Jiwére | |
|---|---|
 Missouri Indian, Otoe Indian, and chief of thePonca byKarl Bodmer, c. 1840–1843 | |
| Total population | |
| 4,655 enrolled members | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( Oklahoma, formerly Nebraska) | |
| Languages | |
| English, formerlyChiwere | |
| Religion | |
| Native American Church,Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ioway,Missouria,Ho-Chunk, andWinnebago |
| People | Jiwére |
|---|---|
| Language | Jiwére ich'é, Hand Talk |
| Country | Jiwére Máyaⁿ |
TheOtoe (Chiwere: Jiwére)[1] are aNative American people of theMidwestern United States. The Otoe language,Chiwere, is part of theSiouan family and closely related to that of the relatedIowa,Missouria, andHo-Chunk tribes.
Historically, the Otoe tribe lived as a semi-nomadic people on the Central Plains along the bank of the Missouri River inNebraska,Kansas,Iowa, andMissouri. They lived in elm-bark lodges while they farmed, and usedtipis while traveling, like many other Plains tribes. They often left their villages to hunt buffalo.
In the early 19th century, many of their villages were destroyed due to warfare with other tribes. European-American encroachment and disease also played a role in their decline. Today, Otoe people belong to thefederally recognized tribe, theOtoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, headquartered inRed Rock, Oklahoma.[2]
The Otoe were once part of theHo-Chunk andSiouan-speaking tribes of the WesternGreat Lakes and Upper Midwest. Around the 16th century, successive groups split off and migrated west and south. These became distinct tribes, the Otoe, theMissouria, and theIoway. The Otoe settled in the lowerNemaha River valley. They adopted thehorse culture and semi-nomadic lifestyle of theGreat Plains, making theAmerican bison central to their diet and culture.[3]
When theLewis and Clark Expedition headed up the Missouri River to explore the new territory the Otoe were the first tribe they encountered. They met at a place on the west bank of theMissouri River that would become known as theCouncil Bluff.[4]
Like otherGreat Plains tribes, the Otoe periodically left their villages to hunt for bison. Between 1817 and 1841, the Otoe lived around the mouth of thePlatte River in present-dayNebraska.Otoe County, Nebraska still bears their name. During this time, the Missouria families that survived European diseases and encroachment rejoined them to form the Otoe-Missouri tribe. They gathered with others to trade for European goods.[citation needed]
In the 1830s, European-American traders tried to influence tribal members through alcohol. As their dependence on alcohol grew, the men no longer hunted, but resorted to looting vacantPawnee villages while the people were out hunting.[5] Christian missionaries builta mission there.
In 1854 the Otoe-Missouria ceded most of their lands south of the Platte River in eastern Nebraska to the U.S. by treaty. They retained theOto Reservation along theBig Blue River on the present Kansas-Nebraska border. They struggled to adapt to reservation life.
During the 1870s, the tribe split into two factions. The Coyote band favored an immediate move toIndian Territory, where they believed they could better perpetuate their traditional tribal life outside the influence of the whites. TheQuaker band favored remaining on the Big Blue River land. They were willing to sell the western half of the reservation to whites to gain income for a tribalannuity.
By the spring of 1880, about half the tribe had left the reservation and taken up residence with theSac and Fox Nation in Indian Territory. By the next year, in response to dwindling prospects of self-sufficiency and continued pressure from white settlers, the remaining Otoe members in Nebraska sold the Big Blue reservation. They migrated to Oklahoma.
With the Otoe-Missouria already there, they purchased a new reservation in theCherokee Outlet in the Indian Territory. This is in present-dayNoble andPawnee Counties, Oklahoma. Today theOtoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians is federally recognized. It is based inRed Rock, Oklahoma.
| Historic and present tribes | |
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| Present languages | |
| Present reservations | |
| Present tribal colleges and universities | |
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| Historic reservations | |
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| Precontact peoples | |
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| Other topics | |
