Kansa

Kansa, Native North American tribe of Siouan linguistic stock, who speak a dialect of the Osage language. They are sometimes known as the Kaw.

The tribe originally lived along the lower Kansas River in villages consisting of large conical-shaped earthen lodges shared by several families. The Kansa lived a seminomadic life, depending primarily on buffalo hunting and some farming for their food. They obtained social prestige and honor only in combat, and their chiefs were chosen for bravery and wisdom. The culture of the Kansa was that of the Plains people of the central United States. Typical of the Plains culture area, adolescent boys underwent a puberty rite known as the vision quest—a period of isolation meant to invoke supernatural images. Religious beliefs were centered around spirits associated with nature. Highly developed burial customs were followed; the body was placed in a shallow grave with food, clothing, and other needs for the afterlife.

By 1840 the lands of the Kansa had been acquired by the United States government and incorporated into the so-called Indian Territory, to which many Native Americans were being removed. In 1846 the Kansa were moved to a reservation at Council Grove in Kansas; in 1873 the tribe was moved once more, this time to Indian Territory within the present borders of Oklahoma, where they have since remained. In the early 19th century the Kansa population was estimated at about 1300. Their numbers steadily decreased, decimated by frequent warfare and disease. By 1990 only 1037 people identified themselves as Kansa. Of those, 59 percent lived in Oklahoma. A celebrated tribal member was Charles Curtis, who was vice president of the United States under President Herbert Hoover.

See also Native American Languages; Native Americans of North America: Great Plains.