Kiowa

Kiowa, Native American tribe, of the Kiowan-Tanoan language family and of the Great Plains culture area. They originally lived near the Arkansas and Canadian rivers in present-day Oklahoma, northern Texas, southern Kansas, southeastern Colorado, and northeastern New Mexico.

Although in many ways the Kiowa displayed a typical Plains culture, they were among the most predatory and warlike peoples of their region and had an elaborate and effective military organization. The Kiowa came closer to developing a written language than the majority of Native American peoples, having a system of pictographic signs that were painted on deer, antelope, and buffalo hides and were used as primitive calendars and as chronological records of events.

After constant warfare with whites, they were subdued by U.S. Army troops under Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer in 1868 and were settled with much difficulty on a reservation in Oklahoma. In 1874 they broke out of the reservation and resumed active warfare with white settlers in the vicinity; they were subdued, however, in the following year, with the loss of all their horses and armaments and the deportation of a number of their chiefs and warriors to Florida. Since that time they have largely remained in Oklahoma. In 1901 they were granted U.S. citizenship. In the 2000 U.S. census about 8,600 people identified themselves as Kiowa only; an additional 3,700 people reported being part Kiowa.

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