#myaamia

Kee-món-saw, Little Chief, a Miami chief by George Catlin, 1830 (Wikimedia Commons).

Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! The Miami people (Myaamia) are deeply involved in the history of the Old Northwest, where I now live. The Maumee River that runs from Fort Wayne, Indiana into Lake Erie is also named after the Miami people (and frequently written as the Miami River in historical documents), from an anglicised spelling of the Odawa name for the Miami.

The Miami nation was divided during the War of 1812, with factions supporting the British and the Americans. In the decades after the war the Miami were forcibly relocated from their lands and communities, regardless of their allegiance. Myaamia is both the name of the language and the demonym: in Myaamia, the original name of what is now Fort Wayne is kiihkayonki. Many Myaamia people still live in the Wabash River Valley.

do people not realize that a lot of indigenous folks have mixed heritage because of colonization and being forced to assimilate????? of course they aren't going to look identical to people from 200+ years ago when that's not the only source of their ancestry. it doesn't make the dedication to their culture any less meaningful.

and the sad thing is, the last native speaker of the myaamia language died somewhere around the 1960s, so that cultural connection had to be rebuilt by people specifically dedicated to reviving the language. they already have to contend with that tragedy, they don't need people telling them they aren't 'native enough'.

btw if you're an indiana resident and at all interested in helping out the indigenous community financially, you can do so here:

I found it at an old book sale here. they were just gonna throw it out.

"myaamia neehi peewaalia aacimoona neehi aalhsoohkaama: Myaamia and Peoria Narratives and Winter Stories", ed. and transl. by David J. Costa.

it's a bilingual edition made for those trying to further or start learning the Miami-Illinois language.

Meehkweelintamankwi Aanchsahaaciki

‘Remembering Our Forced Removal’

A map of Myaamionki (place of the Miamis) from The Borderland of Fear by Patrick Bottiger. Bottiger aims to portray the complex interactions and motivations of the multi-ethnic society of the Ohio River Valley in the 18th and early 19th centuries, with an emphasis on the Miami people who tied everything together in their network of trade and alliances. This is a type of book that I have actively sought: a look at one of the major Indigenous powers in the region that does not portray them in a simplistic way.

The map surprised me, because little did I know that basically everywhere I have lived, traveled, and visited for the past 12 years is in the Miami cultural sphere?! They must have a lasting impact on the land, and in fact they are the orginal Corn Everywhere (maize) agriculturists. There's another map of Kekionga/Fort Wayne that illustrates corn fields between villages and dang if the Great Lakes region doesn't still look like that today. A corn field outside my old job, corn fields around my former and current residence, corn fields outside Walmart, etc., etc.