Absentee Shawnee Tribe Of Oklahoma

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Cultural Preservation

Historical Overview

The ancestral homelands of the Shawnees are in the northeastern United States. During the 19th century, the tribe was removed by the U.S. Government to what is now the state of Kansas. The group which became known as the Absentee Shawnee Tribe absented itself from the reservation in Kansas in 1845 (thus their name), and traveled southwards to Texas. Eventually they were relocated to Indian Territory ( Oklahoma). The Big Jim Band settled along the Deep Fork River, while the other band settled in its present site near Shawnee, Oklahoma. In 1886, the U.S. Army forced the Big Jim Band to move once again, this time to the site of its present community in Cleveland County.

The Cultural Preservation Department was created to preserve, maintain and protect our traditions, culture and language. Some of the ongoing activities of the Cultural Preservation Department are: the Gift Shop, Demonstration Classes, Museum/Exhibits, Resource Center/Archives, Tribal Historic Preservation Office and Cemetery Preservation Project.


Staff: Director of Cultural Preservation Henryetta Ellis Library/ Ast. Gift Shop Alicia Engler Administrative Asstistant/Gift Shop Tribal Historic Preservation Officer	Gift Shop Visit the AST Gift Shop for many wonderful and unique native handcrafted items! Gift Shop Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm Closed from 12-1pm for Lunch.	Demonstration Classes A variety of classes are offered throughout the year. For a list of upcoming classes contact the Cultural Preservation offices: (405) 275-4030 ext. 124 or ext. 148.

	TRIBAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE (THPO) The THPO identifies and maintains inventories of culturally significant properties, nominates properties to the national and tribal registers of historic places, conducts Section 106 reviews of Federal agency projects on tribal trust and ancestral lands, and provides educational programs on the importance of preserving culturally significant sites and landscapes. One of the major projects of the THPO is the Cemetery Preservation Project.	CEMETERY PRESERVATION PROJECT The aim of the Cemetery Preservation Project is to collect information on unmarked Absentee Shawnee gravesites to ensure that they are left undisturbed from human or construction activity. The Cultural Data Coordinator also assists the THPO in Section 106 reviews of Federal agency projects on tribal and ancestral lands.