Kaw people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 3,126 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( Oklahoma) |
|
| Languages | |
| English, Kansa | |
| Religion | |
| Native American Church, Christianity, traditional tribal religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Siouan peoples |
The Kaw Nation (or Kanza, or Kansa) are a federally recognized Native American tribe in Oklahoma. They come from the central Midwestern United States. The tribe known as Kaw have also been known as the "People of the South wind", "People of water", Kansa, Kaza, Kosa, and Kasa. Their tribal language is Kansa, classified as a Siouan language.
The toponym "Kansas" was derived from the name of this tribe. The name of Topeka, capital city of Kansas, is said to be the Kaw word Tó Ppí Kˀé meaning "a good place to grow potatoes." The Kaw are closely related to the Osage Nation, with whom members often intermarried.
The Kaw Nation's headquarters is in Kaw City, Oklahoma, and the tribal jurisdictional area is within Kay County, Oklahoma. The elected chairwoman is Jacque Secondine Hensley currently serving a four-year term. Of the 3,126 enrolled members, 1,428 of them live within the state of Oklahoma.
Kaw Nation owns the Kanza Travel Plaza; Woodridge Market; Smoke Shop I, and II; SouthWind Casino; including a bingo hall, and an off-track wagering facility; and SouthWind Casino Braman, Which opened September of 2014. The estimated annual economic impact of the tribe is $200 million. The tribe also operates the Kanza Health Clinic, Kanza Wellness Center, Kaw Nation School Age Enrichment Center, Kanza Museum, Kaw Nation Environmental Department, Kaw Nation Police Department, Kaw Nation Social Service and Educational Department, Kaw Nation Emergency Management Department, Kaw Language Department and the Kaw Nation Judicial Branch. The Kaw Nation Judicial Branch includes a domestic violence program. The Kaw Nation operates its own Housing Authority, library, Title VI Food Services and issues its own tribal vehicle tags. The Kanza News, the newsletter of Kaw Nation, is published quarterly.
The Kaw are a member of the Dhegiha branch of the Siouan language family. Oral history indicates that the ancestors of the five Dhegiha tribes migrated west from the Ohio Valley. The Quapaw separated from the other Dhegiha at the mouth of the Ohio, going down the Mississippi River to live in what is today the state of Arkansas. The other Dhegiha proceeded up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The Osage left the main group in central Missouri; the Kaw halted upstream on the Missouri River in northeastern Kansas; the Omaha and Ponca continued north to settle in Nebraska and South Dakota.
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