Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma
Flag of the Quapaw Tribe of Indians
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 3,240 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( Oklahoma) |
|
| Languages | |
| English, Quapaw language | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (Roman Catholicism), traditional tribal religion, Big Moon and Little Moon Native American Church | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Osage, Omaha, Ponca, Kansa |
The Quapaw (or Arkansas and Ugahxpa) people are a tribe of Native Americans that coalesced in the Midwest and Ohio Valley. The tribe historically migrated to the west side of the Mississippi River and resettled in what is now the state of Arkansas; this migration is the source of the tribe's name in their language which references going down the river. The territory and state of Arkansas were named for them, as Europeans first learned their name as the Arkansea, the term used by the Algonquian-speaking Illinois Confederation traders encountered to the east. The Quapaw are among the Siouan-speaking peoples west of the Mississippi.
The Quapaw are federally recognized as the Quapaw Tribe of Indians. Since their removal west to Indian Territory in 1834, their tribal base has been in present-day Ottawa County in northeastern Oklahoma. The number of members enrolled in the tribe is 3,240.
The Quapaw Tribe of Native Americans are headquartered in Quapaw in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, in the northeast corner of the state. The 13,000-acre (53 km2) Quapaw tribal jurisdictional area includes the Tar Creek Superfund site, which has been listed by the Environmental Protection Agency for clean-up of environmental hazards.
The Quapaw people elect a tribal council and the tribal chairman, who serves a two-year term. The governing body of the tribe is outlined in the governing resolutions of the tribe, which were voted upon and approved in 1956 to create a written form of government (prior to 1956 the Quapaw Tribe operated on a hereditary chief system). The Chairman is John L. Berrey. Of the 3,240 enrolled tribal members, 892 live in the state of Oklahoma. Membership in the tribe is based on lineal descent.
The tribe operates a Tribal Police Department and a Fire Department, which handles both fire and EMS calls. They issue their own tribal vehicle tags and have their own housing authority.
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