#myaamia

[clove-pinks]

Kee-món-saw, Little Chief, a Miami chief by George Catlin, 1830 (Wikimedia Commons).

Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! The Miami people (Myaamia) are deeply involved in the history of the Old Northwest, where I now live. The Maumee River that runs from Fort Wayne, Indiana into Lake Erie is also named after the Miami people (and frequently written as the Miami River in historical documents), from an anglicised spelling of the Odawa name for the Miami.

The Miami nation was divided during the War of 1812, with factions supporting the British and the Americans. In the decades after the war the Miami were forcibly relocated from their lands and communities, regardless of their allegiance. Myaamia is both the name of the language and the demonym: in Myaamia, the original name of what is now Fort Wayne is kiihkayonki. Many Myaamia people still live in the Wabash River Valley.

Miami University in Ohio has partnered with the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma to lead Myaamia language revitalization efforts and document Myaamia culture at the Myaamia Center.

[tibli]

was watching a video of a performance by miami (myaamia) people from my state and saw multiple comments about how they were 'fake' because they didn't 'look' native american and it pissed me off so bad i had to come here and bitch about it bc the comments were a little too old to reasonably reply to.

do people not realize that a lot of indigenous folks have mixed heritage because of colonization and being forced to assimilate????? of course they aren't going to look identical to people from 200+ years ago when that's not the only source of their ancestry. it doesn't make the dedication to their culture any less meaningful.

and the sad thing is, the last native speaker of the myaamia language died somewhere around the 1960s, so that cultural connection had to be rebuilt by people specifically dedicated to reviving the language. they already have to contend with that tragedy, they don't need people telling them they aren't 'native enough'.

btw if you're an indiana resident and at all interested in helping out the indigenous community financially, you can do so here:

Miami Nation Honor Fund

aya ceeki (welcome everyone)

[ferretly]

does anyone want this book?

I found it at an old book sale here. they were just gonna throw it out.

"myaamia neehi peewaalia aacimoona neehi aalhsoohkaama: Myaamia and Peoria Narratives and Winter Stories", ed. and transl. by David J. Costa.

it's a bilingual edition made for those trying to further or start learning the Miami-Illinois language.

I'll give it to anyone for free (and I'll pay for shipping)! just message me. : )

[jeannereames]

Effort to recover Indigenous language also revitalizes culture, history and identity

Indigenous people’s languages were largely lost as a result of forced assimilation efforts in the U.S. Here’s why one tribal leader says the

Daryl Baldwin has worked for decades on the recovery of Myaamiaataweenki, the language of the Miami (and Illinois), or Myaamia and Illiniwek. (These are different nations, but the language is a dialect continuum.)

[rockymountainbeeplant]

Removal Commemoration

Meehkweelintamankwi Aanchsahaaciki ‘Remembering Our Forced Removal’ October 2021 will mark 175 years since this momentous and tragic event began on October 6, 1846. The 1846 removal too…

Meehkweelintamankwi Aanchsahaaciki

‘Remembering Our Forced Removal’

October 2021 will mark 175 years since this momentous and tragic event began on October 6, 1846. The 1846 removal took nearly a month to complete, but the impacts of removal continue to be felt by all Myaamiaki no matter where we live today. Meehkweelintamankwi Aanchsahaaciki ‘Remembering Our Forced Removal’, a year of remembrance and commemoration, will begin during our Winter Gathering at Home event (February 12-13, 2021) and will continue with monthly activities through February 2022.

[endasogiizhik]

“Lake” in eight Central Algonquian languages: mbes (Potawatomi), nbis (Odawa), nepēhsaeh (Menominee), nipihsi (Myaamia), nepithi (Sauk), shakaihkan (Innu), zaaga’igan (Ojibwe), sâkâhikan (Plains Cree)

[visicert]

Wiikiaami | Miller Prize Installation | First Christian Church | Columbus, IN | Model | Brass, Copper Mesh, Copper Wire, Feather | #architecture #model #modelmaking #copper #millerprize #exhibitcolumbus #cornelius #zahner #art #design #instaart #instaarch #archihub #architects_need #archdaily #archilovers #next_top_architects #artistsoninstagram #nativesesign #indigenousdesign #myaamia

[clove-pinks]

A map of Myaamionki (place of the Miamis) from The Borderland of Fear by Patrick Bottiger. Bottiger aims to portray the complex interactions and motivations of the multi-ethnic society of the Ohio River Valley in the 18th and early 19th centuries, with an emphasis on the Miami people who tied everything together in their network of trade and alliances. This is a type of book that I have actively sought: a look at one of the major Indigenous powers in the region that does not portray them in a simplistic way.

The map surprised me, because little did I know that basically everywhere I have lived, traveled, and visited for the past 12 years is in the Miami cultural sphere?! They must have a lasting impact on the land, and in fact they are the orginal Corn Everywhere (maize) agriculturists. There's another map of Kekionga/Fort Wayne that illustrates corn fields between villages and dang if the Great Lakes region doesn't still look like that today. A corn field outside my old job, corn fields around my former and current residence, corn fields outside Walmart, etc., etc.

When Anthony Wayne marched on Kekionga he said the fields of corn were so vast that it appeared to be "one continued village for a number of miles." It’s really astonishing that the Miami achieved that without modern tractors and harvesting equipment.