Tag: Kiowa

The Kiowa ( /ˈkaɪ.ɵwə/) are a nation of American Indians who migrated from the Northern Plains around the 17th century to their present location in southwestern Oklahoma. Today, they are a federally recognized tribe, the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, with over 11,500 members. ‘ Kiowa call themselves Kaui-gu. Ancient names were Kwu-da and Tep-da, relating to the myth pulling or coming out of a hollow log until a pregnant woman got stuck. Later, they called themselves Kom-pa-bianta for “people with large tipi flaps”, before they met Southern Plains tribes or before they met white men. Another explanation of their name “Kiowa” originated after their migration through what the Kiowa refer to as “The Mountains of the Kiowa” (Kaui-kope) in the present eastern edge of Glacier National Park, Montana, just south of the border with Canada. The mountain pass they came through was populated heavily by grizzly bear Kgyi-yo and Blackfoot people. Other tribes who encountered the Kiowa used sign language…