%2c_Wichita.jpg) Nasuteas (Kichai Woman), a Kichai that was part of theWichita tribe, 1898 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| descendants are part of theWichita and Affiliated Tribes[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| United States (Louisiana,Oklahoma,Texas) | |
| Languages | |
| English, formerlyKitsai language | |
| Religion | |
| traditional tribal religion,Christianity[1] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Caddo,Pawnee,Wichita,Arikara |
TheKichai tribe (alsoKeechi orKitsai) was aNative American SouthernPlains tribe that lived inTexas,[2]Louisiana, andOklahoma. Their name for themselves wasK'itaish.
The Kichai were most closely related to thePawnee.[1] French explorers encountered them on theRed River inLouisiana in 1701.[3] By 1772, they were primarily settled around the east of the Trinity River, near present-dayPalestine, Texas.[4]After forced relocation, they came to share portions of southern and southwestern Oklahoma with theWichita and with theMuscogee Creek Nation.[1]
The Kichai were part of the complex, shifting political alliances of the South Plains. Early Europeans identified them as enemies of theCaddo.[5] In 1712, they fought theHainai along theTrinity River;[3] however, they were allied with other member tribes of the Caddoan Confederacy and intermarried with theKadohadacho during this time.[3]
On November 10, 1837, theTexas Rangers fought the Kichai in theBattle of Stone Houses. The Kichai were victorious, despite losing their leader in the first attack.[6]
Caddo-Wichita-Delaware lands were broken up into individual allotments at the beginning of the 20th century. Kichai people's allotted lands were mainly inCaddo County, Oklahoma. Forty-seven full-blood Kichai lived in Oklahoma in 1950. There were only four at the end of the 20th century.[1]
The Kichai are not a distinctfederally recognized tribe, but they are instead enrolled in theWichita and Affiliated Tribes. These tribes live mostly in SouthwesternOklahoma, particularly inCaddo County, to which they wereforcibly relocated by the United States Government in the 19th century.
TheKichai language is a member of theCaddoan language family, along withArikara,Pawnee, andWichita.[7]
Kai Kai, a Kichai woman fromAnadarko, Oklahoma, was the last known fluent speaker of the Kichai language. She collaborated with Dr.Alexander Lesser to record and document the language.[8]
| Federally recognized tribes | |
|---|---|
| Other consulted tribes | |
| Indigenous languages | |
| Historical Indigenous peoples of Texas (Several are in Oklahoma today) |
|
| Related topics | |
† extinct language /≠ extinct tribe / >< early,obsolete name of Indigenous tribe /° people absorbed into other tribe(s) /* headquartered in Oklahoma today | |
