You're listening to an airwave media podcast.

Ben Franklin's world is The podcast dedicated to helping you learn more about how the people

and events of our early American past have shaped the present day world we live in.

And I'm your host, Liz Covert. Early America was a diverse place. And a significant

part of this diversity came from the fact that there were at least 1,000 different

indigenous tribes and nations living in different areas of North America long before the Spanish and other European empires arrived on North America's shores.

Now every once in a while it's a really good practice for us to explore the history and

culture of one of these distinct tribes.

Diane Hunter and John Bickers join us to investigate the history and culture of the

Miamiia people.

At the time of this recording, Diane was a Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Miami

Tribe of Oklahoma.

She has since retired from that position.

John is an assistant professor of history at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.

And both Diane and John are citizens of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma,

as well as experts in Miami History and Culture.

During our conversation, John and Diane reveal what we know about the history and origins of

the Miami people before European contact.

Details about the Miamia's ancestral homelands

and the different elements that make up Miamia culture and identity.

And how contact with Europeans and Americans

has altered Miamia culture and their relationship with their ancestral homelands.

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