Taimah (c. 1790-1830; var. ''Taiomah'', ''Tama'', ''Taima'', ''Tiamah'', ''Fai-inah'', ''Ty-ee-ma'', lit. "sudden crash of thunder" or "thunder") was a

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

(Fox) leader in the early 19th century in present-day

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. He was often called Chief Tama in historical accounts and was one of the signatories of an 1824 treaty in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

ceding land to the United States.

Life

Taimah was born into a

family in their historic territory in present-day Wisconsin. His name was spelled by many variations in historic records. ''Ty-ee-ma'' in Meskwaki means "sudden crash of thunder" or "thunder." He grew up in the Meskwaki culture, when they came under increasing pressure from United States encroachment. He became noted among Americans for saving the life of the United States Indian agent at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, by warning him of an assassination attempt. The Meskwaki had long occupied territory around the Great Lakes, in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois, moving into Iowa. After the Meskwaki migrated from Wisconsin, Taimah became the principal leader of one of their villages near what later developed as

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000 United States Census, 2000. Burlington ...

. He also maintained a village near Gladstone, Illinois in the 1820s. Caleb Atwater mistakenly credited Taimah with being the leader of Quashquame's village, but he was this chief's son-in-law. In 1820 Taimah was interviewed by Jedidiah Morse at Fort Armstrong in Illinois. Morse was gathering information from tribes as an agent for the US Department of War, which then had jurisdiction over Native Americans. Morse wrote of Taimah: Taimah signed the 1824 treaty in Washington, DC by which the Meskwaki ceded much of their land in Wisconsin to the United States. He died in 1830. Taimah is buried near what developed as Kingston, about 1/4 mile from the Mississippi River, in a small patch of land in the middle of a corn field. A stone bearing his name is located about 20 rods west. Never having been plowed, this land is covered in trees, and foliage. The gravesite is on private property, and is not open to visitors. Des Moines County Highway 99 runs near this site.

Legacy

*He was the namesake of the city of Tama, and

Tama County, Iowa Tama County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,135. Its county seat is Toledo, Iowa, Toledo. The county was formed on February 17, 184 ...

. The city is located near the

Meskwaki Settlement Meskwakiinaki, also called the Meskwaki Settlement, is an unincorporated community in Tama County, Iowa, United States, west of Tama.Appanoose;''Annals of Iowa'' (1903) Vol. 6, p. 203 he also became a chief. Appanoose County, Iowa was named for him.

References

{{Reflist 1790s births 1830 deaths Native American history of Iowa Native American leaders 19th-century Native American leaders People from Michigan Territory Meskwaki people