Missouri Trails To The Past

Ioway Tribe

During their time in Missouri, the Ioway Tribe lived on the land East of the Missouri River.  The Ioway had ties to the Otoe, Missouria, Winnebago, and Dakota tribes (Olsen 2008:6).  Unfortunately, due to policies of the U.S. government, the tribe was forced to move.  The verdant riverside homeland of the Ioway was highly sought after during colonization.  The tribe began to be displaced during the War of 1812, and eventually moved to The Great Nemaha Reservation in what is now Kansas.  The movement of the Ioway to the reservation was preceded by years of hardship and war.  Many of the important events in Ioway history took place in St. Louis.  Today, the Iowa Nation is headquartered in Oklahoma.  In order to learn more about the Iowa Nation, go to the webpage of the Iowas of Oklahoma (http://www.iowanation.org/page/home).

Source: Olsen, G. 2008. The Ioway in Missouri. Columbia: University of Missouri Press.

The University of Missouri has a number of resources for those seeking more information about the Ioway or Iowa Tribe.  One resource is a book by Greg Olsen entitled The Ioway in Missouri.  Other resources include Prayer songs to our elder brother: Native American Church Songs of the Otoe-Missouria and Ioway by Jill D. Davidson and The Ioway Indians by Martha Royce Blaine.