Aacimotaatiiyankwi

The Emergence Story, our oldest story in Myaamia history, describes how we emerged as a distinct people along the Saakiiweesiipiwi ‘St. Joseph River in Michigan.’ From there, we spread throughout the area known today as Indiana, western Ohio, and Illinois. Since time immemorial, we’ve called this place Myaamionki ‘the place of the Myaamia.’ 

In October 1846, the last tribal nation in Indiana, the Miami Tribe, was forcibly removed by the United States military to a new reservation west of the Mississippi River in present-day eastern Kansas.

178 years later, on June 7, 2024, the United States accepted approximately 45.21 acres of land located in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana, into trust for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. The placement of this land in trust status restores the Miami Tribe’s full ownership and jurisdiction over it. As a legitimate sovereign nation, the Tribe has the authority to regulate the use of this newly recognized trust land. 

The property, named Peehkahkionki ‘the Beautiful Place,’ was acquired by the Tribe to provide a place in the Myaamia homelands to serve the cultural needs of its over 1,200 tribal citizens living in the Lower Great Lakes Region who often cannot travel to events in Miami, Oklahoma. The Miami Tribe’s Cultural Resource Extension Office (CREO) will be housed at Peehkahkionki to facilitate activities and provide opportunities for tribal members to gather with one another at the property. 

Currently, the property features a lacrosse field, 2 miles of walking trails, large community gardens growing many varieties of Myaamia plants and vegetables, and a fishing pond open to community use. 

To help facilitate the use of this land, the Tribe is building an 8,000-square-foot building containing four offices and a conference room from which the CREO staff can operate and create culturally important programming for our local tribal community. 

The building will include a commercial kitchen to educate our community on Myaamia approaches to food preparation from our on-property gardens and wild edible plants. While the physical health of tribal citizens is essential, equally important is their well-being. A portion of the facility will be developed as a quiet space, allowing tribal members to observe nature and decompress. 

This structure will also have a large meeting space allowing tribal citizens to gather for community meals, tell Winter Stories, and conduct cultural workshops like teaching ribbonwork or lacrosse stick-making. They also hope to host future Eemamwiciki Summer Programs in this space. How special it will be to finally host the Indiana programs on our own property, rather than renting out park space! 

Outside of the building, CREO staff hopes to provide spaces on the property for tent camping, including a few restrooms with showers, as well as benches to rest during a hike and tables to enjoy a picnic on nice days. 

An achievement of this magnitude would not have been possible without the hard work of many people, including the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma’s leadership, who are committed on behalf of the Myaamia people to create a space for our citizens. 

The Tribe is especially thankful for the Cultural Resources Office and its Cultural Resources Extension Office personnel who are working hard on a daily basis to see the goals for this land become a reality. 

This beautiful land will serve the Myaamia community for generations to come. It will remain a uniquely Myaamia place for cultural sharing, learning, and being a people. 

Tribal citizens and their families are welcome to visit and explore the property, CREO staff just ask that you call or email ahead of time to ensure someone will be there. Contact Doug Peconge at: (dpeconge@miamination.com) or (918-919-1484) for more information. 

A special neewe ‘thank you’ to Robin Lash, the Miami Tribe’s General Counsel for providing the information for this post. To learn more about the property, check out Robin’s article in the upcoming edition of Aatotankiki Myaamiaki ‘What the Miami are Talking About,’ the official news publication of the Miami Tribe.