Wichita People

Guide to  ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and other agency records.



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Various Spellings: Wichita, Witchetaw, Wicheta, Ouichita

Ancestral homeland: in area now Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Tribal Headquarters
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes P.O. Box 729 Anadarko, OK 73005 Phone: 1.405.247.2425 Fax: 1.405.247.2430

Population: 1984: Total enrollment:1,170

Brief Timeline

 * 1541: Early contact Spanish expedition of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
 * 1662: Diego Dionisio de Panalosa led an army against the Wichita, defeated the Wichita
 * 1660's: Migrated to Canadian River in what is now Oklahoma
 * 1719: Established trade relations with Bernard de la Harpe
 * 1700's: Osage War parties drove the the Wichita further south to the Red River-(Oklahoma and Texas)
 * 1835 Treaty, August 24, at Camp Holmes Treaty, with the Comanche
 * 1846 Treaty, May 15, at Council Springs Treaty, with the Comanche, Aionai, Anadarko, Caddo, Etc.,
 * 1850: Moved to Wichita Mountains near Fort Sill of the Indian Territory
 * 1859: Assigned a reservation with the Caddo tribe
 * 1872: Ceded remaining land to U.S.
 * Removed to Oklahoma
 * 1901: Wichita and Kiowa-Comanche Reservations are opened to settlement, the lst opening in Oklahoma.

Reservations
Reservation is a tract of land set aside for occupation and use by American Indians.

Agencies
The tribe was under the jurisdiction of the following agencies

Texas Agency, Wichita Agency, Kiowa Agency

Superintendencies
Records for Superintendencies exist in the National Archives and copies of many of them are also available in other research facilities.

The Wichita were under the jurisdiction of the Southern and Central Superintendencies

Records
The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:


 * Allotment records
 * Annuity rolls
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

Land and Property
Tribally owned land: 2,602.64 acres. Allotted land: 55,599.92 acres.

Treaties

 * 1835 August 24, at Camp Holmes, with the Comanche
 * 1846May 15, at Council Springs, with the Comanche, Aionai, Anadarko, Caddo, Etc.,

Vital Records

 * Kiowa Agency, M595 ,birth and deaths 1930-1936,

Important Web Sites

 * Wichita Tribe Wikipedia