The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking people whose original homeland was the Ohio Valley, and today three federally recognized Shawnee tribes govern themselves in Oklahoma.
Who are the Shawnee?
The Shawnee’s traditional homeland was the middle Ohio Valley, between present-day Louisville, Kentucky, and West Virginia (Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma). Communities also reached into Pennsylvania and the Carolinas at different times, and their language is part of the Algonquian family.
This page gives a general history. It does not describe every Shawnee community, clan or family history in detail.
What are the three federally recognized Shawnee tribes today?
Three separate Shawnee tribes hold federal recognition, and all are headquartered in Oklahoma. They are the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, based in the city of Shawnee, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, based near Wyandotte on the Oklahoma-Missouri border, and the Shawnee Tribe, based in the northeastern part of the state (Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, Absentee Shawnee Tribe).
Each of the three tribes has its own government, enrollment rules and programs. This page does not speak for any of them beyond what each publishes about its own history.
Why were the Shawnee removed from Ohio?
U.S. expansion pushed Shawnee communities out of Ohio in stages. During the American Revolution, one group moved into Spanish Louisiana and later Missouri, becoming known as the Absentee Shawnee once part of the group later moved on to Indian Territory (Oklahoma Historical Society). Another band, the Lewistown Band led by Qua-ta-wa-pea, received a reserve in western Ohio in 1817 before removal to what is now Oklahoma. Its descendants became the Eastern Shawnee Tribe (Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma).
This section covers the general pattern of removal. It does not list every band, treaty or relocation the Shawnee experienced.
Who were Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa?
Tecumseh, born in 1768 near Piqua, Ohio, was a Shawnee leader who tried to unite Native nations against U.S. expansion. He died in battle at the Thames River in present-day Ontario, Canada, on October 5, 1813 (National Park Service).
His younger brother, Tenskwatawa, known as the Shawnee Prophet, gave the movement its spiritual foundation. In 1808 the two brothers built a settlement near the Wabash and Tippecanoe rivers as a base for their alliance (National Park Service). This section covers their roles in this alliance. It does not cover every event of the wars fought in the Ohio Valley in this period.
Is the Shawnee language still spoken?
Yes, though the number of fluent speakers has dropped sharply over the last few generations. The Shawnee Tribe’s language department trains teachers and apprentices and uses historical recordings to recover traditional stories, including reviving a winter storytelling gathering in 2024 for the first time in decades (KOSU).
Language programs and fluency levels differ across the three federally recognized Shawnee tribes. This page does not have current speaker counts for the Absentee Shawnee or Eastern Shawnee tribes.
Where to learn more
The Shawnee are part of the wider Native American history and culture section. For symbols used across many Native nations, see Native American symbols, and for how horses changed life for many Plains and Woodland nations, see Native Americans and horses.
Sources
- Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. History
- Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. Official Site
- Oklahoma Historical Society. Shawnee, Absentee
- National Park Service. Tecumseh
- KOSU. The Shawnee Tribe revives winter storytelling tradition, strengthening language preservation