Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index The Pawnee (sometimes Paneassa) are a Native American tribe that historically lived along the Platte River in what is now Nebraska. In the 18th century they were allied with the French and played an important role in limiting Spanish expansion onto the Great Plains defeating them decisively in a battle in 1720. In the 19th century, epidemics of smallpox and cholera wiped out most of the Pawnee, reducing the population to approximately 600 by the year 1900; as of 2002, there are approximately 2500 Pawnee. External Links http://www.pawneenation.org/ (The tribe's website) This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.