PART 1 (aired February 6, 2001) -- Who exactly are the Miami? The Miami Indian tribe has not lived in Illinois for more than 150 years. But they say a part of the state is still theirs. The Oklahoma branch of the Miami has gone to court to pursue its claim to 2.6 million acres of east-central Illinois. While their lawsuit has received much attention, the Miami themselves remain little known to the region they say is theirs by treaty.

PART 2 (aired February 13, 2001) -- The Stomp Dance For Native American tribes who once lived within the Midwest, the Stomp Dance has deep social and cultural meaning. The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma invited members of neighboring tribes to its annual Stomp Dance on a rainy Saturday night last month.

PART 3 (aired February 20, 2001) -- The legal argument Leaders of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma say a treaty backs up their claim to 2.6 million acres of land in Illinois. But few details have been heard about the Miami's legal argument. Jim Meadows spoke with the tribe's attorney, Thomas Osterholt. He says the tribe's land claim is based on the Grouseland treaty of 1805...and that later treaties involving the land are not valid.

PART 4 (aired February 21, 2001) -- The state's case The attorney handling the Miami land claim case for the state of Illinois says the Miami do not have a case -- and that anyway, they're going after the wrong party in suing private landowners. Jim Meadows talked with George Sotos of the Illinois Attorney General's office about the lawsuit. Sotos says the suit is still in its early stages, as the state seeks permission to enter the case and ask for its dismissal, without giving up its sovereign immunity.

PART 5 (aired February 27, 2001) -- The Miami and Oklahoma The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma say they would drop their land claim lawsuit if the state of Illinois would join them at the bargaining table. Negotiations are an accepted process between Indian tribes and state government in Oklahoma. But as Jim Meadows reports, what Oklahomans take in stride would be a new experience for Illinoisans.

PART 6 (aired March 6, 2001) -- The lost language The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma's lawsuit to reclaim land in Illinois has become well known in the state. But the Miami are involved in another reclamation effort which has nothing to do with lawsuits or property. It's an effort by members of both the Oklahoma and Indiana Miami to reclaim their own language, which fell out of common usage in the 20th century.

PART 7 (aired April 27, 2001) -- The history of the land claim The lawsuit is scheduled for trial in June, but the state of Illinois wants a federal judge to halt the proceedings. Meanwhile, an attorney for the tribe says they might now make the state one of the defendants.