Who Are the Iowa?
The Iowa (Ioway, Báxoje) are now divided between two federally recognized tribes: the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska (~4,500 members) and the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma (~700 members). Their self-name "Báxoje" is translated as "Gray Snow People" or "Dusty Noses." They speak Chiwere, a Siouan language shared with the Otoe-Missouria, with fewer than 5 fluent speakers remaining. Originally inhabiting present-day Iowa (named for them), the Iowa were pushed west and south, eventually splitting between reservations in Kansas/Nebraska and Oklahoma. Their small population and split governance complicate cultural preservation efforts.
Original Homeland
The Iowa occupied rich prairie and woodland territory along the Des Moines and Iowa rivers—land that would become some of America's most productive farmland. They practiced mixed subsistence: cultivating corn in river valleys while hunting buffalo and other game on surrounding prairies. The Iowa maintained complex relationships with neighboring peoples—sometimes allied with Sauk and Fox, sometimes at war. European colonization and the flood of settlers following the Louisiana Purchase overwhelmed Iowa resistance; by the 1830s, they had ceded their homeland through a series of treaties.
Split Tribes
The Iowa split in the 19th century. One group accepted a reservation on the Kansas-Nebraska border; others removed to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). This division—resulting from different responses to federal removal pressure—created two separate communities with limited contact for generations. The Kansas-Nebraska Iowa remained in the northern Plains region near their original homeland; the Oklahoma Iowa adapted to southern Plains life. Both communities are small, limiting resources for cultural preservation. Efforts to coordinate across the two tribes face geographical and historical barriers.
Contemporary Iowa
Modern Iowa tribes pursue separate development while sharing cultural heritage. The Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska operates casino gaming near White Cloud, Kansas. The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma operates its own gaming facilities. Both work on language preservation—Chiwere is critically endangered with very few speakers; intensive documentation efforts work to save what remains. The annual Iowa Powwow and other cultural programs maintain traditions. Land acquisition has expanded tribal holdings in Kansas. How the two Iowa tribes coordinate cultural preservation while operating as separate nations shapes this gray snow people's future.
References
- Blaine, M. R. (1979). The Ioway Indians
- Whitman, W. (1939). The Iowa (Columbia University Contributions to Anthropology)
- Foster, L. V. (1999). \"Ioway\" (Handbook of North American Indians)