Who Are the Kaw?
The Kaw Nation (also Kanza, Kansa) is a federally recognized tribe with approximately 3,600 enrolled members, headquartered in Kaw City, Oklahoma. Their name means "People of the South Wind." They speak Kaw, a Dhegiha Siouan language that became functionally extinct in 2016 with the death of the last fluent speaker, though revitalization efforts continue with archival materials. The Kaw gave their name to Kansas—where they once dominated the territory before removal to Oklahoma. The Kaw are notable for producing Charles Curtis, Vice President of the United States under Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)—the only person with significant Native American ancestry to hold that office.
Kansas Homeland
The Kaw occupied the Kansas River valley and adjacent prairies—prime tallgrass prairie that would become America's breadbasket. They practiced mixed subsistence: farming corn in river bottoms while hunting buffalo on the western Plains. Kaw villages lined the Kansas River; their territory marked the boundary between prairie and plains. As Kansas organized for statehood (1861), the Kaw were pushed onto ever-smaller reservations before final removal to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) in 1873. The state kept their name while expelling its namesake people—a bitter irony common in American history.
Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis (1860-1936), one-eighth Kaw, grew up partly on the Kaw reservation before entering politics. He served as a U.S. Representative, Senator, and Vice President (1929-1933)—the highest office attained by any Native American. Curtis's legacy is complex: he championed the Curtis Act (1898), which extended allotment to the Five Tribes and dissolved their governments. Though of Kaw heritage, Curtis's assimilationist policies contributed to tribal dispossession. He remains a symbol of both Native American achievement and the complexity of indigenous politicians operating within colonial structures.
Contemporary Kaw
Modern Kaw have rebuilt from near-extinction—the tribe numbered barely 200 in the early 20th century. Today approximately 3,600 are enrolled. The tribe operates Kaw Nation Casino and various enterprises near Ponca City. Language revitalization works with recordings of the last fluent speaker, Walter Kekahbah; though first-language speakers are gone, efforts continue to teach Kaw. The Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Center preserves tribal history. Annual powwows and cultural programs maintain traditions. How the Kaw preserve language and culture after language death while building economic capacity shapes this wind people's future in Oklahoma.
References
- Unrau, W. E. (1971). The Kansa Indians: A History of the Wind People, 1673-1873
- Rankin, R. L. (1989). \"Kansa\" (Handbook of North American Indians)
- Seymour, F. W. (1929). The Story of the Red Man