Kickapoo
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Kickapoo = Colloquialism.
The Kickapoos are one of the Algonquian Native American tribes. It is often claimed that their name means "Stands Here and there" and refers to the tribes migratory patterns, but this merely a folk etymology which is not supportable within the Kickapoo language.
There are three recognized Kickapoo tribes remaining in the U.S.—the Kickapoo of Kansas, the Kickapoo of Oklahoma, and the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas. There is another band in Coahuila, Mexico. There is also a large group in Arizona currently seeking federal recognition. Additionally, Kickapoos live in small groups throughout the western United States. Around 3,000 people claim to be tribal members.
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History
The tribe originated in the Michigan area of the Great Lakes and shares a common origin with the Sauk and Fox tribes. Conflict between Kickapoos and Iroquois from the 1640s forced the tribe west into Wisconsin. In the 1700s the tribe migrated southward, and by 1770 they had resettled in the Wabash Valley and the general area of central Illinois. There they dominated neigboring tribes, and with French support nearly eradicated their former allies the Fox.
Under pressure from Euro-American colonists, the tribe splintered into three major factions. Some moved southwest, resisting by retreat rather than assimilation or conflict. Other stayed in the Wabash region and joined Indian resistance movements, such as those led by Tecumseh and Black Hawk; these resisters were forcefully removed to Missouri in 1820 and 1834. A third group, led by Kennekuk the Kickapoo prophet, peacefully resisted encroachment but eventually ceded their eastern lands for tracts in Kansas. This Kickapoo band absorbed many Potawatomi Indians. Those Kickapoos who relocated to Missouri frequently conflicted with Osage and other tribes. Many grew discontent and the band further divided, many moving to Oklahoma, others joining the southwest band in Mexican Texas, virtually abandoning Missouri. After the Mexican-American War the Texas Kickapoos splintered yet again; some migrated to Coahuila, Mexico; others remained in Eagle Pass, Texas. Circa 1850 heavy migrations from Oklahoma and Kansas traveled to Coahuila. More Kickapoos followed them into Mexico in 1857 and 1863. In the late 1870's border raids from Mexico led the United States to pursue a policy of repatriation, first peacefully but later by force. Ultimately, the Kickapoos remain a highly splintered tribe residing in Coahuila, Eagle Pass, Arizona, Oklahoma and Kansas. Image:Kickapoo wickiup.jpg The Traditional Tribe of Texas was not recognized until 1983, having previously been part of the group living in Coahuila. Today, this tribe owns and operate a casino on their reservation just south of Eagle Pass, Texas. Their website is www.kickapooluckyeaglecasino.com. This casino hosted the 25th Anniversary Tejano Music Awards on March 19, 2005.
Language
The Kickapoo speak an Algonquian language closely related to that of the Sauk and Fox.