Mark Souder: “this afternoon I have introduced a bill to restore the Federal recognition to the Miami Nation of Indiana. The Miami…”

“this afternoon I have introduced a bill to restore the Federal recognition to the Miami Nation of Indiana. The Miami Nation of Indiana is one of our most historic Indian nations. Unfortunately, it is not currently recognized by the Federal Government. It is an ironic situation that we face. When Anthony Wayne won the battle of Fallen Timbers that lead directly to the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, the Miami Nation, at that point a defeated nation, entered into negotiations over a period of time with William Henry Harrison in the Northwest Territory and the Federal Government, ceding millions of acres. Chief Richardville, the civil chief of the tribe, and Little Turtle, the war chief of the Miami Nation, did the best they could to keep as many Miamis in Indiana as possible, approximately at that point 800. The rest were transported in one of the many cases of mistreatment of Native Americans by the American Government, and moved across the Mississippi River. That tribe continued to be recognized and currently is basically the Miami of Oklahoma. They have completely at this point a distinctive history, a distinctive tribal form of government from the Miami Nation of Indiana.”