For thousands of years, the Ioway and their ancestors were stewards of what is now the state of Iowa. The Ioway call themselves Báxoje, a name given to them by their Otoe relatives meaning ‘People of the Grey Snow.’ Along with the Otoe, Missouria, and Ho-Chunk nations, the Ioway are descendants of a culture that archaeologists call Oneota. The Oneota are distinguished by their shell-tempered pottery and bark lodges, and numerous occupation sites have been identified in Northeastern Iowa and other Midwestern locations.

In June 1824, in the twilight of Native dominion, Ioway leaders Mahaska (White Cloud) and Moanahonga (Great Walker) were summoned to Washington, D.C. by Superintendent of Indian Affairs William Clark. Upon their arrival, they were given a tour of the capital city where the extent of American power and wealth was on full display. Charles Bird King was commissioned to paint their portraits. White Cloud and Great Walker were then invited to meet with President James Monroe. Monroe oft reminded visiting Natives that all they had witnessed revealed only a hint of American resources. The result of this tense meeting was a treaty, signed by both Mahaska and Moanahonga, that ceded Ioway land for the first time to the U.S. government. The two leaders were sometimes described as “brothers” in the Native sense, but they became deeply divided by this life-altering piece of paper.
Moanahonga later said he didn’t understand that he had signed away “the ground that covered the bones of his ancestors.” Mahaska felt that the only hope for his people’s survival was to work with the Americans and adopt their ways. As these two leaders were divided, so were the Ioway people. Moanahonga, who refused to leave his ancestral homelands, died in a battle with the Sioux in 1831. Mahaska was assassinated in southwest Iowa in 1834 by Ioway men seeking vengeance.

Under the leadership of White Cloud’s son, Francis, the Ioway ceded their remaining land in central and eastern Iowa in 1838; by then, they had been removed to a reservation in northeast Kansas straddling the Nebraska border. In 1878, a delegation of Ioway leaders and tribal members relocated to Indian Territory in Oklahoma, hoping to continue living a more traditional Native life.

Today, both Ioway nations are sovereign Federally-recognized Native American Tribes now known as the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska and the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma. With an appreciation for the sacrifices made by their ancestors, the Ioway continue to celebrate and preserve their unique Native heritage. Efforts to revitalize the Báxoje language are ongoing. Powwows in White Cloud, Kansas and Perkins, Oklahoma showcase culture, dance, regalia, and food, allowing the Ioway to share their rich heritage with other tribes and the broader community.

This story was written by Emmy® award-winning documentary filmmakers Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle. To learn more about the Ioway and the Rundle’s film series, Lost Nation: The Ioway, visit www.iowaymovie.com and www.silosandsmokestacks.org.