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Miami tribe
*** Shopping-Tip: Miami tribe
The '''Miami''' are a
Native Americans in the United States Native American tribe originally found in
Indiana and
Ohio.
Miami University in
Oxford, Ohio is named after the Miami tribe.
Miami language
The
Miami language, now extinct, is a member of the
Algonquian phylum. It forms a
dialect continuum with
Illinois language Illinois and is part of a larger Central and Plains ''
sprachbund''. Language reclamation efforts have officially been underway since 1995.
History of the Miami tribe
Prehistory
The Miami are thought by anthropologists to be one of the cultural descendants of the
Mississippian culture, characterized by
maize-based agriculture (the historical Miami seemed also to have enjoyed
hunting),
chiefdom-level social organization, extensive regional trade networks, hierarchical settlement patterns, and other factors.
Early European contact
When
France French missionaries first encountered the Miami in the early 17th century, they were living around the shores of
Lake Michigan. The Miami had reportedly moved there due to pressure from the
Iroquois further east. Early French explorers noticed many linguistic and cultural similarities between the Miami bands and the
Illiniwek. At this time, the major divisions of the Miami were:
*Atchakangouen (also Atchatchakangouen or Greater Miami)
*Kilatika
*Mengkonkia (Mengakonia)
*Pepikokia
*Piankeshaw (Newcalenous)
*
Wea (Ouiatenon)
The name 'Miami' derives from the tribe's name for themselves in their own language, ''Myaamia'' (plural ''Myaamiaki''). Some sources say that the Miami called themselves the ''Twightwee'' (also spelled ''Twatwa''), an
onomatopeia onomatopeic reference to their sacred bird, the
crane (bird) crane. However, "Twightwee" appears to in fact be a Delaware name for the Miamis, and some Miamis have stated that this was only a name used by other tribes for the Miamis, and not as a name the Miamis used for themselves. Another common usage was ''Mihtohseeniaki'', "the people,"and the Miami continue to employ this ethnonym today.
British & American period
By the eighteenth century, the Miami had for the most part returned to their homeland in present-day Indiana and Ohio. The eventual victory of the British in the
French and Indian War
led to an increased British presence in traditional Miami areas. Shifting alliances and the gradual encroachment of white settlement led to some Miami bands merging, and also saw the creation of larger tribal confederacies as Native Americans allied both to participate in European wars and to fight advancing white settlement. By the end of the century, the tribal divisions were:
*Eel River
*Miami
*Piankeshaw
*
Wea
The latter two groups were closely aligned with some of the Illini tribes, and were later lumped with them for administrative purposes. The Eel River band maintained a somewhat separate status, which was to prove beneficial in the removals of the nineteenth century. The nation's traditional capital was
Kekionga, which is located within the borders of the present city of
Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Category:Miami tribe *
Category:Native American tribes
de:Miami (Volk)
ca:Miami (poble)
Main article:
Miami tribe
Category:Native American tribes
*** Shopping-Tip: Miami tribe
