Indigenous Peoples of Oklahoma

See also Native American Research in Oklahoma and Oklahoma Indian Tribes

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Tribes and Bands of Oklahoma


The following list of American Indians who have lived in Oklahoma has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.

Alabama, Apache, Apalachee, Arapaho, Biloxi, Caddo, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chickasaw, Comanche, Creek, Delaware, Fox, Hitchiti, Illinois, Iowa, Iroquois, Jicarilla, Kansa, Kichai, Kickapoo, Kiowa, Kiowa-Apache, Koasati, Lipan, Miami, Mikasuki, Missouri, Modoc, Muklasa, Munsee, Muskhogean, Muskogee, Natchez, Nez Perce, Okmulgee, Osage, Oto, Ottawa. Pawnee, Peoria, Piankashaw, Ponca, Potawatomi, Quapaw, Sauk Seminole, Seneca, Shawnee, Tawakonie, Tawehash, Tonkawa, Waco, Wea, Wichita, Wyandot, Yscani, Yuchi

Oto-Missouri, Seneca-Cayuga, Cheyenne-Arapaho, Citizen Potawatomi, Eastern Shawnee, Fort Sill Indians, Kiowa-Chiricahua Bands

The Oklahoma Historical Society also has identified the "American Indian Nations" within the boundaries of their state. That list is available on their web site.

Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole)
Beginning in the 1820s, the U.S. Government began moving all tribes east of the Mississippi River to the Indian Territory in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. A series of treaties provided for the removal of almost all principal eastern tribes.

The Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole (known as the Five Civilized Tribes) were among the many southeastern tribes who were removed by treaty to Indian Territory. In 1838 the Cherokees who had not already moved voluntarily were forced to move to Indian Territory. This migration became known as the “Trail of Tears.” Large parcels of land were distributed to these five tribes who became self-governing “Nations.”

White settlers moving west after the Civil War pressured the government to extinguish Indian title to lands and relocate the Indians. The alliance between the Five Civilized Tribes and the Confederacy during the Civil War also provided Congress with an excuse to realign tribal boundaries. Treaties in 1866 and later reduced the land of the Five Civilized Tribes by almost half. These created the “Unassigned Lands” in central Oklahoma that were eventually opened for land runs.

Other Tribes
Some of the western land forfeited by the Five Civilized Tribes was reserved for other tribes through later treaties. These lands in the Indian Territory were assigned to tribes such as the Kiowa, Comanche, Wichita, and Cheyenne. Other tribes were later brought in at various periods from Texas, Nebraska, California, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, and other states. As many as 65 tribes were eventually relocated to the state.


 * Absentee-Shawnee Tribe: Federal, under the jurisdiction of the Shawnee Agency, Tribe: Shawnee
 * Alabama Quassarte Tribal Town
 * Alibamu
 * Apache Tribe: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Anadarko Agency, Tribe: Apache
 * Caddo Tribe: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Anadarko Agency, Tribe: Caddo
 * Citizen Potawatomi Tribe (OK): Federal, under the jurisdiction of Shawnee Agency, Tribe: Potawatomi
 * Delaware Tribe: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Anadarko Agency, Tribe: Delaware
 * Eastern Shawnee Tribe: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Miami Agency, Tribe: Shawnee
 * Fort Sill Tribe: Federal, under the jurisdiction of the Anadarko Agency, Tribe: Apache
 * Huron
 * Miami Tribe: Federal, under the jurisdiction of the Miami Agency, Tribe: Miami
 * Thlopthlocco Tribal Town
 * Tonkawa Tribe: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Pawnee Agency, Tribe: Tankawa
 * Tuskegee
 * United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee

Reservations
From the mid-1800s, the official policy of the United States government toward the American Indian was to confine each tribe to a specific parcel of land called a reservation. Agencies were established on or near each reservation. A government representative, usually called an agent (or superintendent) was assigned to each agency. Their duties included maintaining the peace, making payments to the Native Americans based on the stipulations of the treaties with each tribe, and providing a means of communication between the native population and the federal government.

Sometimes, a single agency had jurisdiction over more than one reservation. And sometimes, if the tribal population and land area required it, an agency may have included sub-agencies.

The boundaries of reservations, over time, have changed. Usually, that means the reservations have been reduced in size. Sometimes, especially during the later policy of "termination," the official status of reservations was ended altogether.

The following list of reservations has been compiled from the National Atlas of the United States of America, the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America , and other sources. Those reservations named in bold are current federally-recognized reservations, with their associated agency and tribe(s). Others have historically been associated with the state or are not currently recognized by the federal government.


 * Absentee-Shawnee Reservation
 * Apache Reservation
 * Caddo Reservation
 * Cherokee Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Thlequah Agency, Tribe: Cherokee
 * Cheyenne-Arapho Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Concho Agency, Tribes: Cheyenne &amp; Arapho
 * Chickasaw Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Ardmore Agency, Tribe:Chickasaw
 * Choctaw Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Talihina Agency, Tribe Choctaw
 * Comanche Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Anadarko Agency, Tribe: Comanche
 * Creek Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Okmulgee Agency, Tribe: Creek
 * Iowa Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Shawnee Agency, Tribe: Iowa
 * Kansa (or Kaw) Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Pawnee Agency, Tribe: Kaw
 * Kickapoo Reservation: under the jurisdiction of Shawnee Aggency, Tribe: Kickapoo
 * Kiowa Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Anadarko Agency, Tribe: Kiowa
 * Modoc Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of the Miami Agency, Tribe: Modoc
 * Osage Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of the Osage Agency, Tribe: Osage
 * Oto Reservation:*Otoe-Missouria Tribe: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Pawnee Agency, Tribe Ote-Missouria
 * Ottawa Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Miami Agency, Tribe: Ottawa
 * Pawnee Reservation: Federal, uncer the jurisdiction of Pawnee Agency, Tribe: Pawnee
 * Peoria Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Miami Agency, Tribe: Peoria
 * Ponca Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Pawnee Agnency, Tribe: Ponca
 * Potawatomi Reservation:
 * Quapaw Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Miami Agency, Tribe: Quapaw
 * Sac and Fox Reservation: federal, under the jurisdiction of Shawnee Agency, Tribe: Sac and Fox
 * Seminole Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Wewoka Agency, Tribe: Seminole
 * Seneca Reservation:*Seneca-Cayuga Tribe: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Miami Agency, Tribe: Seneco-Cayuga
 * Wichita Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Anadarko Agency, Tribe: Wichita
 * Wyandot Reservation: Federal, under the jurisdiction of Miami Agency, Tribe: Wyandot

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Agencies and subagencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value were created by these offices.

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in Oklahoma has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Anadarko Agency, P.O. Box 309, Anadarko, OK 73005
 * Ardmore Agency
 * Cantonment Agency
 * Cherokee Agency
 * Cheyenne and Arapahoe Agency
 * Choctaw Agency
 * Concho Agency, P.O. Box 96, Concho, OK, 73022
 * Creek Agency
 * Darlington Agency -- location of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency
 * Five Civilized Tribes Agency
 * Kaw Agency
 * Kiowa Agency
 * Kiowa, Comanche, and Wichita Agency
 * Miami Agency, P. O. Box 391, Miami, OK, 74355
 * Neosho Agency 1831-1875
 * Oakland Agency
 * Okmulgee Agency, P.O. Box 370, Okmulgee, OK 74447
 * Osage Agency, Pawhuska, OK 74056
 * Otoe Agency
 * Pawnee Agency, P. O. Box 440, Pawnee, OK 74058
 * Ponca Agency
 * Quapaw Agency
 * Red Moon Agency
 * Seger Agency
 * Seminole Agency
 * Shawnee Agency, Route 5, Box 148, Shawnee, OK 74801
 * Tahlequah Agency, P.O.Box 828, Tahequah, OK, 74465
 * Talihina Agency, P. O. Box Drawer H, Talihina, OK 74571
 * Tonkawa Agency
 * Union Agency 1875-1880
 * Upper Arkansas Agency
 * Wewoka Agency, P. O. Box 1060, Wewaka, OK, 74884
 * Wichita Agency

Indian Schools
The Office of Indian Affairs (now the Bureau of Indian Affairs) established a network of schools throughout the United States, beginning with Carlisle Indian School, established in 1879. Some of these schools were day schools, usually focusing on Indian children of a single tribe or reservation. Some were boarding schools which served Indian children from a number of tribes and reservations.

In addition, other groups such as various church denominations established schools specifically focusing on American Indian children. (read more...)

The following list of Indian Schools in Oklahoma has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Armstrong Academy
 * Bloomfield Seminary
 * Cantonment School
 * Carter Seminary
 * Cherokee Orphan Training School
 * Cheyenne and Arapaho School
 * Chilocco Indian School
 * Collins Institute
 * Concho School
 * Euchee Boarding School (Family History Library has some rec)
 * Eufaula Boarding School
 * Eufaula Dormitory
 * Fort Sill School
 * Jones Academy
 * Kaw School
 * Mekusukey Academy
 * Nuyaka School
 * Osage Boarding School
 * Otoe School
 * Pawnee Boarding School
 * Ponca School (transferred to Pawnee)
 * Red Moon School
 * Riverside School
 * Sac and Fox School
 * Seger School
 * Seneca School
 * Sequoyah Indian High School
 * Sequoyah Orphan Training School -- see Sequoyah Boarding School
 * Tulahassee Orphan Boarding School
 * Tuskahoma Female Academy
 * Wheelock Academy

Indian Health Facilities

 * Choctaw and Chickasaw Hospital
 * Claremore Hospital
 * Pawnee-Ponca Hospital
 * Shawnee Sanatorium

Land allotment records
Many Indians received allotments of land. These records are described in the United States Research Outline (30972). A major set relating to Oklahoma is the land allotment records of the Five Civilized Tribes. These records are often referred to as the “Dawes Rolls”.

Dawes Rolls
The Dawes “Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes” was established in 1898 to enroll individuals as citizens of one of the five tribes. When the governments of the Five Civilized Tribes were dissolved in 1908, the U.S. Government granted parcels of their land to qualified native individuals.

Many white persons had married Native Americans, and thus were eligible for land. The enrollment records of the Dawes Commission were used to determine eligibility for land.

The commission reviewed the enrollment applications and abstracted the information onto cards known as Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914. (On 93 Family History Library films beginning with 1490261.) These records document about 101,000 Native Americans. The original applications are at the National Archives—Southwest Region and are on 468 Family History Library films, Applications for Enrollment of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914, beginning with Family History Library film 1439798.

You can search the Dawes Roll for names of persons.

A helpful guide and index to these records is Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, The Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory.2 vols. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, [1907?]. (Family History Library film 908371 item 2.)    (Index is on film 962366.)

Guion Miller Cherokee Rolls
In 1906, the U.S. Government appointed Guion Miller to compile a roll of Cherokees eligible for compensation from the government for lands taken in the 1830s. Applicants had to document their lineage back to an Eastern Cherokee living in the 1830s and prove that they had not affiliated with any other tribe. Over 45,000 applications that document about 90,000 Cherokees living about 1910 are in Eastern Cherokee Applications, 1906-1909 (On 348 Family History Library films beginning with 378594; film 378594 has an index.)

These rolls can be searched online at http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/native-americans-guion-miller.html

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Records
The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) was authorized to administer Indian programs beginning in 1824. A local field agency or subagency of the BIA served the tribes in a given area. Some of the agencies that served Oklahoma were the Concho, Kiowa, Osage, Pawnee, Quapaw, and Shawnee. Most of the agency records are at the National Archives—Southwest Region, with a few at the National Archives—Central Plains Region. For further information see Edward E. Hill, comp., Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1981. (Family History Library fiche 6125461.)

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of many records of the BIA and the field agencies including:


 * Land allotment records.
 * Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940, arranged by agencies for the entire United States (On 692 Family Histroy Library films beginning with 573847).
 * BIA heirship, school, census, annuity, probate, land, vital, and other records.

Other Records
The Indian Archives Division of the Oklahoma Historical Society has an extensive collection for Native American research including copies of the Dawes Rolls. Many of these records are on microfilm at theFamily History Library.

Family History Library
These are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under Oklahoma Historical Society. Indian Archives Division. The Society's collections are described in Lawrence Kelly, “Indian Records in the Oklahoma Historical Society Archives,” The Chronicles of Oklahoma, 54: 227-44 [Oklahoma Periodicals].

Another major repository for Oklahoma Indian records is:

Five Civilized Tribes Museum Federal Building Agency Hill Honor Heights Drive Muskogee, OK 74401 Telephone: 918-683-1701 Fax: 918-683-3070 Internet: www.fivetribes.org


 * Oklahoma Historical Society - Indain Archive Division Cherokee 129 films Family History Library  1st film 1666294, Chickasaw 31 films 1st film 1666136, Choctaw 90 films  1st film 1666451, Creek 51 films Family History Library1st film 1666121, and Seminole 6 films 1st film 1666130
 * Dawes Commission Rolls - Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes (cards, Index M1186 and Applicaiton M1301)
 * Guion Miller Rolls (M1104)
 * Central Superintendency 108 films M856 Family History Library 1st film 1602893
 * Southern Superintendency 22 films M640 Family History Library 1st film 1602871
 * Muskogee Area Office 12 films Family History Library 1st film 1205785
 * Indian Pioneer Papers 1860-1935 1012 fiches Family History Library 1st fiche 6016865

Inventories and guides
The following guides describe some of the records available for Indian research:


 * Debo, Angie. “Major Indian Record Collections in Oklahoma,” in Indian-White Relations: A Persistent Paradox, edited by Jane Smith and Robert Kvasnicka. Washington, D.C.: Howard University Press, 1976.
 * Svoboda, Joseph G. Guide to American Indian Resource Materials in Great Plains Repositories. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska, Center for Great Plains Studies, 1983.

Doris Duke Oral History Project
In the mid-1900s, several universities conducted oral history interviews with Native Americans. The project was funded by Doris Duke, heiress of the Duke tobacco family. The University of Oklahoma was one of the universities that participated in the project. Transcripts of those interviews are online through the University of Oklahoma in Norman.

Indian Pioneer Papers
"My mother, Carolina Jones, was born in the state of Tenneessee and is buried there. My grandmother on my mother's side, Nancy Jones, was born in the state of Mississippi and is buried in White County, Tennessee. I was born April 3, 1849, at Stagestand, White County, Tennessee... "

This paragraph begins a fourteen page interview of William Perry Earles of Ringling, Oklahoma, 1938, as part of a project called The Indian-Pioneer Papers. In 1936, the Oklahoma Historical Society and University of Oklahoma requested a writer's project grant from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in which they would obtain a grant to interview early settlers in Oklahoma who had lived on Indian land. The more than 100 writers conducted more than 11,000 interviews and were asked to "call upon early settlers and (record) the story of the migration to Oklahoma and their early life here."

The University of Oklahoma Western History Collection has digitized the Indian Pioneer Papers collection which consists of approximately 80,000 indexed entries arranged alphabetically by personal name place name or subject. An index to the Indian Pioneer Papers may also be found at OkGenWeb Oklahoma Genealogy

Other Repositories

 * Oklahoma Historical Society, 800 Nazih Zudih Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105
 * Five Civilized Tribes Agency, Federal Building, Muskogee, Oklahoma 73022

Web Sites

 * Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory