEAR, AND BUFFALO MEAT. THEY PREPARED THE MEALS, GATHERED WOOD AND SEWED THE CANOES TOGETHER. WHEN MOVING FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER THE WOMEN CAME TOGETHER TO CARRY THE WIGWAMS ON THEIR BACKS.
THE MEN HUNTED , SKINNED, AND TANNED THE HIDES AND TRAPPED ANIMALS AND WENT TO WAR. THESE INDIANS MARRIED MORE THAN ONCE AND A DIVORCE WAS EASY. INDIANA WAS THE SEAT OF OF THIS TRIBE. AT FIRST THEY WERE CLOSE TO THE FRENCH. THEY WERE FRENCH. THEY WERE SKILLED WARRIORS.
THEY RAISED CORN, SMALL FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. THE MIAMI'S HAD IMPORTANT LOCATIONS ALONG TRADE ROUTES WHICH THEN GAVE THEM MORE CONTROL OVER THINGS. VILLAGES WERE BUILT IN WOODLANDS AND NEAR RIVER. THEY STAYED HERE EIGHT MONTHS OF THE YEAR. GAME, FISH, NUTS AND BERRIES, AND ROOTS IN THESE AREAS WERE PLENTIFUL. DURING WINTER THEY WENT TO THE GRAND PRAIRIE WHERE BUFFALO WINTERED.
THEY HAD A QUIET AND PRESERVING NATURE. THEY WERE FIRST INDIAN TO RACE AND CALLED THEMSELVES "men". THEY ENJOYED GAMES AND GAMBLING. WOMEN PLAYED THE BOWL GAME FOR DAYS.DIFFERENT VILLAGES PLAYED SWIMMING AND RESTLING GAMES FOR DAYS. DISEASES KILLED MANY OF THEM BEFORE THE ANGLOS MET THEM. THEY GOT SMALLPOX. MEASLES, AND BUBONIC PLAGUE.
THEY HAD A GREAT CHIEF NAMED LITTLE TURTLE OR MECHECANNOCHQUA. AT A YOUNG AGE HE BECAME A TRIBAL LEADER. HE WAS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL LEADER THEY HAD. HE BROUGHT CANNIBALISM TO AN END. HE ALSO FOUGHT AGAINST STRONG LIQUOR AS IT GREATLY AFFECTED THEM. HE DIED IN 1812.
IN 1846 THE ARMY TRIED TO FORCE THE MIAMI TO LEAVE THEIR LAND IN INDIANA. IN THIS YEAR THEY SPLIT INTO 2 TRIBES - THE INDIANA MIAMI AND THE OKLAHOMA MIAMI.. ONLY 148 MIAMI INDIANS WERE ALLOWED TO STAY IN INDIANA AT THIS TIME. THEY HAD SOME TERRIBLE TIMES IN KANSAS AND SOME RETURNED TO INDIANA. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN RECOGNITION AS A TRIBE WITH THE GOVERNMENT. THE TRIBE IN OKLAHOMA IS RECOGNIZED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THERE ARE ABOUT 5000 MEMBERS OF THE TRIBE IN OKLAHOMA TODAY AND NOW ABOUT 2500 IN INDIANA. THE EASTERN MIAMI RECEIVED FEDERAL RECOGNITION IN 1993 BY THE FERAL GOVERNMENT.
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