The seal of the Kaw Nation at the Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park in Kansas. Photo from Kansas Travel
The Kaw Nation of Oklahoma is holding a powwow on ancestral land in Kansas for the first time in 142 years. The powwow will be held at the tribal-owned Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park near Council Grove. The event begins this evening and runs through tomorrow. “We are now not just dancing in Kansas but dancing on our traditional land, land that we actually own," tribal member Jim Pepper Henry told The Wichita Eagle. The powwow is part of the annual Washunga Day celebration. Tribal members have participated in the event for 30 years but 2015 marks the first time they will be holding a public dance on their own land. The state of Kansas takes its name from Kanza, the traditional name for the tribe. Despite being promised millions of acres through treaties, Congress forced the Kaws to move to Indian Territory, or present-day Oklahoma. Get the Story:
Kanza poised to hold first powwow on tribal land in 142 years (The Wichita Eagle 6/19)
Washunga Days 'Kaw Nation Celebration' Has Strong Entertainment Lineup (The Emporia Gazette 6/18) $
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historical marker at village in Kansas (05/06) Kaw Nation to return to ancestral land in Kansas for ceremony (04/22)
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