Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-25

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AS the years passed interest increas
led in the effort to get the true meanin.
OF the word "Kiowa," and in 1856
Theodore S. Parvin, the far-famed an
tiquarian and pioneer Of Iowa loni
before 1t was admitted as state
wrote to Mr.. lie Claire, asking tn
definition Of the word The reply was
la home, or hunting--in fact, wander.
|ing-and when they reached a poin
tthey admired, and was all they wished
they said, Kiowa--this is the place.
In a reservation in Oklahoma is the
remnant OF a tribe of Kiowa Indians
III once asked full blooded, well edu-
}cated member of 1t the meaning of the
!word and he said he understood 1t was
equivalent to here, the place." but II
had become obsolete with his tribe
from the use of the modern word
without the tx"
When the Sauks and Foxes were re-
moved from the eastern part of the
state to the reservation In Van Buren,
county. they frequently came to Fort
Des Moiens when they We're hunting
game along the rivers to exchange
lpelts for goods at the fur trading
post. Taylor Pierce, who was chie1
clerk of the trading post, once told
me that sometimes he asked them
where they were going, and the an
! SWer would De puChd-CHco SSOIAiSl
kiowa Ito or up) Kesauk (Des Moines)
sepo (river). From its mouth to It's
source they called Des Moines river
Kesauk. At other times their answer
would be "Pucka -chee kiowa Ase-
polo sepo,' meaning they were going
up the Raccoon river. Asepolo meaning
raccoon; or 1t might be. "Puck-a-chee
kiowa All qua sepo,' All ma qua I;
meaning Beaver creek, along which
ithey caught the dam building rodents.
The word always meant a place, or
here, he said.
Once, when q band Of the Musquakie
Indians came here from Tama county
| to have talk with the governor.
asked the head chief, a very old man,
the meaning Of -the word, "Kiowa,
and he gave it In almost the precise
words Of LIE Claire, that when band
went out on hunting and fishing trip.
and came to good place to make a
camp and for their ponies to feed, the
head man would say to them. 'Kiowa,'
meaning, stop and make camp.
There has been very general belief
that the state derived Its name from
the river.
In 1882 Lieutenant Albert Lea OF the
United States army, who was explor-
ing along the upper Mississippi, pub
lished small book ]audably descrip-
tive OF "Ioway district" with map
on which he gave prominence to 1oway
river. Nicollet, the French explorer,
saw 1t while in preparation, and wrote
of it that "1oway district" was a name
euphonious and appropriate, being de-
rived from the river, the extent and
Importance Of which was then first
made public.
Attribute Name to River.
The logic Of Lea and Nicollet seems
plausible, but 1t comes two years after
the Michigan council had officially and
publicly named it, the details Of which
are of record.
1t was known for some time to
members of congress and public Of
ficials in Michigan as the "Ioway dis
trict' before it was known there was
such river in It, The word "Ioway'
on the last syllable, more euphonous
pronunciation than the short, jerky
method Of modern times with the ac-
cent on the first syllable The early ex-
plorers Of the Mississippi, from Mar
quette, 1887, Hennepin, 1880, Tranquil
in. 1888 Charlevoix, 1921, the map on
the large terrestrial globe in the Cap
ucine Convent at Dijon, France, make
no mention of Iowa river, while all pic
tured the Des Moines river equal In
size to the Mississippi, and Cherlevoix,
impressed with its Importance, trav-
ersed it from mouth to source. The
Michigan council in 1892 gave it's name
to one-half Of the state
There was scattered over the Ioway
district several bands Of Sioux Indians
who had separated from the family,
who were called by the Spanish and
French fur traders who came up from
ST. Louis, the "Ayouas,' "Aiouz, :"
I"Ayouways," "Ayos," which was the
best they could enunciate the Indian
word "Kiowa.' as spoken by the Sauks
and Foxes, who occupied the southern
and southeastern portion of what is
now Iowa, the first with whom they
came in contact and from which came
the English spelling "Ioway'' by the
early settlers.
A searcher Of the history Of Iowa In
dams will find numerous contradictions
and discrepancies In the spelling Of
names. In the treaties made with them,
the names Of chiefs are written differ
emily, for not being able to write, they
wrote the name as near as possible
from the chiefs enunciation In the
treaty of July 80, $780, Poweshiek's
name is written "Po-wa- shick;" in the
treaty of 1853, Appanoose's name is
signed "Appan-o ze 20 ke;" in the
treaty of Sept. ls, 1896, Mahaska's
name is signed 'Mohas-ka:" in the
u GdSy VI ANONSiilDSi 1907, w
is written Wee me shee-kaw.' The
familiar word Tippecanoe is a corrup-
ton of the Algonkin Keith tip pc ke-
num-"
Fights in WapeIlo County.
Black Hawk in May, 1882, near
where Eldon now is in Wapello county,
lexterminated band Of "Ayouas," who
had village on the west bank of the
Des Moines river. Later, small town
was located on the spot, which was
named Iowaville by the early settlers,
from the Indian word -Kiowa." mean
ing the place Of the village destroyed
by Black Hawk. Mahaska. well known
to the early settlers Of Mahaska coun-
.ty, was chief of an "Ayouas" tribe.
LIE Seuer in 1902 found them along the
st. Peters river In the Blue Earth re-
gion Lewis and Clark, in 1904, found
the "Ayowas' (Kiowas> on the lower
Des Moines and Ioway rivers.
In the legislation following that Of
the Michigan territorial council in 1929
to the admission of the "Ioway dis
trict' as a state. and in all Indian
treaties up to 1854, the nomenclature
given by the Michigan council was fol-
lowed without inquiry as to its origin
or definition. The only change has
been in the photography and pronun-
citation.