Miami
Location: The traditional homelands of the Miami (my-am-ee) include an area to the south and west of Lake Michigan.
The people were
relocated to Oklahoma in the mid-1800s by the whites. Today the two main groups
of Miami are in Oklahoma and in Indiana.Language: The Miami language is classified
in the Central Algonkian linguistic group. The Miami and Illinois languages are
very similar and only have minor dialectical differences. The Miami language
has been considered dead since about 1965, but some Miami still have a limited
vocabulary in the language.Traditions: Before
European settlement, the Miami were a hunting and
farming people. They grew crops such as maize, beans, melons, and tobacco. The
people would also collect nuts and fruits from the forests and prairies. Their
meat was usually deer or bison, but they also hunted small game. After planting
crops in early June most of the village would leave on five week buffalo hunt,
and during the winter the tribe would break up to hunt deer.History: Most of the Miami had sold their land to American settlers by 1820, and
were moved to reservations in Missouri. In 1846 the remaining Miami were
forcibly moved to Kansas and then again to Oklahoma in the 1870s.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not
claim expertise on the Miami.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the web address of this page.
If you are Miami, your feedback is much appreciated.
Miami Nation of Indiana: http://www.miamiindians.org/
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma http://www.miamination.com/
Resources:
- "Miami." Encyclopedia of the People of the World. 1993
Ed.
- "Miami." Encyclopedia of World Culture: North America. 1991
Ed.
Written by: Chad Coleman |
