The Iowa Reservation of the Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska straddles the borders of southeast Richardson County

Richardson County, Nebraska

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,531 people, 3,993 households, and 2,567 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile . There were 4,560 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...

 in southeastern Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 and Brown

Brown County, Kansas

Brown County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 9,984. Its county seat and most populous city is Hiawatha...

 and Doniphan Counties in northeastern Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

. Tribal headquarters are west of White Cloud, Kansas

White Cloud, Kansas

White Cloud is a city in Doniphan County, Kansas, United States. It was named for James White Cloud, son of Chief White Cloud of the Iowa Tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 176. White Cloud is the seat of government for the Iowa Reservation of Kansas and Nebraska...

. The reservation was defined in a treaty from March 1861. Today the tribe operates Casino White Cloud on the reservation.

History

The Iowa, or Baxoje as they call themselves, Tribe originated in the Great Lakes

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

 region. They migrated south and west into Missouri, but were relocated to Kansas under the provisions of the Platte Purchase

Platte Purchase

The Platte Purchase was a land acquisition in 1836 by the United States government from Native American tribes all of which was east bank lands along the Missouri River that added to the northwest corner of the state of Missouri. The area acquired is almost as large as the states of Delaware and...

 of 1836. Subsequent treaties in 1854 and 1861 further reduced the Iowa land holdings to the "Diminished Reserve." A band of Iowas left the reservation for Indian Territory

Indian Territory

The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...

 beginning in 1878. They became the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma

Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma

The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma is one of two federally recognized Iowa tribes. The other is the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. Traditionally Iowas spoke the Chiwere language, part of the Souian language family...

. The bands that stayed became the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska.

Today, the Iowa reservation consists of 12000 acres (48.6 km²) that are almost evenly divided between the states of Kansas and Nebraska. The reservation includes parts of Brown counties in Kansas and Richardson County in Nebraska.

Size

Located along the Missouri River

Missouri River

The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...

, the reservation was once approximately 2100 acres (8.5 km²) reservation includes 280 acres (1.1 km²) owned by the Tribe and 210.06 acre (0.8500834116 km²) in tribal member allotments. There were 947.63 acres (3.8 km²) owned by the Tribe in Kansas, with an additional 181.01 acre (0.7325221286 km²) in tribal member allotments. In 1995 Bureau of Indian Affairs

Bureau of Indian Affairs

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...

 indicated that were 1618.7 acres (6.6 km²) of Iowa tribal lands in trust status. Today the tribe reports the Iowa Tribe owns 2707 acres (11 km²) within the reservation.

Activities

The tribe farms 1077 acres (4.4 km²), with portions of the remaining acres balanced between in pastures and woods. There is also a haying operation that supports 150 cattle. The tribe also owns and operates Casino White Cloud and a service station, and employs 186 people. As a sovereign nation the reservation has its own police and fire department, tribal court, health clinic, community health representatives, a senior citizen center, and meal site for seniors with a delivery program. The tribe sponsors a Fourth of July rodeo, a demolition derby

Demolition derby

Demolition derby is a motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehicles into one another...

 in August, and the Iowa Tribe Powwow each September.

See also

• Native American tribes in Nebraska
  Native American tribes in Nebraska
  Native American tribes in the U.S. state of Nebraska have been Plains Indians, who have a history of varying cultures occupying the area for thousands of years. More than 15 tribes have been identified as having lived in, hunted in, or otherwise occupied territory within the current state boundaries...
  
  

Native American tribes in Kansas (category)

External links

• Reservation tract map from the US Census.