Who Are the Kickapoo?
The Kickapoo are an Algonquian-speaking people originally from the Great Lakes region, now divided among three federally recognized US tribes and one Mexican community: the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma (~2,700 members), Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas (~1,600), Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas (~1,700), and Kickapoo communities in Coahuila, Mexico. Their name, "Kiikaapoa," means "Those Who Move About"—appropriate for a people who migrated across half a continent resisting American expansion. They speak Kickapoo, an Algonquian language with several hundred speakers. The Kickapoo are known for maintaining traditional religious practices with exceptional persistence.
Resistance and Migration
The Kickapoo are exceptional resisters. From their homeland in Wisconsin, they fought American expansion in Tecumseh's confederation and the Black Hawk War. When forced from the Great Lakes, groups scattered—some to Kansas, others to Oklahoma, still others to Mexico. The Mexican Kickapoo, settling in Coahuila in the 1850s, raided into Texas for decades. These "Texas border troubles" led to punitive US Army expeditions into Mexico. The Kickapoo's willingness to move rather than submit, and to fight when necessary, preserved their independence longer than most eastern tribes.
Traditional Persistence
The Kickapoo maintain traditional religion with remarkable tenacity. Unlike many tribes that adopted Christianity or syncretic practices, many Kickapoo continue ceremonial life in traditional houses and refuse photography or extensive documentation. The Texas Kickapoo lived for decades in poverty in Eagle Pass, Texas, maintaining traditional ways despite terrible conditions, until federal recognition (1983) improved their situation. This cultural conservatism has preserved practices largely lost elsewhere—a conscious choice to prioritize tradition over material comfort. The Kickapoo demonstrate that cultural survival sometimes requires active rejection of external influences.
Contemporary Kickapoo
Modern Kickapoo communities pursue different strategies. The Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma operates gaming near Shawnee. The Kansas Kickapoo maintain a reservation near Horton. The Texas Kickapoo, after decades of poverty, now operate Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass, transforming community resources. Mexican Kickapoo maintain traditional villages in Coahuila while many work seasonally in the US. Cross-border movement remains important; special provisions allow Mexican Kickapoo to cross freely. Language programs work to preserve Kickapoo for future generations. How these dispersed communities maintain connections while adapting to different national contexts shapes this mobile people's continuing journey.
References
- Nielsen, G. (1975). The Kickapoo People
- Latorre, F. A. & Latorre, D. L. (1976). The Mexican Kickapoo Indians
- Ritzenthaler, R. E. & Peterson, F. A. (1956). The Mexican Kickapoo Indians