On November 4, 1791, news of the Battle of the Wabash hit Native nations and the U.S. like a thunderclap. The Native victory shocked the United States. Miamis and their allies returned home, having defended their territory for another year. Following the Battle of Kiihkayonki the previous year, the United States re-mobilized, hoping to force…
Category: History
The Battle of Kiihkayonki
About this time of year in 1790, the Myaamiaki (Miamis) and Mihši-maalhsaki (Americans) were at war. The violence in the middle of October is recalled as the Battle of Kiihkayonki. In this blog post, George Ironstrack narrates the actions of the Miamis and their allies, as well as the American forces. This prolonged battle initiated…
meehkweelintamankwi aanchsahaaciki ‘Remembering Our Forced Removal’
Co-authored by Diane Hunter and Kristina Fox Each October we take a moment to reflect on our community’s forced removal from our homelands. The effects of Removal, which began on October 6, 1846, are still felt throughout our community today. While discussing this event is painful, it is important for us as a community to…
Minohsaya ‘Painted Hide’ Workshop Recap
As blog readers may recall, a group of artists, educators, and scholars have been discussing Myaamia and Peewaalia ‘Miami and Peoria’ painted hides held in a museum in Paris, France, and thinking about revitalizing the meaning and practice of this artistic form. In early August of 2022, a group got together in Miami, Oklahoma. The…
The Peace of Montreal, 1701
Chichicatallo* stood, an old and venerated Myaamia akima ‘chief,’ in front of hundreds of onlookers. Interpreters listened, and then a babble of languages filled the air as they translated his words into Wyandot and Seneca, Ojibwe and Mohawk. It was August 4, 1701. That was 321 years ago.[1] Days later, Chichicatallo signed the Great Treaty,…
Lacrosse in Historical Sources
As winter turns to spring, Myaamiaki ‘Miami people’ and their friends put down the threads of winter stories. With the other hand, they pick up lacrosse sticks. Peekitahaminki–lacrosse–is an ancient game in Indian Country, including among Myaamiaki ‘Miami folks.’ There are old records from the colonial period in which Europeans recorded their observations of Miami…
Was a comet responsible for the decline of the Hopewell?
Written by Andrew Sawyer, Education Outreach Specialist On February 1, 2022 Scientific Reports published a report titled The Hopewell airburst event, 1699–1567 years ago (252–383 CE)[1]. In this report, the authors claim to have found evidence of a cosmic airburst event that took place in the Ohio River Valley between about 1,639 and 1,770 years…
Removal to Indian Territory
In the December 3 blog post, we learned about the 1847 second forced Removal of Myaamiaki from Indiana and the subsequent movements of Myaamia people between Indiana and the Miami Reservation in present-day Kansas. In the November 5 post, we saw that the winter of 1846-1847 was very hard for Myaamiaki, and many died. Still,…
The Underground Railroad in Myaamionki
A while ago, an interesting blog post brought my attention to a fascinating and, at least to me, new aspect of Myaamia history: the Underground Railroad in Indian Country. I admit, I had never considered that the flight north to freedom for the formerly enslaved required movement through Myaamionki ‘Miami Territory.’ When I think about…
mihsoolatenwi ‘Canoe Hill’
In early November of this year, I made a trip to Šikaakonki ‘Chicago’ for a meeting at the Newberry Library about a project called Indigenous Chicago. I was born in Šikaakonki and still have a lot of family living in the city and surrounding suburbs. However, due to COVID, I hadn’t made many trips to…
Aacimotaatiiyankwi 