North American Indian people living mostly in Oklahoma, U.S., on a reservation they share with Comanche and Apache .
Their language is of Kiowa-Tanoan language stock. The name Kiowa may be a variant of their name for themselves, Kai-i-gwu, meaning "Principal People." The Kiowa moved southward from western Montana and adopted the lifestyle of the Plains Indian s. They hunted buffalo on horseback and lived in large three-poled tepee s. They had warrior societies, the members of which attained rank according to their exploits in war. They believed that dreams and visions gave them supernatural power, and they participated in the sun dance ceremony. They were also noted for their pictographic portrayals, or "calendar histories," of important tribal events. They were among the last of the Plains peoples to capitulate to the U.S. Some 8,600 peoples claimed sole Kiowa descent in the 2000 U.S. census.