Land

Miami homelands hold deep spiritual and cultural significance for the Miami Nation of Indiana. According to our origin story, Miami ancestors emerged from the waters at a confluence along the St. Joseph River, grasping tree limbs to pull themselves from the river and into a new way of being. Through that sacred act, we became Myaamiaki . Though the exact place of our emergence is uncertain—perhaps where the St. Joseph meets the Elkhart River or flows into Lake Michigan—our people followed the river systems south, establishing communities along the Wabash River and its many confluences from Fort Wayne to Vincennes. These lands, which we call Myaamionki, the Place of the Miamis, have sustained us since time immemorial. Our continued presence in Indiana, despite generations of persistent marginalization, stands as a testament to our strength, resilience, and enduring connection to the land and waters that first gave us life. It remains our sacred duty to care for this land, just as it has always cared for us.

The rivers that flow through Myaamionki continue to hold great importance for our people, connecting us to the lands where our ancestors lived, traveled, and traded. Many of these waterways lie within or near our historic treaty lands in northern Indiana, where the Miami Nation of Indiana remains centered today. This region is rich with significant Miami sites, and nearly all of its rivers still carry Myaamia names—living reminders of our deep and enduring relationship with the land and waters that define our homeland.

For example, the Wabash River name comes from the Myaamia phrase waapaahsiki siipiiwi, meaning shiny or glittering river. The Mississinewa River comes from the Myaamia word nimacihsinwi, or “lies on a slope.” The Great Miami River is ahsenisiipiiwi in Myaamia, meaning “stone river.”

Wabash River