History of a Native American Tribe

Research
Within your group, decide who will be in charge of researching each of the following
categories in reference to your assigned Native American tribe. Your group will be
responsible for representing this information in your final interactive museum exhibit. You
will create ONE Google Doc with this research organizer, and share it with every member of
your group so everyone can work with each other.
Each member needs to effectively research their assigned topic, find information about the
past AND the present, and correctly cite each source they found the information on.
Native American Tribe:
_________
_ Miami_________________
Project Group Members:
1.)
Hannah Caccamise
2.)
Alex Manning
3.)
Rachel Brown
4.)
Jack Salzmann
5.)
Samantha Roger
Environment
Group Member: Hannah Caccamise
Research on the Past: The Miami Indians had their original
homeland in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. However,
many of them were forced to move to Oklahoma during the
Indian Removals. The Miami are Algonkian people, closely
related to the Illinois Tribe. They have lived in temperate
forest and prairie areas of the midwestern US. The Miami
territory borders lake Michigan, and lake Erie. There are two
main groups of Miami today: the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma,
recognized by the U.S. government, and the Miami Nation in

Indiana.

Research on the Present: Native

Americans from various tribes and
cultural groups live in Indiana today.
The Miami Indians have a long
tradition in Indiana. Today, they have
a tribal headquarters in Peru,
Indiana. In addition, various Indiana
museums discuss the history and
impact that the Miami have had not
only on Indiana, but also United
States history. Such as the Eitle Jorg,
the Indiana State Museum and
the Native American Museum. Today,
Miami Indians live scattered across
the United States. Their official
reservation is in Oklahoma, but
Miamis also live on reservations in
Indiana and Kansas. Thi

Sources in MLA format:

"Miami Indian Fact Sheet." Facts for Kids: Miami Indians (Miamis). N.p., n.d.
Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
"Miami (Indians)." Dictionary of American History. 2003, and "Miami
(indigenous People of North America)." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed..
2014. "Miami." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 1996. Web. 25
Feb. 2015.
"Indiana Department of Natural Resources." DNR: Native Americans in Indiana
Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
Sherwood, Rena. "About the Miami Indians." EHow. Demand Media, 28 Oct.
2008. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
Government
(Tribe leaders, how their government worked, laws tribe followed/ abided by, relationship with
U.S. government, etc.)
Group Member: Rachel Brown
Research on the past:

The Miami tribe in Oklahoma has its own

government, laws, police, and services, just
like a small country. However, the Miamis are
also US citizens and must obey American law.
The Miami tribe in Indiana is not federally
recognized. That means the Miami Indians of
Indiana don't have a reservation or their own
government. However, they still have
traditional Miami leadership and tribal
meetings.
In the past, the Miami tribe was ruled by two
chiefs. One was a village chief, chosen by the
leaders of the Miami clans, and the other was
a war chief, chosen by the other warriors.
Today, Miami chiefs are elected by the
people, just like mayors and governors.

Research on the Present:

Miami Nation government is
administered by eight key
departments, each with
specific purposes to help
carry out the tribe's mission.
Douglas, G, LankFord are the
current chiefs. They wrote
their own constitution. The
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
District Court was
established in 2007 under a
Tribal Courts Assistance
Program Grant through the
Department of Justice.Court
is held the first Thursday of
every month according to the
Tribal Docket

Sources in MLA format: "Miami Nation Tribal Court." Miami Nation Tribal Court.
N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Culture
(Education, food, clothing, religion/spirituality, etc.)
Group Member: Samantha Roger
Research on the Past: They are Algonkian
people. Clothing made from Bison and Deer
skin. Food and lifestyle depended on season. For

Research on the Present: Same

clothing as business people or
farmers. Today, the Miami

5 weeks in the summer, the men of the tribe left

for a communal bison hunt. Women planted,
dried, and stored crops. Men fished. In winter,
the tribe left the large village and moved to a
smaller one on winter grounds for other
hunting of mostly bison. In spring time, they
moved to the sugar maple groves so that women
and children could collect sap from maple trees
that they stored and traded. They also collected
berries, nuts, roots, and wild plants in the
forest. While moving, the women carried the
materials to build wigwams on their back.
Women prepared meat and gathered wood.
Known as skilled warriors mostly because of
the allies they chose. They stayed in the summer
villages for eight months of the year. They
became the most powerful tribe in Ohio. Forms
of gambling were popular because they liked
games. Shooting arrows to an object was very
popular for recreation. Also games that
involved skill and strength were very common
for fun. This picture represents what their
housing would have been like with houses and
then a gathering space in the center. They didnt
live in teepees, instead they lived in small oval
houses with walls made of woven reeds. They
made dugout canoes for travel. Religion was
very complicated. Manitous is what Miami
religion was centered around. Individuals and
groups tried to gain power from the Manitous
spirits. The belief was that the manitou roamed
the world and could be human, plant, animals,
etc. Once a man, women, or child contacted the
manitou in a dream or anywhere, the manitou
became their guardian spirit giving them
power in return for respect. The men of the
tribe were tattooed from head to foot while the
women of the tribe were only tattooed on their
arms, face, and chest. Dance was a way to show
respect to the manitou and a form of
entertainment. After death, the Miami believed
that you walk down a road and have to
overcome many obstacles until you reach a
country filled with abundance and happiness.
Hello in the miami language is aya aya.
This picture is what a girl in the miami tribe
would have worn. It is made of animal skin.

tribe lives in two different

groups. One group is of 2,000
and lives in Oklahoma and
the other of 6,000 lives in
Indiana in the present day. The
american government only
recognizes the Oklahoma
group, though. The two groups
consider themselves the same
people. The Myaamia
Scholarship Selection
Committee is made up of five
Tribal members given the
responsibility of awarding
scholarships to students.
Today, the Miami tribe only
make woven houses for fun.
They live in apartments or
houses just like everyone else
today.
Members of the tribe today still
eat some of the foods such as
beans, corns, and squash.

Sources in MLA format:

"Miami | People." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica,
n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
Peregrine, Peter, "Miami (Indians)." Dictionary of American History. 2003,
and "Miami (indigenous People of North America)." The Columbia Encyclopedia,
6th Ed.. 2014. "Miami." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 1996.
Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
"A Brief History of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma." Aacimotaatiiyankwi. N.p.,
15 Feb. 2012. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.

Lifestyle
(Living conditions, family dynamics, daily life, etc.)
Group Member: Alexander Manning

The Miami are Algonkian people,

closely related to the Illinois Tribe. They have lived in
temperate forest and prairie areas of the midwestern US.
Research on the Past:

They eat Fish, mollusks, and migratory wild-fowl and

anything that is plentiful in the rivers. Deer, elk, bear, and
many other small mammals are hunted by the Miami.
Clothing was fashioned from deer or bison skin, and was
often dyed black, yellow, or red. Bison hair was also
woven into bags and belts. Cooking and storage pots were
made of fired clay. Bowls and spoons were carved from
wood. Arrows, axes, hoes, and pipes were fashioned from
stone by either chipping or grinding.
Polygynous marriages were accepted if a man could
support more than one wife, but marriages were more
often monogamous. Marriage was clan exogamous.
Marriages could either be arranged or decided upon by the
individuals, but all had to be approved by the individuals'

families.
Miami religion centered around Individual and group
attempts to gain power from spirits known as manitous.
The Miami believed that manitous roamed the world and
could take the form of humans, animals, and Perhaps even
plants or nuts. The source of the manitou's power was
known as the kitchi manitou and was often equated with the

Research on the Present:

There are 2 main groups of

Miami today. The Miami of
Oklahoma, recognised by the
U.S. Government.
And the Miami of Indiana.
Their food mainly comes
from farms, as most of the
tribes live near a farm or a
river.
The Miami Indians have a
long tradition in Indiana.
Today, they have a tribal
headquarters in Peru,
Indiana.

sun, although the kitchi manitou was apparently not

considered to be animate. From youth, women and
particularly men were instructed to seclude themselves,
fast, and try to contact a manitou in a dream. At the time of
Indian Removal in 1846, those Miami who held separate
allotments of land were allowed to stay as citizens in
Indiana. Those who affiliated with the tribe were moved to
reservations west of the Mississippi River, first to Kansas,
then to Indian Territory in Oklahoma.
The nuclear family of a husband, wife, and children formed
the basic domestic unit. They shared a house, fire, food, and
household chores. The nuclear family might be extended by
the addition of co-wives, parents, grandparents, and
perhaps other relatives.
The Miami Indians lived in Wigwams, which were small
oval houses usually about eight to ten feet tall that had
walls made of woven reeds or animal skins. It had a central
fire pit and a smoke hole to keep the inside smoke free. It is
also not able to move from place to place.
The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is an Eastern Woodlands
tribe, who traditionally spoke the Miami-Illinois language,
a language of the Algonquin family. The name 'Miami'
derives from Myaamia plural Myaamiaki, the tribe's
autonym name for themselves in their Algonquian
language; it appears to have been derived from an older
term meaning 'downstream people. Some scholars
contended the Miami called themselves the Twightwee also
spelled Twatwa, supposedly an onomatopoeic reference to
their sacred bird, the Sandhill crane. However, recent
studies have shown that Twightwee derives from the
Delaware language exonym name for the Miamis,
tuwhtuwe, a name of unknown etymology. Some Miami
have stated that this was only a name used by other tribes
for the Miami, and not their autonym. They also use
Mihtohseeniaki, "the people."

Sources in MLA format: Peregrine, Peter. "Miami." Encyclopedia of World Cultures. 1996.

Encyclopedia.com. 25 Feb. 2015 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>

http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Miami-Religion-and-ExpressiveCulture.html#ixzz3SlfjmU5R
https://earlynativeamericantribes.wikispaces.com/Miami`
Major Historical Events
(Relationship/interaction with U.S. government, conflicts/battles, etc.)
Group Member: Hannah Caccamise
Research on the Past: The Miami had mixed relations with the
United States. Some villages of the Piankeshaw openly supported
the American rebel colonists during the American Revolution,
while the villages around ouiatenon were openly hostile. The
Miami of Kekionga remained allies of the British, but were not
openly hostile to the United States. At the time of Indian Removal
in 1846, those Miami who held separate allotments of land were
allowed to stay as citizens in Indiana. Those who affiliated with the
tribe were moved to reservations west of the Mississippi River,
first to Kansas, then to Indian Territory in Oklahoma.

Research on the Present:

The divide in the tribe exists to
this day. Today the western tribe
is federally recognized as the
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, with
3553 enrolled members. On 26
July 1993, a federal judge ruled
that the Eastern Miami were
recognized by the US in the 1854
treaty, and that the federal
government had no right to strip
them of their status in 1897.
However, he also ruled that the
statute of limitations on appealing
their status had expired. The
Miami no longer had any right to
sue.

Sources in MLA format:

"Miami People." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Key Figures
(Famous tribe members, leaders, etc.)
Group Member: Jack Salzmann
Research on the Past:

Research on the Present:

Little Turtle (born

1752, near Fort Wayne,
Indiana, died July 14,
1812, Fort Wayne,
Indiana), American
Indian, chief of the
Miami tribe, who
achieved fame during
the turbulent (war filled)

The Miami tribe is still thriving today. They have their own
website called www.miamination.com and have activitieis to
do with kids, it is similar to a camp. Their current
Leader/Chief is Douglas G Lankford. The miami tribe has not
had anything influential happen recently. They have been
educating kids on their history and past. The Miami tribe has
to work with Mary Fallin the governor of Oklahoma which is
where one of their tribes is. Douglas G Lankford, the current
chief of this tribe, and his financial team plan on opening a

period when the U.S.

Congress launched a
punitive campaign
against the Indians who
were raiding settlers in
the Northwest Territory.
Little turtle defended his
village against 1,500
american troops on
October 1790, who were
burning them. The
troops were defeated. In
1791 General James
Wilkinson attacked their
village, destroyed it, and
captured Little Turtles
daughter.
The treaty to end the
war, the treaty of
Greenville, was signed
by him in 1814, he said
he was the last to sign it
and would be the last
one to break it.
As Little Turtle said in
the Greenville treaty, I
am the last to sign it,
and I will be the last to
break it, he encouraged
peace until the day he
died in 1812.
Little Turtles war 17901794, one of the greatest
Indian American
victories in history.
The Miami tribe had
their own mythology
that they believed in.
Each god or monster
was known for different
things. One was a river
serpent, one lives in a
forest, etc..

cultural resources extension offices in Fort Wayne Indiana.

Sources in MLA format

"Aacimwaki - Elected Leaders." Aacimwaki. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
"Miami Indians." Miami Indians. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
"The Supreme Court of Ohio & The Ohio Judicial System." Little Turtle. N.p., n.d. Web.
25 Feb. 2015.
"Miami Indian Chiefs and Leaders." Access Genealogy. N.p., 09 July 2011. Web. 25 Feb.
2015.
"Miami Tribe of Okla. to Open Cultural Resources Office in Fort Wayne." - NewsSentinel.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.