Shawnee Tribe
The Shawnee Tribe is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Oklahoma. Formerly known as the Loyal Shawnee, they are one of three federally recognized Shawnee tribes. The others are the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma.
Government[edit]
The headquarters of the Shawnee Tribe is Miami, Oklahoma. Currently, there are about 2,226 enrolled tribal members, with 1,070 of them living within the state of Oklahoma.[1]
Ben Barnes is the current elected Chief.[2] Previously, Ron Sparkman was the elected chairman, serving a four-year term.[1][3]
Economic development[edit]
The Shawnee Tribe issues its own tribal vehicle tags. They operate their own housing authority as well as a tribal smoke shop, the Shawnee Trails Gift Shop and Gallery, Shawnee Development LLC, and Shawnee Heritage Government Solutions.[4] Their annual economic impact is estimated by the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commissions to be $3 million.[4] Shawnee Development LLC is an economic development corporation established in 2001, owned by the tribe but conducting business separately from the general government functions.[5] The Shawnee Journal is a newspaper published by the tribe and distributed at no cost to all tribal members.[6]
Culture[edit]
Some traditional ceremonies, such as the Spring and Fall Bread Dance, the Green Corn ceremony, and stomp dances are still held. These take place in White Oak, Oklahoma. Some Shawnees are also members of the Native American Church peyote ceremonies, with most attending in the winter outside of the traditional Shawnee ceremonial cycle.