INDIAN TRIBES OF THE MISSOURI VALLEY. 447 
languages can differ. This dissimilarity is seen in the Iowa and Sac languages, in which 
no two words are alike. 
“Tf the language of the Iowa Indians be taken as the starting-point (though tradition 
says that they, with many other tribes, were originally Winnebagoes), then those of the 
same family would, as far as has been ascertained, stand related to it in the following 
order : 
Ist. Lowa. 
Oto. . 
Missouri. 
2d. Winnebago. 
3d. Kansas. 
Osage. 
Tnapaw. 
Omahaw. 
Ponca. 
«¢ A number of words are common to all these tribes, and not a few words differ only in 
the accent and the change of a few letters, indicating a common origin; yet time has 
produced such a change that in conversing together an interpreter is necessary. 
“'The barrenness which is supposed to belong to most Indian languages, does not result 
from the structure or nature of the language, but from the want of ideas in those who use 
it. So far as they have ideas, they do not lack words to express them, though the mode 
of expression among them is often as different from that in use among us as their language 
is from ours.” 
A few vocabularies of the Iowa language were obtained by early explorers, but they 
are all superseded by the more complete and accurate works of Messrs. Hamilton and 
Irvin. 
The history of the Otos and Missouris does not differ materially from that of the Iowas - 
just given. By reference to the map it will be seen that they occupy at the present time 
a reservation on the parallel of 40°, on the Big Blue River, near the head waters of the 
Big Nemaha River, a portion of their land being included within the boundary of Ne- 
braska and a part in Kansas. They formerly ranged over an extensive area south of the 
Platte River. They number about six hundred persons of both sexes. 
The Omahas formerly ranged over a large area extending from the mouth of the Platte 
to the Niobrara, on the south side of the Missouri. They are now located on a reservation 
north of parallel 42°, and bordering upon the river, as indicated onthe map accompanying 
this memoir. A mission school has long been established among them, and their attempts 
VOL. XII.—57 
