The numerous Shawnee comprised five septs, each with its own chief and
functioning much like a separate tribe yet bound together by common history,
language and culture. Plus, of course, the shared dangers posed by
western expansion. In the 1700s, this was the primary cause of conflict within the Shawnee
Nation as increasing pressure strengthened the resolve of some to stay and
fight for their homelands and others to conclude that only a westward
migration could save the Nation itself. In 1779, the Shawnee Nation split irrevocably. About four thousand Shawnee, from all five septs, moved west of the
Mississippi to
Cape Girardeau, MO. This included most of the Thawegilas,
Kispokothas and Peckuwes, and a sizeable portion of the Chalahgawthas.
In the history books, these became known as the Absentee Shawnee. Less than three thousand, including perhaps 850 warriors, remained east of
the Mississippi. These included most of the Maykujays, a goodly number
of Chalahgawthas, and some of the other three septs. They became known
as the Eastern Shawnee. Before the Civil War, a band of the Absentee Shawnee settled in the western
Creek lands between the two branches of the Canadian River. After the
war, when the Creeks were forced to cede their western lands, the
Pottawatomies of Kansas were resettled in the same area. Thus, a small tract of land between the North and South branches of the Canadian,
between the Unassigned Lands on the west and and the Seminole Nation on
the east, became known as the Pottawatomie and Shawnee Lands. By an 1872 Act of Congress, this was divided into Allotments. At the time, the Shawnee and Pottawatomie together numbered about 900. In general, the Shawnee Allottments were in the northern portion. Links: Visitors since March 20, 2000
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