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Native American Tribes of Ohio

Did you know the name "Ohio" is an Iroquoian Indian word? It came from the Seneca name for the Ohio River, Ohiyo, which means "it is beautiful." The Senecas were not the original inhabitants of Ohio, however. The Indian tribes of the Ohio Valley were decimated by smallpox and other European diseases before the Europeans had even met them, and Algonquian and Iroquoian tribes from neighboring regions moved into Ohio as European colonization forced them from their original homes. Only a few of the tribes who were living in Ohio before 1492 still survive today.

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

The Erie tribe

The Kickapoo tribe

The Shawnee tribe

Other Indian tribes who migrated into Ohio after Europeans arrived included:

The Delaware tribe

The Miami tribe

The Ottawa tribe

The Ohio Seneca tribe (predominantly Mingo)

The Wyandot tribe

See also our new Kickapoo, Shawnee, Miami, Seneca, Ottawa, Wyandot, and Delaware Indian Facts for Kids pages!

There are no federally recognized Indian tribes in Ohio today.

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

Non-recognized Indian tribes and communities include:

Munsee Delaware Indian Nation of Ohio:
70463 Hopewell Rd
Cambridge, OH 43725

Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band:
PO Box 162
Dayton, OH 45401

Recommended books about Ohio Native Americans:

Ohio Native Americans: Introducing Ohio's Indian history and culture to kids.

Ohio Native Peoples: Another overview of Ohio Indian tribes for kids.

Encyclopedia of Ohio Indians: Definitive reference book on the historic Native American tribes of Ohio.

A Country Between: The Upper Ohio Valley and Its Peoples: Book on the culture and history of Ohio Indian tribes in the 18th century.

The Ohio Frontier: History of the Ohio Indian Wars and removals of the 1700's and 1800's.

Ohio Archaeology: An illustrated book on Ohio's ancient American Indian cultures.

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

Mound Builders:
A good article on the pre-Columbian Native American people of the Ohio Valley.

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