Kansa Indians

Kansa Indians. . , The Kansa Indians (Kaw) came to this region from the forested southeast. They lived in permanent longhouses covered with bark and cultivated corn, beans, and squash. In their western hunting grounds they captured buffalo and other large animals. By the mid 18th century the Kansa considered most of northern and eastern Kansas their home. Through contact with Europeans and Americans, the Kansa contracted foreign diseases that had a devastating effect on their population. In 1825 the Kansa were forced to agree to a treaty that reduced their land to 10 percent of its original size. Two years later the government established an agency to protect the interests of the United States 2.5 miles southeast of here. It was the goal of the government to change the Kansa into American farmers, stripping them of their traditional way of life. In 1846 the Kansa were again forced to move, this time to an even smaller reservation near Council Grove., After the death of his mother U.S. Vice President Charles Curtis lived on the Kansa reservation with his mother’s family. Today the Kaw Nation is headquartered in Oklahoma. The state of Kansas is named for the Kansa Indians.