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The Wichita or Kitikit-ees
Located in west central Oklahoma is the "Historic Trust Area" of the Wichita Nation, now known by their indigenous name the Kitikit-ees. This land of some 68,000 acres is shared with the Western Delaware and Caddo nations
(NAA, 284). The Kitikit-ees, themselves are really composed of several tribes. Their
official title is "The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes".
The term "affiliated tribes" refers to the Kichai tribe, the Tawakoni tribe and the
Wacos. All three united, or merged, with the Wichita Tribe in the late 1800s (ENAT,
249-250).
Sometime after the year 2000, the Kitikit-ees altered, not only their name, but also their flag. The new flag is royal blue bearing the major elements of the tribal seal in the center of a blue field occupying the outer most 2/3rds of the flag. The main element is the traditional home built by the Wichita/Kitikit-ees in their days on the plains. This has appeared on all three known versions of the Wichita tribal flag. On this new version it appears in a bright yellow. Surrounding the house are five yellow stars of four points for the four affiliated tribes. New to this version is the sacred pipe that appears under the structure.
Also new to this version are nine stripes of orange and blue (4 orange, 5 blue) that fill the inner third of the flag. Although hard to see on this photo, each orange stripe bears the name of one of the four tribes, reading from top to bottom, Kitikitee, Waco, Keechi and lastly, Tawakoni. Each name is printed in yellow. Also not visible on this photo is the very top of the flag, across the top in the tribal name Kitikit-ees in large yellow letters
The former flag of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes was royal blue and bore their tribal
seal in white in the center.
That seal (sample seal provided by the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes) begins at
the base with a depiction of the traditional style house of the Wichita from their days as
Indians of the Plains, the Wichita grass house. These homes that formed permanent
villages were constructed of long poles arranged in a circular pattern that were bent so
that the poles met together in the center of the circle (ENAT, 249). The framework was
tied together with slender branches or reeds called "wattles" This completed shell was
then covered with dried buffalo grass.
Above the grass house was a line drawing of a Wichita warrior holding an ear of
corn, the staple of the Wichita diet, in his left hand, while the right hand hold a warrior's
staff. All this is placed upon a white disk recalling both the circle of life, so important to
the beliefs of the Native American and the moon, a powerful celestial body in traditional
Native American lore.
Go on to the Yakima or Yakama