Kaw Nation Chairwoman Elaine Huch speaks at the marker dedication on May 5. Photo from Kansas Department of Transportation / Facebook

The state of Kansas dedicated a historical marker at the site of a Kaw Nation village.

Chairwoman Elaine Huch helped unveil the marker at Fool Chief's Village. The tribe used to reside at the site near the Kansas River before it was flooded in 1844.

YouTube: Fool Chief's Village Historical Marker Unveiling

The village came back to life during excavation for a highway project. Some artifacts are being studied but the Kansas Historical Society hopes to repatriate them to the tribe.

The state of Kansas takes its name from Kanza, the traditional name for the tribe. Despite being promised millions of acres through treaties, Congress forced the Kaws to move to Indian Territory, or present-day Oklahoma.

The marker at Fool Chief's Village in Kansas is located at the intersection of US-24 highway and N.W. Menoken Road near Topeka, Kansas. Photo from Facebook

The tribe is slowly making a return to its homeland. In 2002, the tribe established the Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park after acquiring 168 acres of ancestral territory.

The chief of Fool Chief Village was Meach-o-shin-gaw, also known as Little White Bear, the tribe said in its Fall 2013 newsletter.

Get the Story:
New Historical Marker Unveiled For Kansa Tribe Village (WIBW 5/5)
Historical marker to honor Fool Chief's Village site (The Topeka Capital-Journal 5/2)

Related Stories:
Kaw Nation to return to ancestral land in Kansas for ceremony (04/22)