History of the Miami Indians

The existence of the Miami Indians was recorded by French

explorers and missionaries as far back as the early seventeenth

century. In 1700 the Miami moved into Maumee Valley. They were migratory people and were part of a much larger nation. As fierce warriors they were able to retain control of much of their land for many years and became the most powerful Indian tribe in Ohio. However, their dominance fell to the power of much stronger Indian tribes and then finally, inevitably, the white man. In 1818, the United States forced the Miamis to give up their last reservation in Ohio. Today there is a strong, thriving, Miami Indian population living in Indiana. In recent years they have worked with the Federal government to restore treaty rights and revitalize their culture. This paper will examine the importance and contributions of the Miami Indians, particularly to Ohio.

The French were the first Europeans to make contact with the Miami as early as 1634 (Anson, 3). The Miamis were part of

the Illinois division of the Algonquian nation and were known as

the Illinois Indians. The French referred to all the tribes

south and west of Lake Michigan as the Illinois Indians. The Miami's fled their territory around the southern end of Lake Michigan by 1640 after being invaded by Iroquois war parties. They moved to Ohio to 1700 into the area bounded by the Ohio, Wabash, Maumee, and the Great and Little Miami rivers (Ohio History Central Online). The ne

Related Essays

Contributions of the Miami Indians .... Although the Miami Indians were traditionally a society of warriors, they were unable to .... forces, and ended up defeated and diminished as was the history of all .... (2618 10 )

HISTORY OF BELIZE This research paper encompass .... and summarizes the salient features and history of Belize .... 1996 and in February 1997 in Miami preliminary talks .... each about 40 percent, Maya indians 11 percent .... (2516 10 )

Pan-Indian Movement .... US encroachment, when a coalition of Miami, Shawnee, Delaware .... Non-Indians got wind of it as well, and .... Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History. .... (2002 8 )

Cultures of Native Americans:1775-1815 .... of the Revolutionary War, thousands of Indians, Miami, Shawnee, Mingoes .... of deerhides and from capturing other Indians as slaves .... A History of the Indians of the .... (4901 20 )

Latinos in American Society .... with some influences from the Arawak Indians (also called .... 1992) argues, "To be a Cuban in Miami is to .... somewhere between the United States and history" (p. 67). .... (2638 11 )

Wayne and his troops marched north to Greenville. There were 2,000 men in the Legion of the United States, and 1,500 mounted volunteers. A month later they met a force of approximately 1,100 Indians, including Wyandots, Miamis, Ottawas, Delawares, Mingoes, Shawnees, Potawatomis, Chippewas, and some Candians disguised as Indians (Ohio History Central Online). The battle site was in a part of the forest where a recent storm had knocked down many trees. These trees gave the battle its name, "fallen timbers". The losses for the American army numbered about 30 with another 100 wounded. The Indian losses were harder to calculate since they carried off the dead, as well as the wounded, from the battlefield. It is estimated that approximately 200 Indians died and 400 were wounded (Ohio History Central Online). After this major defeat, General Wayne's army chased the Indians to the British Fort Miamis but the British would not help the Indians. The Indians felt betrayed because they had fought with the British, side by side against the Americans during the American Revolution. A year later the Indians came to Greenville to surrender formally. They signed the Treaty of Greenville, opening all of Ohio to whi

Category: History - H