Nearly 150 years ago, the Otoe-Missouria Tribe was forced to relocate from southeast Nebraska to Oklahoma. Today, Nebraskans are welcoming back the tribal nation.
Margaret Jacobs, director of Nebraska’s Center for Great Plains Studies, and Christina Faw Faw Goodson, an Otoe-Missouria educator, historian and cultural linguist, co-lead a multifaceted project aiming to reconnect Otoe-Missourians with their ancestral homeland and to educate Nebraskans about the area’s Indigenous history.
For both, it’s an important step toward reconciliation at a critical time.
Goodson praises the project’s lasting impact.
“It gives us an opportunity to reflect on who we were, who we are now and who we hope to be,” she said. “This was the last place we were at before we were totally removed to Oklahoma. It’s the last place we called home.”
The project, “Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors: Re-Indigenizing Southeast Nebraska,” grew out of relationships Jacobs, Goodson and others developed establishing Otoe-Missouria Day, a commemoration held every Sept. 21.
Connecting people around shared history remains at the project’s heart. More than 50 Native and non-Native people are involved, supporting efforts to create land-based commemorations, build relationships, facilitate reconciliation and document the process to share with other communities.
The project earned a $1.58 million grant from the Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project, which aims to ensure that U.S. monuments and memorials accurately reflect history. It is the largest arts and humanities research grant in UNL’s history.
Goodson, said the City of Lincoln and surrounding communities have been enthusiastic supporters. To help Otoe-Missourians reconnect to their ancestral homeland, Lincoln’s Parks and Recreation Department, local Audubon societies, and others are embracing partnerships to design new trails, signage and spaces to host ceremonies or grow Indigenous plants.
Early results from a community survey suggest knowledge about the area’s Indigenous history is limited but interest is high. The project is educating through presentations, monuments and partnerships with schools and local organizations.
“I see this [project] as part of building a society that is more respectful of everyone, that creates a place where people can connect and thrive and move away from the divisions we’re experiencing right now,” said Jacobs, Charles Mach Professor of History.
Additional content
- Video: 2024 Otoe-Missouria Day Celebration
- News release: Otoe-Missouria, Center for Great Plains Studies earn Mellon funding
Margaret Jacobs and Christina Faw Faw Goodson