Wichita
Wichita is pronounced "wI-chI-tah" (I as in "it").Land:The Wichita Indians dwelled between the Arkansas, Kansas, and the
Brazos River now located in Kansas and Oklahoma.Government:The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes have an enrolled membership of over
1,900 people. Enrolled membership is restricted to possessing at least
one-eighth degree blood quantum of Wichita descent. Over half of this
membership resides within the state. The Wichita Governmental Headquarters are
centered within the largest concentration of Wichitas living in Oklahoma.
However, through modern methods of communication, all Wichita's have access to
their government, no matter where they live.
Politically, the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes are governed by the
people through a body known as the Wichita Tribal Council, composed of all
enrolled members who are eighteen years of age or older. This Council empowers
an elected body of seven committee members known as the Wichita Executive
Committee to govern the Tribe's sovereign responsibilities. Each member of the
Executive Committee serves a term of four years and can be re-elected without
intervention. The Wichita Executive Committee is composed of a President,
Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three Committee members. The Wichita
Executive Committee also appoints Commissioners to the Wichita Housing
Authority. All Wichita Tribal members retain their rights as citizens of the
state of Oklahoma and of the United States of America. Future civil protection
for Wichita people are afforded under the Indian Civil Rights Act (1968). Traditions:The
Wichita were traditionally an agricultural
tribe, but also engaged in buffalo hunting. They
cultivated corn, pumpkins, and tobacco, which
they bartered with their neighbors. Their
permanent dwellings were cone-shaped ranging
from forty to fifty feet in diameter and were
thatched with grass. When travelling they lived
in tipis.
The Wichita settlements in present-day Oklahoma and Texas were not as
extensive as those in Kansas but were numerous throughout much of Oklahoma and
(Hammond 2) spanned into north central and northeast Texas. The Wichita
presence in this three-state region is centuries old. Our importance and power
within this region withstood both Spanish and French exploration and did not
begin to diminish until the U.S. began its westward expansion in the late 18th
century.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not
claim expertise on the Wichita.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the
web address of this page.
If you are Wichita, your feedback is much appreciated.
See also Caddo Nation http://www.caddonation-nsn.gov/index2.html
References
Tribal Culture. Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (6 April 2000).
Wichita Indians. New Advent: Catholic Encyclopedia (online:1999,
edition:1912) http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15616b.html (1 May
2001).
Written by: Jason L. Hammond
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