Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas
The Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas has been in its present area since the 1832 Treaty of Castor Hill where the Kickapoo lived near the Missouri River. The Treaty of 1854 with the Kickapoo Tribe ceded over 600,000 acres of land to the US Government but retained approximately 150,000 acres of land.
The Kickapoo Tribe was the first of three other Indian tribes in North East Kansas to compact with the state for their gaming operations called the “Golden Eagle Casino”, the largest employer in Brown County. Economic development is the top priority for the Kickapoo Tribe to meet the growing needs of its community and to maximize its economic resources for the benefit of tribal members
Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo) History
The Kiikaapoi derive from the Algonquian language group, brethren of the Pottawatomie, Menomonee, Sauk and Fox, and Shawnee, among others, all share a close similarity in language and customs. The Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas consists of approximately 1,600 enrolled members, not including those bands located in Oklahoma, Texas and Mexico. This nation has overcome centuries of oppression from the United States government and their continuous attempts at assimilation. From the initial contact of the early Europeans, the Kickapoo have been resistant of the European views and customs. Today, with over 1,600 enrolled members of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, half still reside on the reservation assigned to them in the Treaty of 1854. Although the land size has diminished enormously since then, the people still call it home