Kiowa
See also, OH-58 Kiowa,United States Army helicopterThe Kiowas arenationNative Americans who lived mostly inplainswest Texas, Oklahomaeastern New Mexico attimeattime ofarrivalEuropeans. CurrentlyKiowa Nation isregistered tribe,about 6000 members livingsouthwestern Oklahoma1989.
The Kiowas originated innorthern basin ofMissouri River, but migrated south toBlack Hills around 1650lived there withCrow. Pushed southward byinvading CheyennesSioux who were being pushed outtheir lands ingreat lake regions byObjiwe tribes,Kiowas moved downPlatte River basin toArkansas River area. Therefought withComanches, who already occupiedland until around 1790, whenformed an allianceagreedsharearea. From that time on,ComanchesKiowas formeddeep bond;peoples hunted, travelled,made war together. An additional group,Kiowa Apaches, also affiliated withKiowas at this time.
The Kiowas livednot atypical Plains Indian lifestyle. Mostly nomadic,survived on buffalo meatgathered vegetables, livingteepees,depending highly on their horseshuntingmilitary uses. The Kiowa were notoriouslong-distance raids as far north as Canadasouth into Mexico.
After 1840Kiowas joined forcestheir former enemies,Cheyennes, as well asComanches andApaches,fightraidEastern natives then moving intoIndian Territory. The United States military intervened,inTreatyMedicine Lodge1867Kiowa agreedsettle toreservationsouthwestern Oklahoma. Some bandsKiowas remained at large until 1875 (see Palo Duro Canyon).
On August 6, 1901 Kiowa landOklahoma was openedwhite settlement, effectively dissolvingcontiguous reservation. While each Kiowa headhousehold was alloted 80 acres,only land remainingKiowa tribal ownership todaywhat wasscattered parcels'grass land' which had been leased towhite settlersgrazing beforereservation was openedsettlement.
The Kiowa language defies lingual classification, having no similaritiesany other language. Once thoughtbe ofTanoan family, simply duenasal entonations which havesimilar sound, no base or root word existsmatchKiowa languageany other lingual classification.
