Otoe tribe

The Otoe are a Midwestern Native American tribe. The Otoe language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family and closely related to that of the related Iowa and Missouri tribes.

Historically, the Otoe lived as a semi-nomadic people on the Central Plains along the Missouri River in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri . They lived in elm-bark lodges while they farmed, and used tipis while traveling, like many other Plains tribes. They often left their villages to hunt buffalo.

In the early 19th century, many of their villages were destroyed due to warfare with other tribes. European-American enroachment and disease also played a role in their decline. Today, they are federally recognized as the Otoe tribes of Oklahoma, and share a reservation with the Sac and Fox people .

History

The Otoe were once part of the Siouan tribes of the Great Lakes region, a group commonly known as the Winnebago. At some this horse culture and semi-nomadic lifestyle of the Great Plains, making the American bison central to their diet and culture.