Matthew Mudeater

Matthew Mudeater (February 23, 1812 — August 20, 1878) was a chief of the Wyandot people. A farmer by trade, Mudeater was a prominent member of his tribe and played a key role in gaining United States citizenship for his people. When tensions began to rise in the Wyandotte home of Kansas, he led much of his people to settle in the Indian Territory.

Early life Matthew Mudeater was born on February 23, 1812, in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, the then home of the Wyandotte Nation. He was married to Nancy Mudeater, and together they had several children. On July 9, 1843, the Wyandottes emigrated from Ohio to land in Kansas which had been purchased from the Delaware Nation. The Wyandottes wintered on the east side of the Missouri River, and in the spring of 1844 they settled on the western side forming Wyandotte County, the modern day location of Kansas City, Kansas.

The Wyandotte gain United States citizenship On January 31, 1855, Chief Mudeater, alongside several other Wyandotte representatives who had traveled to Washington, D.C., signed the 1855 'Treaty With The Wyandot'.

Relocation to Indian Territory

The late 1850s proved a difficult time for the Wyandotte Nation which experienced division within the tribe as white squatters incurred into the Wyandotte reserve in eastern Kansas. These troubles, alongside the difficulties of tribal members in receiving allotments and annuity funds granted them under the 1855 treaty led to a split in the nation.