WYANDOTTE TRIBE
1895 Maps of Indian Nations

�Wyandot� is the English corruption of the Indian name �Wendat,� a tribe of the Iroquoian family known as Huron by the French.� From 1534 to 1543, on an expedition along the St. Lawrence River, the Frenc explorer Cartier recorded an Iroquoian tribe (proven later as Wyandot) living on the present site of Montreal and Quebec.� Generally, in that early period, the Wyandot or Huron made up a confederation inhabiting the land south and east of Georgian Bay, Canada.� A century later, owing to many years of welfare with the Iroquois, this confederation was broken up and its refugees scattered owver wide areas seeking new homes.� It was not until the latter half of the 18^th Century that the nucleus of the present Wyandotte Tribe was formed by the main portion of the Hurons, who, after their defeat by the French, settled were called Wyandotte, and they succeeded in establishing themselves as the strongest and most powerful tribe in the Ohio country.� In 1815, a large part of Ohio and Michigan was confirmed to them by treaty with the United States in recognition of their fidelity during the War of 1812.� Four years later, Government representatives induced them to sell the greatest part of the land and to reserve only small portion near Detroit..� In 1842, they signed a treaty ceding their Ohio and Michigan lands to the United States.

About a year later, the tribe was moved to Kansas where they� had been promised a reservation; but upon arrival there, they found this promise unfulfilled and were forced to purchase land from the Delaware.� They thrived in Kansas, became prosperous, and took a great interest in education.� They were declared citizens under an 1855 treaty, but this led to the loss of their lands.� In 1859, the Seneca-Cayuga sold the homeless Wyandotte over 30,000 acres of land, an agreement which was confirmed by the United States in 1867.� During that time, the Wyandotte�s tribal organization was restored, and the last members of the once-powerful Wyandotte Tribe moved to the Quapaw country in Indian Territory.� In Oklahoma, they again became prosperous through hard work.

The Act of August 1, 1956, terminated Federal supervision over the Wyandotte Tribe and its members.� This act was repealed by the Act of May 15, 1978, which restored the Wyandotte as a federally recognized tribe.