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Native American Tribes of Indiana

Welcome to our Indiana State Facts section, part of an educational project designed to provide information about indigenous people in different U.S. states. Follow the links to the right of our tribal map for more information about the language, culture and history of each Indiana tribe, or scroll below the map for Indiana Indian activities including a wordsearch, fact sheets, and words from the Native American languages of Indiana. Feel free to print any of these materials out for classroom use!

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American Indians in Indiana

The original inhabitants of the area that is now Indiana included:

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The Illini Indians

The Miami Indians (including the Wea)

The Shawnee Indians

Other Indian tribes who migrated into or through Indiana after Europeans arrived:

The Lenape/Delaware Indians

The Iroquois Indians (Seneca and Cayuga)

The Kickapoo Indians

The Muncie Indians

The Nanticoke Indians

The Potawatomi Indians

The Wyandot Indians

There are no federally recognized Indian tribes based in Indiana today.

However, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, a federally recognized tribe based in Michigan, also has tribal service areas in Indiana, where some of its members live. Here is the contact information for the Pokagon reservation:

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians:
714 N. Front St
Dowagiac, MI 49057
http://www.pokagon.com/

Most Native Americans were forced to leave Indiana during the Indian Removals of the 1800's. These tribes are not extinct, but except for the descendants of Indiana Indians who escaped from Removal, they do not live in Indiana anymore. They were moved to Indian reservations in Kansas and Oklahoma instead. If you click on the link for each tribe from the list above, you can find more information about them.

Other Indian tribes, bands and communities remaining in Indiana today include:

The Eastern Miamis managed to resist removal and remain in Indiana after several battles and a negotiated treaty, but their rights as Native Americans were terminated by the government and have never been restored. Unrecognized Miami and Shawnee tribes remaining in Indiana today include:

Miami Nation of Indiana:
P.O. Box 41
Peru, IN 46970
http://www.miamiindians.org/

Upper Kispoko Band of the Shawnee Nation:
617 S. Washington Street
Kokomo, IN 46901

Wea Indian Tribe:
715 Park Ave
Lafayette, IN 47904
http://www.wea-indian-tribe.com/

Wea Indian Tribe of Indiana:
643 Mulberry St
Clinton, IN 47842
http://www.weaindiantribe.com/

Teaching and learning activities about Indiana Indian tribes:

Feel free to print these out to use at school!

Indiana Tribes Word Search: Printable puzzle hiding the names of Indiana's Indian tribes.

Indiana Language Greetings: Learn to say "hello" in several Native Indiana languages.

Indiana Native Animals: Learn the Native American names of Indiana animals.

Indiana Indians Facts for Kids: Answers to frequently asked questions about the tribes of Indiana.
We currently have pages for the Miami, Illinios, Shawnees, Delawares, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Muncie, Wyandotte, Seneca and Cayuga tribes.

Recommended books about Indiana's Native Americans
(Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links)

Still Here: A Pictorial of Indiana's Native American People:
Interesting photo-essay about contemporary Native Americans of Indiana.

The First Peoples of Ohio and Indiana: Native American History Resource Book:
A good book on the Native American tribes of Indiana and Ohio.

Indiana Native Americans:
Introducing Indiana's Native American history and culture to kids.

Encyclopedia of Indiana Indians:
Thorough reference book on the historic Native American tribes of Indiana.

The Miami Indians of Indiana: A Persistent People:
Interesting story of the Eastern Miami Indians who remained in Indiana.

Introduction to the Prehistory of Indiana:
Short book on the Mound Builders and other ancient Indiana civilizations.

The Miami Indians:
History of the Miami Indians in Indiana and Ohio.

Indian Artifacts of the Midwest:
Collection of photographs of prehistoric arrowheads and other artifacts.

Native American Place Names of Indiana:
The native etymology of present-day place-names in Indiana.

Illinois and Indiana Indians:
Antropology text about the Native American tribes of Indiana and Illinois.

Other resources about American Indian history, culture and society in Indiana state:

The Indians of Indiana: History of Native Americans in Indiana, including migration maps.

Native Americans in Indiana: Resistance and Removal: Article on the tribes of the Indiana territory.

An Introduction to the Prehistory of Indiana: Online book about the pre-Columbian peoples of Indiana.

The Fall Creek Massacre: Story of the massacre of Seneca and Miami Indians in Madison county, and the trials of the killers.

Indians of Northern Indiana: Essay on the history of the Shawnee, Kickapoo, and Potawatomi Indians of Indiana.

Access Genealogy: Indiana: Historical profiles and ancestry links for American Indian tribes native to Indiana.