The Pawnee were descendent of Diklah through his son Caddo. The story is that when Joktan was traveling across the North American continent and was journeying down river along what is now known as the Missouri River, when he arrived at where the Missouri river converged with the Mississippi river, he stopped on the north bank of the Missouri river and set up camp prior to making a river crossing. On this west bank of the Mississippi river, one of his sons, Diklah, the seventh born, came to his tent and told Joktan the he and his family would not be continuing with Joktan, but will be crossing the Mississippi river and set up their homeland by these river. Like many previous times in the recent days, when other of Joktan′s sons had chosen to depart from Joktan′s journey, Joktan would remained in the camp and spend time with this son, his wife, his many sons and all of their families.

Joktan would did stay here for entire moon, on the banks of this wide river because Diklah, at this time also had several sons, one of which was named Caddo. Also, Caddo, who by this time had several sons of his own, his first born was named Pawnee, and his younger sons were named: Arikara, Kitsai, and Hasinai.

As soon as Joktan was finished with his family gathering with Diklah, Joktan′s son, Havilah approaches him and said that he too would be departing company from the rest of the family and would soon be moving north upcounty. So, because Joktan would not be leaving soon, Diklah does pack up his tents and moves across the Mississippi river, travels only a short distance and then sets up his tents again. This new campsite would sometime later become the homeland of Diklah, which site is now in the state of Illinois and is called Cahokia Mounds. Eventually, his sons would spread out southward throughout the lower Mississippi valley and from there spread eastward in the Red river valley and westward into the Chattahoochee river valley and southeast as far as Florida. Too, others of his sons would travel up the Tennessee river valley to the Appalachian Mountains and find their homelands in the valleys and rivers from the southernmost Appalachian Mountains to the south Atlantic coast in what is now the state of Georgia.

However, Caddo′s son, Pawnee, did not cross the Mississippi river to the east with his father and the rest of his father′s tribe, but he crossed the Missiouri river and moved bank upstream from where the nation had been during the past several moons, only, he traveled on the opposite side of the river upon the south bank. Then, when he arrived at the next major confluence of rivers, which river is today called the Platte river, he turned upriver and followed the river upstream and settled in the lands between the North and South Platte river. His several sons settled along the Elkhorn river, the Loup river, and some even further south to the Republican river, the Red river, the Smoky Hill river and few even as far south as the Kansas river.

After Joktan took his leave to continue his eastward journey, he crossed the Missouri river and traveled south only to soon arrive where the Ohio river merges into the Mississippi. it was Pawnee, together with his wife and newborn son Kichai, who began to travel back up the river from which they had only recently traveled down, staying on the south side of the water course as they traveled upstream towards the last major river (now known as the Platte River) flowing into from the opposite side, one that they had bypassed when previously traveling on the north bank of the Missouri.

These sons of Joktan became to be some of the original Plains Indians who made their homeland here along the banks of the Missouri, the Platte and the South Platte rivers.

They began to hunt the bison which (they called taraha) and held in high regard when it would give up its own flesh and life to provide not only food to feed the people but the people would use everything that the large animal provided to them. Every part of the meat would be eaten including the tongue which was the best part. The brains would be used in hide preparation; the rawhide would be used for moccasin soles, belts, medicine bags, saddles, ropes and cases for a knife. The buckskin would be used for winter robes, bedding, dresses, shirts, tipis, bedding and more. Fat was used for soap and cooking oil. Bones were used to make knives, arrowheads, shovels, scrapers, and more. The horns would be used to make cups, fire carriers, spoons, ladles, and more.

The buffalo, by providing everything until there is nothing left, it is a symbol of self-sacrifice to these native people, and was imitated by the people in their lives by being generous to others, giving what they had to others in need, and to show this honor to others is they most highly respectful way of living.

Upon settling along the Platte river and others, they continue hunting the buffalo most of the year but also began to farm along the fertile river bottomland, growing crops including; corn, beans, squash and pumpkin.

The Pawnee live in small communities of earth lodges, a semi-subterranean structure covered partially with earth, even though some were covered completely. Most of the lodges were circular and had a domed roof made with slightly bent tree branches, and had a slightly offset smoke whole near the apex of the dome.

Generally, the Pawnee settled close to the rivers, placing their lodges on high banks. As many as 30 people might live in each lodge, all of which were of related families. A village could include over 300 people and up to about 15 households.

The Pawnee were a matrilineal people, who ancestral descent was traced through the mother, her children considered to be born into the mother′s clan.

From the Platte river valley, the Pawnee expanded along the Platte river, both the north and south forks, the Republican river and the Smoky Hill river. From these settlements came many divisions of the Pawnee people which expanded both to the north and to the south.

The north bands, (called themselves Ckírihki Kuuruúriki) included the Omaha and Poncha bands who both traveled back up the Missouri and settled along the Missouri river and the Niobrara river.

The south bands, (called Tuhaáwit) included the Oto and Kansa bands and moved south along the Missouri river as well as east from the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers.

In the 1700s, tribes from the Great Lakes area, which were of the Sons of Obal, including some of the Dakota and the Lakota, began moving onto the Great Plains and encroaching on Pawnee homelands. Also, from the Sons of Jerah, some of the Arapaho and the Cheyenne moved into the Pawnee homelands. Collectively, the Pawnee referred to these invading tribes as enemy tribes or just enemy, and this despite them all originally being in the same family, all from the sons of Joktan.

Later, others indigenous people, that is those from the second migration, who after moving onto the continent from the north into the region of the four corners began moving east into the Great Plains, and eventually settled in lands to the south of the Pawnee homelands. At times, some of these tribes, known as the Comanche and Kiowa would occasionally war with the Pawnees to the north.

After being nearly decimated from the European infectious diseases, these same European-American continued to expand into the Pawnee homelands until what remained of the Pawnee people were forced to move to the Indian Territory, which is now the state of Oklahoma. Later, many of the Pawnee warriors enlisted to serve as Indian scouts in the US Army to track and fight their old enemies, the Lakota, Dakota, Chyeyenne and Arapaho who were still hold outs on the Great Plains.

The modern day Pawnee, who live in Oklahoma have their tribal headquarters in Pawnee, Oklahoma.

After drive for an extremely long day of travel, some six hours of driving as well as a two hour stop at Fort Larned SHS, another stop at Pawnee Rock and after over 360 miles, I arrive in my destination for tonight, North Plate, Nebraska and drive to the d-mart for my place to overnight location.