The Kaw are an American Indian people of the central Midwest.

The tribe known as "Kaw" have also been known as the "Wind People", "Kaza", Kanza", Kosa", and "Kasa". It is from this tribe that we derive the name "Kansas". The Kaw are closely related to the Osage tribe and at times have been thought of as a kind of Osage. The only Native American to reach the Vice Presidency of the United States was Charles Curtis, Vice President under Herbert Hoover (1929–1933). His mother was a Kaw.

The Curtis Act in 1898 expanded the powers of the federal government over American Indian affairs. An act of congress in 1902 disbanded the Kaw tribe as a legal entity. This act transferred 160 acres (0.6 km²) to the federal government and about 1,625 acres (6.6 km²) of Kaw land to Curtis and his children.

The Kaw Nation of Oklahoma regained recognition and is currently located in Kaw City, Oklahoma.

On April 23, 2000 the last Kaw fullblood, William A. Mehojah died.

See also

• Kaw River

External links

• Official Kaw Nation Website (http://www.kawnation.com)
• Kaw Language Project (http://www.kawnation.com/langhome.html)
• Rootsweb Kaw article. (http://www.rootsweb.com/~itkaw/KanzaNation.html)

Other uses

Kaw is also a town in French Guiana.