FORT WAYNE, Ind. — October 23, 2026
The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma commemorates the 200th anniversary of the 1826 Treaty of Mississinewas by adding the Akima Pinšiwa Awiiki ‘Chief Richardville House’ to its National Register of Historic Places and contributing financially to its preservation. This designation honors the home’s enduring cultural and historical significance to the Miami Tribe and their commitment to preserving the Tribe’s history for future generations.
A Lasting Connection to Miami History
Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville, known in the Myaamia ‘Miami’ language as Akima Pinšiwa, served as principal chief of the Miami Nation from 1818 until his death in 1841. A respected diplomat who spoke at least three languages - Miami, French, and English - Richardville played a significant role in treaty negotiations between the Miami Nation and the United States during a period of increasing pressure on Indigenous lands.
The 1826 Treaty of Mississinewa provided $600 toward the construction of a house, and to this Richardville added $1,600 of his own funds to build a home. Completed in 1827, the Chief Richardville House later became the home of Richardville’s descendants for generations.
The House ‘Awiiki’ sits on high ground overlooking the Nameewa Siipiiwi ‘St. Marys River,’ and was adjacent to one of the most important portage routes in North America. Richardville owned this land as a result of the 1818 Treaty of St. Marys in which he reserved the right to select five sections of fee-simple land in a location of his choosing. The area around the house has long been associated with Richardville’s Myaamia family and it became an important political center for Myaamia people who lived in the region around Kiihkayonki ‘Fort Wayne, Indiana.’
Preserving an Historic Landmark
The Chief Richardville House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012, both administered by the National Park Service. The Pinšiwa Awiiki is the only existing Treaty House in the United States.
In 1991, the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society History Center, acquired the property and has taken great care and maintained it ever since. In 2016, the History Center reached out to the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma to discuss preserving the historic home. Recognizing the importance of protecting this significant part of Miami history, the Tribe contributed by replacing the house’s roof. Today, the Tribe along with the Myaamia Heritage Foundation, continues its support of the property’s preservation with a donation to repair the historic home’s back porch. Through these contributions and the addition of the Chief Richardville House to the Tribal National Register of Historic Places, the Tribe demonstrates its ongoing commitment to preserving and honoring places that reflect the history, culture, and enduring presence of the Miami people.
Chief Douglas Lankford of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma said, “The 200th anniversary of the 1826 Treaty offers an opportunity to reflect on the history of the Miami Tribe and the importance of protecting historic places that connect present and future generations to the Tribe’s ancestral homeland. Mišhi neewe ‘Thank you’ to the History Center for the care and dedication shown in preserving the Akima Pinšiwa Awiiki, safeguarding an important piece of Miami Nation history.”
About the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma is a federally recognized Tribal Nation whose citizens maintain a continuing connection to the history, culture, and ancestral homelands of the Miami people. The Tribe works to preserve and strengthen its cultural heritage, language, traditions, and historically significant places for future generations.