Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico

Hodge, Frederick Webb, Compiler. The Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Bureau of American Ethnology, Government Printing Office. 1906.

Mohawk Tribe

Mohawk Indians (cognate with the Narraganset Mohowaùuck, ‘they eat (animate) things,’ hence ‘man-eaters’) The most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation.  They called themselves Kaniengehaga, ‘people of the place of the flint.’ In the federal council and in other intertribal assemblies the Mohawk sit with the tribal phratry, which is formally called the “Three Elder Brothers” and of which the other members are the Seneca and the Onondaga.  Like the Oneida, the Mohawk have only 3 clans, namely, the Bear, the Wolf, and the Turtle. The tribe is represented in the federal council by 9 chiefs of the rank of … Read more

Mohawk Indian Villages and Towns

There are but three villages in the Mohawk territory which can be called prehistoric,— one each for the Turtle, Bear, and Wolf clans. All these show signs of a knowledge of Europeans prior to 1642; and one, at least, of direct but slight contact. Being refugees, and in fear of their enemies, they placed their first villages quite remote from the Mohawk River,— from four to ten miles. As soon as they possessed firearms, and the power secured by these, they built their dwellings along the river. All the early Mohawk towns of the historic period in New York are in … Read more

Mohawk Indian Chiefs and Leaders

Dr. Oronhyatekha

Onasakenrat, Joseph Onasakenrat (‘White Feather’) , Joseph. A Mohawk chief, noted for his translations of religious works into his native language. He was born on his father’s farm, near Oka, Canada, Sept. 4, 1845; at 14 years of age he was sent to Montreal College to be educated for the priesthood, remaining there about 4 years. He was afterward converted to Protestantism and became an evangelical preacher. On June 15, 1877, the Catholic church of Oka was burned, and Chief Joseph was tried for the offense, but was not convicted. He died suddenly, Feb. 8, 1881, at Caughnawaga. Among his … Read more

Mohave Tribe

Mohave Indians (from hamok ‘three’, avi ‘mountain’). The most populous and war like of the Yuman tribes. Since known to history they appear to have lived on both sides of the Rio Colorado, though chiefly on the east  side, between the Needles (whence their name is derived) and the entrance to Black Canyon. Ives, in 1857, found only a few scattered families in Cottonwood Valley, the bulk of their number being below Hardyville. In recent times a body of Chemehuevi have held the river between them and their kinsmen the Yuma. The Mohave are strong, athletic, and well developed, their … Read more

Mohave Indian Bands, Gens and Clans

Many tribes have sub-tribes, bands, gens, clans and phratry.  Often very little information is known or they no longer exist.  We have included them here to provide more information about the tribes.   Hualga. Given by Bourke (Jour. Am. Folk-lore, n, 180, 1889) as the Moon clan of the Mohave; but according to Kroeber, so far as known the Mohave do not name their clans, and their name for moon is halya.

Modoc Tribe

Modoc Indians (from Móatokni, ‘southerners’). A Lutuamian tribe, forming the southern division of that stock, in south west Oregon. The Modoc language is practically the same as the Klamath, the dialectic differences being extremely slight. This linguistic identity would indicate that the local separation of the two tribes must have been comparatively recent and has never been complete. The former habitat of the Modoc included Little Klamath Lake, Modoc Lake, Tule Lake, Lost River Valley, and Clear Lake, and extended at times as far east as Goose Lake. The most important bands of the tribe were at Little Klamath Lake, … Read more

Moctobi Tribe

Moctobi Indians. A small tribe formerly residing in south Mississippi. They are mentioned by Iberville, in 1699, as living at that time on Pascagoula river, near the Gulf coast, associated with the Biloxi and Paskagula, each tribe having its own village . Sauvole, who was at Fort Biloxi in 1699-1700, speaks of the “villages of the Pascoboulas, Biloxi, and Moctobi, which together contain not more than 20 cabins.” Nothing is known respecting their language, nor has anything more been ascertained in regard to their history, but front their intimate relations with the Biloxi it is probable they belonged to the same … Read more

Mobile Tribe

Mobile Indians (meaning doubtful). A Muskhogean tribe whose early home was probably Mauvila, or Mavilla, supposed to have been at or near Choctaw Bluff on Alabama river, Clark County, Alabama, where DeSoto, in 1540, met with fierce opposition on the part of the natives and engaged in the most obstinate contest of the expedition. The town was then under the control of Tascalusa  probably an Alibamu chief. If, as is probable, the Mobile tribe took part in this contest, they must later have moved farther south, as they are found on Mobile bay when the French began to plant a … Read more

Miwok Tribe

Miwok Indians (‘man”) One of the two divisions of the Moquelumnan family in central California, the other being the Olamentke.  With a small exception in the west the Miwok occupied territory bounded on the north by Cosumnes River, on the east by the ridge of the Sierra Nevada, on the south by Fresno creek, and on the west by San Joaquin River.  The exception on the west is a narrow strip of land on the east bank of the San Joaquin, occupied by Yokuts Indians, beginning at the Tuolumne and extending northward to a point not far from the place … Read more

Missouri Tribe

George Bates

Missouri Indians (‘great muddy,’ referring to Missouri river). A tribe of the Chiwere group of the Siouan family. Their name for themselves is Niútachi.

Missisauga Indian Chiefs and Leaders

Jones, Peter (Kahkewaquonaby, Kahkewagwonnaby). A mixed-blood Missisauga chief, missionary, and author; born Jan. 1, 1802, died June 29, 1856. His father was a white man of Welsh descent named Augustus Jones, who maintained the closest friendship with Brant during the latter’s life. Peter’s mother was Tuhbenahneeguay, daughter of Wahbanosay, a chief of the Missisauga on Credit r., at the extreme w. end of L. Ontario, where, on a tract of land known as Burlington heights, Peter and his brother John were born. He remained with his tribe, following their customs and accompanying them on their excursions, until his 16th year, … Read more

Mishikhwutmetunne Tribe

Mishikhwutmetunne Indians (‘people who dwell on the stream called Mishi’). An Athapascan tribe formerly occupying villages on upper Coquille River, Oregon.  In 1861 they numbered 55 men, 75 women and 85 children . In 1884 the survivors were on Siletz Reservation.  Dorsey int hat year obtained the following list of their villages (which he calls gentes) as they formerly existed on Coquille River form the Kusan country to the head of the stream, although not necessarily at one period: Chockrelatan, Chuntshataatunne, duldulthawaiame, Enitunne, Ilsethlthawaiame, Katomemetunne, Khinukhtunne, Khweshtunne, Kimestunne, Kthukhwestunne, Kthunataachutunne, Meshtshe, Makhituntunne, Nakhochatunne, Natarghiliitunne, Natsushltatunne, Nilestunne, Rghoyinestunne, Sathlrekhtun, Sekhushtuntunne, Sunsunnestunne, … Read more

Minnesota Indian Reservations

A list of Minnesota Indian reservations showing the Indian tribes the land was set aside for, the amount of acres if known, and the acts, treaties, and executive orders used to establish the reservation.

Mimbreños Apache Tribe

Mimbreños (Spanish: ‘people of the willows’). A branch of the Apache who took their popular name from the Mimbres mountains, southwest New Mexico, but who roamed over the country from the east side of the Rio Grande in New Mexico to San Francisco River in Arizona, a favorite haunt being near Lake Guzman, west of El Paso, in Chihuahua. Between 1854 and 1869 their number was estimated at 400 to 750, under Mangas Coloradas. In habits they were similar to the other Apache, gaining a livelihood by raiding settlements in New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico. They made peace with the … Read more

Mikasuki Tribe

Mikasuki Indians, Mikasuki Tribe. A former Seminole town in Leon County, Florida, on the west shore of Miccosukee lake, on or near the site of the present Miccosukee. The name has been applied also to the inhabitants as a division of the Seminole. They spoke the Hitchiti dialect, and, as appears from the title of B. Smith’s vocabulary of their language, were partly or wholly emigrants from the Sawokli towns on lower Chattahoochee River, Alabama. The former town appears to have been one of the ‘red’ or ‘bloody’ towns, for at the beginning of the Seminole troubles of 1817 its … Read more

Micmac Tribe

Micmac Birchbark Box with Porcupine Quills

Micmac Indians, Mi’kmaq First Nation. (Migmak, ‘allies’; Nigmak, ‘our allies.’ Hewitt). Alternative names for the Micmac, which can be found in historical sources, include Gaspesians, Souriquois, Acadians and Tarrantines; in the mid-19th century Silas Rand recorded the word wejebowkwejik as a self-ascription. An important Algonquian tribe that occupied Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and Prince Edward Islands, the north part of New Brunswick, and probably points in south and west Newfoundland. While their neighbors the Abnaki have close linguistic relations with the Algonquian tribes of the great lakes, the Micmac seem to have almost as distant a relation to the group as the … Read more

Michilimackinac

Michilimackinac Indians (Mǐshǐma‛kǐnung, ‘place of the big wounded person,’ or ‘place of the big lame person.’ – W. J). A name applied at various times to Mackinac Island in Mackinac County, Michigan; to the village on this island; to the village and fort at Pt St Ignace on the opposite mainland, and at an early period to a considerable extent of territory in the upper part of the lower peninsula of Michigan. It is derived from the name of a supposed extinct Algonquian tribe, the Mishinimaki or Mishinimakinagog. According to Indian tradition and the Jesuit Relations, the Mishinimaki formerly had … Read more

Michigamea Tribe

A tribe of the Illinois confederacy, first visited by Marquette when he descended the Mississippi in 1673. Their village was situated at that time on the west side of the Mississippi and near a lake bearing the same name as the tribe