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The Absentee Shawnee Tribe is one of three recognized Shawnee tribes in Oklahoma, with a history of conflict and relocation. They acquired their present territory in 1872 and were federally recognized in 1936. The tribe has commercial and cultural activities, including a casino and language lessons.
The Absentee Shawnee Tribe is one of three officially recognized Shawnee tribes located in Oklahoma. The Shawnee tribes are native to the northeastern region of the present-day United States where they have played a significant role in US history. The tribes were divided and relocated to Oklahoma during the 19th century. The Absentee Shawnee Tribe, now headquartered in Shawnee, Oklahoma, took its current name in the 1990s.
The Shawnee tribes originated in present-day Ohio and surrounding areas, extending as far east as Virginia and Maryland in the years before European colonization. They first encountered foreign settlers in the late 1600s. During the next century, the tribes became embroiled in conflict between English and French settlers, siding with one side or the other. Some tribes voluntarily migrated west after the American Revolution, and others joined Shawnee leader Tecumseh in rebelling against the new republic. Tecumseh’s War was a significant part of the Sixty Years’ War and the War of 1812, and his defeat marked the end of Native American power in the Northeast.
Over the following decades, the Shawnee were relocated to reservations in present-day Kansas. This was not the infamous “Trail of Tears” involving the Cherokee tribe, but part of the tragedy shared by all relocated peoples throughout history. A portion of the Shawnee tribe split off and left for Oklahoma; this act of “absenteeing” from Kansas earned the Absentee Shawnee their name. The remaining Shawnee tribes were forcibly transplanted to Oklahoma after Kansas gained U.S. statehood in 1861.
The Absentee Shawnee Tribe acquired rights to its present territory by an act of Congress in 1872. They were federally recognized in 1936 as part of the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act. The tribe, however, claims that its “inherent right of self-government precedes the United States Constitution”. It is governed by a five-member executive committee elected from the Absentee Shawnee tribe.
The commercial and cultural activities of the tribe have included a casino, shopping mall, and Shawnee language lessons. As of 2008, there were fewer than 200 native speakers of the Shawnee language. There were just over 3,000 members of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe that year.
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