Otoe-Missouria Tribe
Resources - Definitions
Allotment: the act, by the U.S. Government, of assigning specific land ownership to individual Native Americans.
Patrilineal: patrilineal societies trace their decent through the paternal (father's) line.
Removal: the forced movement, by the U.S. Government, of Native Americans to a new location.
Turbulent Years: Prior to the tribe's removal to Indian Territory, the tribe was divided by differences of opinion. Those Otoe-Missourias who had begun to adopt white ways and follow the leadership of the half-breeds and the
Quaker Indian Agents were known as the "Quaker Band." The Otoe-Missourias who wished to continue in the old ways of their fathers were called the "Coyote Band."
The Coyote Band moved to Indian Territory first (1878), settling along the Cimarron River where the game was plentiful and they could continue their traditional lifestyle. The Quaker Band moved in 1881 to the tribe's current location along Red Rock Creek,
where farmland was considered better. Although the bands differed in opinion, family ties among the Otoe-Missouria remained strong. By the end of the 1880's, most Coyote Band members had joined the main band on the reservation.