Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians
The Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma (or Absentee Shawnee[2]) is one of three federally recognized tribes of Shawnee people.[3] Historically residing in what became organized as the upper part of the Eastern United States, the original Shawnee lived in the large territory now made up of Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and neighboring states. In total, they occupied and traveled through lands ranging from Canada to Florida, and from the Mississippi River to the eastern continental coast.
After Indian Removal, most of the people settled in Indian Territory (now the state of Oklahoma). In contemporary times, the Absentee Shawnee Tribe reorganized their government in 1936 and became federally recognized; their headquarters is in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Their tribal jurisdiction area includes land in Oklahoma in both Cleveland and Pottawatomie counties.[4] The other federally recognized tribes are the Shawnee Tribe and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma.
Membership[edit]
There are 4,661 enrolled Absentee Shawnee tribal members as of December 31, 2023.[1] Approximately 74% of members live in Oklahoma as of 2020.[4] Tribal membership is based on blood quantum criteria, with applicants required to have a minimum of one-eighth (1/8) documented Absentee-Shawnee blood to be accepted as members, as established by the tribal constitution.[5] Though it is not a formal division, there is a social separation between two major groups of the tribe, based on different histories of their ancestors. Descendants of the traditionalist Big Jim Band have kept cultural traditions and ceremonies; they have their primary community in the Little Axe, or Norman area. The White Turkey Band historically had assimilated more, adopting cultural ways of the European-American majority. Today many of its families are based in the Shawnee area. Regardless of historical viewpoints, the bands cooperate for the future of the tribe.
Locations and properties[edit]
The tribe operates its own housing authority and issues tribal vehicle tags. It owns a gas station, two smoke shops, two casinos, and the AST Health Center and Plus Care, in Norman or Shawnee, Oklahoma.[6] Its casinos, both called Thunderbird Casino, are east of Norman, near the tribal headquarters in Shawnee.[7] As of 2017, the tribe's economic impact is over $145 million. The tribe has 1,130 paid positions and paid $55 million to workers.[4]
The Absentee Shawnee Tribe has all the inherent powers of sovereignty held prior to the Constitution of the United States. Such powers include adopting and operating a form of government of its choosing, defining the conditions of tribal membership, regulating domestic relations of its members, levying taxes, regulating property within its jurisdiction, and controlling the conduct of membership by legislation and a justice system.
Its chosen form of government evolved over the first half of the 20th century. In 1938, the current government was formalized under a constitution written to provide statutory authority. The current constitution was ratified on December 5, 1938, and it was last amended on August 13, 1988.
The tribal government is composed of two separate branches: the legislative/executive branch (also referred to as Executive Committee) and the judicial branch. In addition, an independent body, the 'Election Committee,' conducts annual elections.
The legislative/executive branch has five members, all elected at-large: Governor, Lieutenant, Secretary, Treasurer, and Representative. Terms are four years. The Executive Committee sets policy, administers government programs, and executes the will of the tribal membership.
The current administration includes the following:
Language[edit]
Since the early 21st century, the tribe has created the Cultural Preservation Department to support cultural and language preservation. They offer a Shawnee language class and immersion program for children.[13] According to the Intertribal Wordpath Society, as of 2006, some 200 to 800 people still spoke the Shawnee language in Oklahoma.[14] Pauline Wahpepah, a fluent native speaker, teaches Shawnee for the tribe.[15]
George Blanchard, Sr, Governor of the Absentee Shawnee from 2009 to 2013, has more recently also been working on language programs and teaching both children and adults. Since 2014 he has worked as a language specialist at the Eastern Shawnee Cultural Preservation Department in Seneca, Missouri, near the Oklahoma border. He grew up speaking Shawnee and did not learn English until he was five years old. At Seneca, he teaches Headstart and elementary grade classes, as well as adults two evenings a week, to encourage families to use Shawnee at home. Since the early 21st century, he has also provided translations and language coaching on TV projects, such as Ric Burns’s 2009 PBS series We Shall Remain and the 2018 History Channel documentary series Frontiersmen.[16]