Native Americans cultures Native American languages Native American tribes

Kansa [archive]

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Kansa

Location:

The traditional homelands of the Kansa (or Kaw) includes present-day central Kansas along the Kansas and Saline Rivers.

Language:

The Kansa are related to the Omaha, Osage, Quapaw and Ponca tribes. Their dialect is a Siouan language and they are a patrilineal clan like the Iowa, Omaha, Osage and Ponca tribes. The names "Kaw" and "Kansa" came from early French traders The Kansa name was dropped when the Bureau of Indian Affairs started using Kaw to prevent confusion between them and the Kansas Indians.

History:

The tribe went through many hardships throughout their history of contact with settlers. They went from 3,000 in the eighteenth century to 600 in the twentieth century. After the whites began to move in the Kansa were moved onto a reservation on the Indian Territory in June 1873.

References:

"Kansa" Encyclopedia Britannica Online

Kansa Indians: http://native-net.org/archive/nl/9504/0016.html

Last Kansa Buffalo Hunt: http://www.poncacitynews.com/community/localhistory/genhis/ncoha/kansa.htm

Additional Reading

Kansa Indians
Kansa Language
Kansa Legends
Indian Tribes of Kansas