Lost Nation: The Ioway

The Ioway Indians and "Les Misérables" - How are They Connected?

Courtesy Universal.

The separation between the new hit film Les Misérables and the Ioway Indians isn't six degrees.

It's Victor Hugo.

Hugo's French historical novel Les Misérables was published in 1864 and the fictional story he told starts in 1815 and ends in 1832 with the June Rebellion in Paris.

But how and where do the Ioway and Victor Hugo intersect?

In 1844, fourteen Ioway Indians and an interpretor set sail for Eurpope.  In England they ran into their old friend, artist George Catlin.  Catlin was traveling with his Native American portraits and a group of Ojibwe.  But the Ojibwe were gone and Catlin asked the Ioway to join his exhibition.

Hugo first met the Ioway after their arrival in France and later attended the funeral of the wife of Ioway Little Wolf.  His baby son and his best friend Roman Nose also died while the Ioway were in Europe.

Catlin published a two-volume account of his European travels entitled Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Being Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his North American Indian Collection.

It's hard to watch Les Misérables without recalling similar depictions of extreme poverty observed by the Ioway during their time in Europe.  Catlin documents the generosity of the Ioway who he said gave "...many pounds sterling..." to the poor they encountered on the streets.

More details regarding the Ioways' dramatic trip to Europe are featured in the new historical documentary films Lost Nation: The Ioway 2 & 3.

Preorder the new Ioway films here: http://iowaymovie.com/dvd.htm

Native Ioway History Week - 2008, No Heart Statue Dedicated

Article and photos submitted by
Ioway Elder, Mae Murray Sine

The early recorded history of the Ioway dates back to the 1600's.  During the periods of movement, the Ioways recognized land rights in land and boundary lines of occupancy.

Faced with a language barrier, our noble leaders had innate perception, intelligence, and wisdom to negotiate treaties for the land they occupied. They wove the threads of traditional, spiritual, and cultural values that serve as points of reference in the Ioways' unique way of life.

One of these leaders was the distinguished Ioway Chief Nacheninga, No Heart (1797-1862).  One of his most historical achievements is the 1837 hand-drawn map of Ioway Indian villages and rivers illustrating where the Ioways moved and lived.

When a delegation of Ioway Chiefs went to Washington, D.C. in 1837, he presented this remarkable map to the U.S. Government in his plea for compensation from the government for Ioway land.  He was a visionary leader who contributed to the sovereignty of the Ioway Nations.

In the years following, discontent grew as the Ioway endeavored to survive on a small land base in Kansas.  In 1878 some of the Ioway moved to Indian Territory.  The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma reservation was established by Executive Order dated August 15, 1883.  They were now Southern Ioways and settled on land within their boundaries south of the Cimarron River, one mile south of Perkins, Oklahoma.

The Dawes Severalty (Allotment) Act enacted in 1887 was to assign to individual Indians tracts of land and to pay them for surplus reservation land after allotment was completed.  In 1890 the Ioway sold their surplus reservation land which was soon settled by white settlers who entered the reservation on September 22 in the Land Run of 1891.

After the land run of 1891, the Old Settlers, Sons~Daughters Association was organized  on September 22, 1923.  The Ioway Indians were to be members of this association as long as the water flows and the grass grows.  The recognition, association, and friendship was a meeting of two worlds.

In 2002, the city manager of Perkins, Oklahoma approached the Chairman of the Ioway Tribe in reference to bronze statues that would be placed in a proposed plaza project and asked for selection of an Ioway Chief to be included with Frank "Pistol Pete" Eaton, Perkins Cowboy and Oklahoma State University Mascot. The plaza is a joint project of the City of Perkins, the Perkins Community Foundation and the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma.

A bronze twelve-foot statue of Ioway Chief No Heart by Wayne Cooper now stands in the 'Oklahoma Territorial Plaza."  The plaza was recently dedicated on September 20, 2008.  The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma has given the highest honor in remembrance to this prestigious chief who made the road good for the generations to come after him.

Does Vintage Iowa Map Show Where Ioway Leader Mahaska Was Killed?

We spotted this map in a Des Moines antique shop.  It is fully illustrated, dated 1934, and seems to indicate the site of Ioway Chief Mahaska's death.  He is also known as White Cloud.

Mahaska was assassinated in 1834 by Ioway warriors angered by his cooperation with the American goverment.  The exact site of his death is a mystery, but it is thought to be near the Nodaway River in either Montgomery or Cass County Iowa.

Click on the map above to view a larger image.

Were the Ioway Attacked by the Sac & Fox in Iowaville?

Lucas Countyan photo of the Iowaville cemetery.

The link below leads to an interesting meditation on the Iowaville village site near the Des Moines River.  Some historians don't believe the attack mentioned in the article on the Ioway by the Sac and Fox ever happened.

I wonder if there are stories in Ioway oral history that confirm or deny the event?

Here is the link to the blog entry:

http://lucascountyan.blogspot.com/2008/07/view-from-iowaville.html

1836 Ioway Treaty with Andrew Jackson: Anniversary

Ioway leader Frank White Cloud (above) and others signed the treaty of 1836.  Painting by George Catlin.

The Treaty of December 20, 1836 was also known as the "Platte Purchase."*

As an Ioway tribal member we interviewed for "Lost Nation: The Ioway" said, "We had our own trail of tears."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7470.html

More on the Treaty on the Ioway Cultural Institute's website.

Read the Treaty here.

*Source: Ioway Cultural Institute Website

Joann Comer - I Am Ioway (In Memoriam)

Joann Comer passed away on December 15, 2007. We knew her as a beautiful person who was devoted to her family and the Ioway people.

As a Tribal Elder and cultural advocate, Joann played an important role in our Ioway history documentary film project.

This video clip from her interview for "Lost Nation: The Ioway" captures the Joann we knew...and will miss.  Thank you, Joann for telling us your portion of the Ioway story.