SHAWNEE

an Algonkian-speaking North American Indian tribe whose first known home was the central Ohio River Valley. Closely related in language and culture to the Fox, Kickapoo (qq.v.), and Sauk, the Shawnee were also influenced by a long association with the Seneca and Delaware. During the summer the Shawnee lived in bark-covered houses grouped into large villages near fields in which women cultivated maize (corn). The primary male occupation was hunting. In winter the village broke into small family groups, which moved to hunting camps. Each village had a large council house that was also used for such religious ceremonies as the ritual purification of warriors. Other important ceremonies included the spring bread dance, held when the fields were planted; the green corn dance, marking the ripening of crops; and the autumn bread dance. The Shawnee comprised five major divisions, and within these were named patrilineal clans. The position of civil chief was generally hereditary; war chiefs were chosen for their bravery, skill, and experience. In the 17th century the Shawnee were driven from their home by the Iroquois, scattering into widely separated areas. Some settled in what is now Illinois and others in the Cumberland Valley, while one group moved to the southeast. After 1725 the tribe united again in the region of Ohio, where they formed the principal barrier to the advance of white settlers. Following their defeat by Gen. Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and the failure of Tecumseh (q.v.) to unite the Indians of the Ohio Valley, they broke into three independent branches (Absentee, Eastern, and Cherokee Shawnee) that eventually settled in different parts of Oklahoma. In the late 20th century the Shawnee numbered over 2,000. city, Johnson County, northeastern Kansas, U.S., southwestern suburb of Kansas City. The Shawnee Indians made their headquarters there in 1828, when it was known as Gum Springs. The nearby Shawnee Methodist Mission and Indian Manual Labor School (1839) served twice during 185456 as the temporary territorial capital of Kansas and has been partially restored. The first newspaper in Kansas (1835), the Shawnee Sun, was printed in the Shawnee language at the Baptist Mission, 2 mi (3 km) east. From 1855 to 1858, Shawnee was the county seat. The city is mainly residential but is also a shipping point for the surrounding farming and dairying area. Inc. city, 1922. Pop. (1990) 37,993. city, seat of Pottawatomie County, central Oklahoma, U.S., on the North Canadian River, east-southeast of Oklahoma City. Founded in 1891, when the area was opened to white settlement, it was named for the Shawnee tribe, whose reservation and trading post were nearby. The railroad arrived in 1895, and the city prospered with the oil boom of the 1920s. Farming, stock raising, oil production, and small diversified industries are basic to the economy. Shawnee is the seat of Oklahoma Baptist University (1910) and St. Gregory's College (1875). It was the home of Dr. Brewster Higley, who wrote Home on the Range. Jim Thorpe, the Indian athlete, was born nearby. Inc. 1894. Pop. (1990) 26,017; (1994 est.) 27,879.