Tribal, Kiowa of Oklahoma

KIOWA TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA -  The Kiowas are a tribe of Native Americans that migrated from western Montana southward into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado during the 17th and 18th centuries, and finally into the Southern Plains by the early 19th century.   In 1867, the Kiowa were moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma.

Today they are federally recognized as Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma with headquarters in Carnegie, Oklahoma.  The Kiowa language (Cáuijògà) is still spoken today and is part of the Tanoan language family.   Kiowa call themselves Ka'igwu, Cáuigù or Gaigwu, most given with the meaning "Principal People".   Since 1968, the Kiowa have been governed by the Kiowa Tribal Council, which preside over business related to health, education, and economic and industrial development programs.

On March 13, 1970, the Constitution and Bylaws of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma was drafted.  On May 23, 1970, it was ratified by voters of the Kiowa Tribe and remain in force.  In 1998, a significant legal development occurred with a landmark decision.  In Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma v Manufacturing Technologies, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Indian tribes retain their sovereign immunity from suit without their consent even in off-reservation transactions where they do not waive that immunity.

As of 2000, over 4,000 of 12,500 Kiowa lived near the towns of Anadarko, Fort Cobb, and Carnegie, in Caddo and Kiowa counties, Oklahoma.  Kiowas also reside in urban and suburban communities throughout the United States.  World War II rekindled the Kiowa warrior spirit and urbanization and modernization occurred in the war's aftermath.  Each year Kiowa veterans commemorate the warlike spirit of the 19th century leaders with dances performed by the Kiowa Gourd Clan and Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society.  Kiowa cultural identity and pride is apparent in their expressive culture and strong influence on the Gourd Dance and southern plains art.