Wyandot at Washington, DC (1855)
The 1855 Wyandot treaty ended the Wyandot's tribal relations, made members citizens, and divided their Kansas land among individuals.
- Signed
- January 31, 1855
- Senate
- Ratified
- Land given up
- about 24,000 acres
What happened
What happened
On January 31, 1855, in Washington, Commissioner George W. Manypenny and six Wyandott chiefs and delegates signed a treaty. Article 1 provided that "their organization, and their relations with the United States as an Indian tribe shall be dissolved and terminated on the ratification of this agreement." The Wyandotts were declared citizens of the United States, subject to the laws of the United States and of Kansas Territory. Those who wished could apply to commissioners for a temporary exemption from citizenship. The tribal land was to be divided among members.
The treaty's own premise was that the Wyandott "having become sufficiently advanced in civilization" were "desirous of becoming citizens."
The 1867 treaty with the Seneca and others later said that a portion of the Wyandottes, "although taking lands in severalty, have sold said lands, and are still poor." That treaty set apart land ceded by the Senecas as a home for Wyandottes who chose to "begin anew a tribal existence." The OSU treaty database lists ratification on February 20, 1855.
Good to know. Members could apply for a temporary exemption from citizenship; when it ended, they too became citizens.
Summarized with AI assistance from 3 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error
What the sources say, and how this was checked
Well supported by the sources below.
their organization, and their relations with the United States as an Indian tribe shall be dissolved and terminated on the ratification of this agreement
Treaty with the Wyandot, 1855 (Oklahoma State University Tribal Treaties Database)have sold said lands, and are still poor
Treaty with the Seneca, Mixed Seneca and Shawnee, Quapaw, etc., 1867 (Oklahoma State University Tribal Treaties Database)begin anew a tribal existence
Treaty with the Seneca, Mixed Seneca and Shawnee, Quapaw, etc., 1867 (Oklahoma State University Tribal Treaties Database)
Research notes. The 1855 and 1867 treaty wording reflects the United States' view. The treaty let members apply for a temporary exemption from citizenship. This account does not draw on the Wyandotte Nation's or the Wyandot Nation of Kansas's own published histories.
What the treaty did to the land
About 24,000 acres given up. Each shape is a numbered area in the federal government’s 1899 record of land cessions.
ceded to the United Statesabout 24,000 acres
Land of the Delaware and Wyandot in Kansas, ceded 1855 (area 263)
Promised to the Wyandot as 148,000 acres west of the Mississippi in 1842, never delivered; they bought 39 sections from the Delaware in 1843 and ceded that tract in 1855.
What happened next
Everything the record holds about this land and this treaty, in order: what earlier agreements said, what this one did, and what the United States, the courts and the nations did afterwards.
- 1842
Land kept
About 24,000 acres recognized as land of the Delaware and Wyandot
By Wyandot at Council House, Upper Sandusky, Ohio (1842)
- 1843
Land record
About 24,000 acres named in the record
The 1899 record: “By the terms of this agreement the Wyandot purchased of the Delawares 39 sections off the E. end of their reserve on Kansas river”
- 1850
- 1855
This treaty
About 24,000 acres ceded to the United States by the Delaware and Wyandot
The 1855 Wyandot treaty ended the Wyandot's tribal relations, made members citizens, and divided their Kansas land among individuals.
Who is doing the work today
The nations connected to this treaty come first, then groups returning land and defending treaty rights. Support goes directly to them.
Who is doing the work
This history belongs to living nations. Start with them:
Native legal and land defense, nationally
- Native American Rights Fund (NARF) Native-led Litigation and legal advocacy for tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, land and resources Give on their site Website
- NDN Collective (LANDBACK Campaign) Native-led LANDBACK campaign (launched 2020; Mount Rushmore closure and return of Black Hills public lands), Indigenous… Give on their site Website
- Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) Native-led Land recovery and control by tribes and individual Indian landowners Website
- Decolonizing Wealth Project (Indigenous Earth Fund; California Tribal Land Return) Native-led Reparative philanthropy Give on their site Website
Gifts go straight to each organization; this atlas takes nothing. Listing is not endorsement: how organizations are listed.
Sources
Sources
- treaties.okstate.edu/treaties/treaty-with-the-wyandot-1855-0677reference work
Treaty with the Wyandot, 1855 Jan. 31, 1855. | 10 Stat., 1159.
Shapes are approximate and are not legal descriptions of land, title or jurisdiction.