I have been trying to get my head around this post for quite some time now.  My post started off simply enough.  It was going to be a cheerful post.  I had been taught since I was a child that Kansas got it's name from the Kanza Indian Tribe.  And that Kanza was Indian for "People of the South Wind."

Or was it?  As I was preparing this blog about one month ago I decided to delve into the past and present of the Kanza peoples.  What a complicated, sad, historic and unifying journey this once proud nation has been subjected to. 

The journey and resurgence is just too complicated for me to break down into one 10 paragraph blog.  Reading through the links provided below was fulfilling, temper raising and other adjectives that I just can't seem to identify.  It should also be noted that somewhere along the line confusion began to set in as there is no definitive definition that I can find for Kanza. They are the People of the South wind, to be sure.  The Kaw Nation identifies themselves as such.  But I thought Kanza was a direct translation.  And the story of the history can change slightly based on who the storyteller is.

Look at these links to learn about the Kaw Nation and therefore, Kansas itself:

• Kaw Nation
• Kaw Nation History
• The Kansas/Kanza/Kaw Nation

I am very sorry to say that there was another very complelling link that I have misplaced and no amount of google searching seems to be able to bring me back to it.  It was a more bitter telling of the Kaw Nation history.  And I wish that I could share it with you.  Remembering from that point of view is okay, too. 

In closing I would just like to say this to anyone just willing to brush off the treatment of Native Americans in American History.  We know and acknowledge the underhanded dealings the BIA had with the individual tribes.  The constant "restructuring" of treaties to benefit the American government whenever land was needed for expansion, farming or oil. I'm not saying these items were or were not necessary. 

But as a final insult, the Kanza Nation was forced to change it's name from Kanza to Kaw because it was hard for the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) to distinguish what people were saying.  Were they saying Kansas or Kanza?

Imagine.  Your way of life has been destroyed.  You've been moved off your historical home grounds by hundreds of miles.  And now you are forced to change your name.  How would this make you feel?

With all of that said, I am proud to be a Kansan.  And even though I have less than 20% Cherokee blood, I am proud the name of Kansas came from the Kanza Nation.

Editor's Note Added After The Fact:  The good people of the Kaw Nation have given me the link I could not find.  You can find it in the comments or right here at www.kawmission.org.