A Culture Challenged

This map indicates the traditional location of Shawnee language speakers. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The Shawnee have deep roots in the Ohio River valley. This Algonquian speaking people, who archaeologists believe are likely descendants of the Fort Ancient culture, have raised children, grown crops such as corns, beans and squash, and hunted game in the fertile valley for countless generations. They believe it to be the land given to them by the Master of Life. Other nearby Aboriginal groups did not always agree, however, and there was certainly warfare before contact with European newcomers.

Since 1650 the Shawnee had been constantly on the move, shifting their homes throughout what is now Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Pennsylvania. The fur trade encouraged by European newcomers brought the lure of profits and access to desirable foreign goods but limited resources meant that conflict with other Aboriginal groups was common. The westward expansion of European settlements also brought increased violence as European newcomers expanded their farms and homesteads further into Indigenous territory. Many settlers believed that North America had been divinely given to them and were unwilling to recognize the land rights of Aboriginal occupants. As a result, many Indigenous peoples were dislocated from their traditional lands.

The Shawnee, like many other Aboriginal groups, engaged in alliances with Europeans when it seemed to be to their advantage. For example, during the French and Indian War (1754-63), the Shawnee first allied themselves with the French then switched to the British when they appeared to be the likely victors. British commander Jeffrey Amherst soon soured this relationship by cutting back on the number of gifts given to Native allies. Gift-giving was a very important part of Native-newcomer diplomacy and was an vital indicator of a respectful relationship. Given this grave insult and unrelenting settler expansion, the Shawnee decided to take part in Pontiac’s War against the British in 1763. Much was changing for Eastern Aboriginal peoples in the mid-18th century, but the Shawnee and other groups continued to resist the expansion of the colonies.