Honoring My Miami Roots

What began at the turn of the 20th century as an effort to gain a single day of recognition for the first Americans’ contributions to the United States has grown into a full month of observance.

One of the early advocates for an “American Indian Day” was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian and director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, New York. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day to honor the “First Americans,” which they observed for three years. In 1915, the American Indian Association, meeting in Lawrence, Kansas, formally approved a plan for an American Indian Day. Its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapaho, issued a proclamation on September 28, 1915, declaring the second Saturday of each May as American Indian Day—marking the first formal appeal for recognition of Native Americans as citizens.

A year earlier, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state seeking approval for a national day of recognition. On December 14, 1915, he presented endorsements from 24 state governments at the White House, though no national proclamation followed.

The first official American Indian Day was declared by the governor of New York on the second Saturday in May 1916. Several states later adopted their own observances, such as Illinois, which enacted a day in 1919. Some states now recognize Columbus Day as Native American Day, though it has yet to be made a national legal holiday.

In 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 as National American Indian Heritage Month. Since 1994, similar proclamations—under names such as Native American Heritage Month and National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month—have been issued each year.

My Miami Heritage

I am a proud member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, a heritage that reaches back centuries. The Miami (pronounced My-am-uh), or Myaamia, meaning “The Downstream People”, were a Great Lakes tribe. The name “Miami” came from other tribes, while the people themselves referred to one another as Twightwee, linked to their belief that the Sandhill Crane was sacred.

Contrary to popular stereotypes, the Miami were a largely sedentary people who lived in wigwam structures and maintained a hierarchical system that included matriarchal leadership. Traditional customs included basket weaving and, later, the adoption of ribbonwork, an intricate art form used to decorate leggings and pucker-toe moccasins. The Miami also cultivated a distinctive white corn variety and held deep spiritual connections to water, turtles, and cranes.

Over time, the tribe formed several distinct bands across different regions. Marriage outside one’s own band was strongly encouraged, fostering close ties with the French through trade and alliance. My lineage traces back to my great-grandfather VonHemel, born in Picher, Oklahoma, and through noted Miami figures such as War Chief Francis Godfroy, Chief Richardville, and Tahkemwa, a female civil chief. Our ancestry also links to Chief Little Turtle, who negotiated treaties and worked closely with Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and to Thomas Richardville, who later collaborated with Abraham Lincoln on Indian affairs.

As time went on, many Miami families—including my own—intermarried with French fur traders. Surnames like Beaubien, Richardville, Roubidoux, Godfroy, and Goodboo appear throughout our family history. Some of these names connect to notable historical figures such as Joseph Roubidoux, for whom St. Joseph, Missouri, is named, and the Beaubien family, associated with the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant and Bent’s Fort.

Trials and Resilience

With the westward expansion of settlers, the Miami homeland gradually disappeared. The Treaty of Greenville (1795) ceded the state of Ohio and key trading locations like Detroit, Chicago, and Fort Wayne to the United States. Many Miami people relocated to Indiana, but under Territorial Governor William Henry Harrison, trade debts were used to manipulate tribal decisions.

By 1846, facing mounting pressure and deceit, around 500 Miami members were relocated from Indiana to Kansas, first by canal boat to Kansas City, then by foot to what is now Paola. When settlers encroached on their new lands, another removal followed—to northeastern Oklahoma, leaving only 145 Miami behind.

In the generations that followed, many of my relatives attended Indian boarding schools such as Chilocco, Haskell in Kansas, and Riverside in California—institutions that sought to “take the savage out of the Indian.” Despite these hardships, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma endured and rebuilt. Today, our numbers exceed 7,000 members, with strong commitments to education, elder care, and cultural preservation.

In recent years, my family has reconnected with our roots, attending the Annual Miami Pow Wow in Oklahoma. A particularly special moment for me was seeing the Treaty of Greenville Peace Medal return to our Nation and receiving my own tribal name, “Amekwa”, meaning Beaver.

Honoring the Month

Each November, take time to learn about Native American heritage—whether through your own ancestry or simply an interest in the cultures and traditions of the first peoples of this land. Each story, each dance, and each word preserved reminds us of the resilience, spirit, and contribution of Native Americans throughout history.