n.
North American Indian people who live mostly in Oklahoma and Indiana, U.S. They call themselves Twitwee (Twatwa), which to them represents the call of the crane.
The name Miami is a derivation of their Ojibwa name, Oumami, meaning "People of the Peninsula." Their traditional homeland is spread across Illinois, northern Indiana, and Ohio. The Miami language belongs to the Algonquian family. The staple of the Miami diet was corn, though they also hunted bison. Each village consisted of mat-covered dwellings and a large house in which councils and ceremonies were held. A secret medicine society conducted rites aimed at ensuring tribal welfare. In the 19th century the Miami ceded most of their lands to the U.S., with one band remaining in Indiana and the rest removing to a reservation in Oklahoma. In the 2000 U.S. census some 3,800 people claimed sole Miami descent. See also Little Turtle .