Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking tribe historically located in the Northeast of the United States, with their name meaning "Southerner." Although their original homeland is not definitively established due to their migratory patterns, they are believed to have originated around the Cumberland River in Tennessee. By the eighteenth century, the Shawnee settled in the Muskingum and Scioto River valleys of Ohio. Their societal structure was matrilineal, with authority held by hereditary chiefs and war chiefs selected for their combat prowess. The traditional dwelling of the Shawnee was a wegiwa, a type of wigwam made from bent poles and covered with natural materials.
The Shawnee aligned with the British during the American Revolutionary War, facing significant threats from expanding American settlers. Post-war, they resisted U.S. encroachment on their lands, achieving notable victories against U.S. forces until their defeat at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 led to the Treaty of Fort Greenville, which forced them to cede significant territory. Tecumseh, a prominent Shawnee chief, emerged in the early 1800s advocating for land preservation and intertribal unity, but his death during the War of 1812 marked a pivotal loss for the tribe.
Throughout the nineteenth century, the Shawnee dispersed, with groups relocating to Missouri and Oklahoma. Some, known as the Absentee Shawnee, settled in Oklahoma after migrations from various states. Others formed the Eastern Shawnee in Ottawa County, while many incorporated with the Cherokee. In recent years, the Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band has made efforts to reclaim their heritage, including the purchase of land for ceremonial purposes, symbolizing a reconnection to their ancestral roots.
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Shawnee
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Northeast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Algonquian
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Oklahoma
- POPULATION SIZE: 5,928 (2021: ACS 5-Year Estimates American Indian and Alaska Native Detailed Tables: Shawnee Alone)
The Shawnee were a prominent Algonquian-speaking Indigenous American group of the Northeast. Their name means “Southerner,” but the Shawnee moved so much in historic times that the original Indigenous homeland is somewhat obscure. Most scholars, however, believe that they originally hailed from the Cumberland River area of Tennessee. Through much of the eighteenth century, the Shawnee homeland was the Muskingum and Scioto River valleys in Ohio.
Descent was traced through the patrilineal family line. Authority was vested in hereditary clan and division chiefs; war chiefs were also important, usually warriors of proven ability.
The basic Shawnee dwelling was the wegiwa (wigwam), basically, a framework of bent poles covered with elm or birchbark. Women tended corn and other crops, while the men supplemented the diet by hunting and fishing.
The Shawnee allied themselves with the British during the American Revolutionary War, in part because land-hungry former colonists seemed the greater threat. After the war, American westward settlement increased, and the Shawnee took up arms to protect their lands. They joined a coalition of Indigenous American tribes that managed to inflict two stinging defeats on United States Army forces, most notably when General Arthur St. Clair was crushed in 1791. The Shawnee were defeated at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, however, and the next year signed the Treaty of Fort Greenville with the United States. Under the provisions of this pact, the Shawnee were forced to relinquish Ohio and part of Indiana to the victors.
The Shawnee chief Tecumseh led a resurgence of the tribe in the first decade of the nineteenth century. He condemned the sale of Indigenous American lands to White settlers, urged abstinence from alcohol, and promoted intertribal unity. Tecumseh’s forces clashed with an American army under General William Henry Harrison at Tippecanoe in 1811. The Battle of Tippecanoe was a draw but was still a check on Tecumseh’s prestige. He joined the British forces during the War of 1812; his death in battle was a great loss for all Shawnee.
The Shawnee dispersed during the course of the nineteenth century. One group of Shawnee moved to Missouri and from there to a Kansas reservation. About 1845, scattered Shawnee from Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas migrated to Oklahoma, where they were collectively known as the Absentee Shawnee. Yet another group settled in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, where they were called the Eastern Shawnee. The main body of Shawnee incorporated with the Cherokee in 1869.
Not all Shawnee made the trek south to Oklahoma. Small groups of Shawnee filtered back and settled in Ohio and Indiana. Their descendants make up the midwest’s Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band. In 2001, the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission recognized the Piqua Shawnee Tribe in the state. In the mid-2020s, there were three federally-recognized Shawnee Indigenous Nations: The Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Shawnee Tribe. All three were located in Oklahoma. A milestone was reached when the Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band purchased a twenty-eight-acre tract for a sacred ceremonial ground. For the first time, the Shawnee reclaimed a piece of original territory. The Shawnee tribes of the twenty-first century have focused their efforts on cultural revitalization, education, economic development, and legislative advocacy.
Bibliography
"About the Shawnee Tribe." Shawnee Tribe, shawnee-nsn.gov/government/. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
"The Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma History." Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, www.astribe.com/about-us. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
Brewer, Graham Lee, and Matt O'Brien. “Civilization 7 Makers Work with Shawnee to Bring Sincere Representation of the Tribe to the Game.” AP News, 4 Oct. 2024, apnews.com/article/civ7-shawnee-tecumseh-firaxis-civilization-32ca02931e9cdeb024a9a0abb7081d2a. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
Edmunds, R. David. Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership. 2nd ed., Pearson, 2006.
"History." Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, www.estoo-nsn.gov/history. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
Howard, James H. Shawnee! The Ceremonialism of a Native Indian Tribe and Its Cultural Background. Ohio UP, 1981.
Josephy, Alvin M. 500 Nations: An Illustrated History of North American Indians. Gramerey, 2002.
Lakomaki, Sami. Gathering Together: The Shawnee People through Diaspora and Nationhood, 1600–1870. Yale UP, 2014.
“The Shawnee.” West Virginia University, Indigenous Appalachia, indigenousappalachia.lib.wvu.edu/peoples/native-nations/shawnee. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
“2021: ACS 5-Year Estimates American Indian and Alaska Native Detailed Tables: Shawnee Alone.” US Census Bureau, data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5YAIAN2021.B01003?q=shawnee. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
Wallace, Glenna J. "Proud to Be Eastern Shawnee: A Brief History of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe." Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, June 2010.