Eastern Shawnee Cultural Preservation Department

09/02/2026

We hope everyone is excited for the history summit!
Here are some shots from a photoshoot we recently had showcasing our 1790s-1800s time period.
This is just one of the four time periods we will be showcasing at the history summit.

Come and learn about 500+ years of fashion in the world of Shawnee people on Monday, September 21st.
Dress in your best traditional dress, and come see the outfits we are making for the new exhibit that will debut at this year's annual history summit!

Thanks to Maliah Silverhorn and Bailey Brown for modeling these outfits for us.

Thanks to Har-Ber Village on Grand Lake O' The Cherokees for allowing us to shoot these photos at the museum as well!

08/19/2026

Good guesses everyone!
This week's object was a reproduction of a copper spoon from a monongahela site in western PA.
Copper has been used by people in the great lakes region and beyond for roughly 9,000 years for tools, jewelry, and personal items- like our spoon. Monongahela is a contemporary of our fort ancient and mississipian archeological cultures, and lived lived similar to fort ancient people, but in significantly smaller village groups.

The deep red and black colors in this spoon come from the repeated process of fire-annealing and cooling the metal, which softens it so you can continue working the thin sheet into its final form.

This item will be part of the exhibits for the upcoming history summit, so come check it out and see it in person!

08/19/2026

Nehiwe yooma?
It's "what is that?" Wednesday!!

Here's a super close up of something we have out at Natives Connected, now it's up to you to see if you can guess what it is!

Later today, or once we get a correct guess, we'll post the reveal with a bit of history about the object.
Good luck!

08/17/2026

Just over a month away! We hope to see everyone there, we will have lots of cool information and displays on shawnee fashion through the ages!
doors will open to the public at 9:00 am on Monday, vendors and display booths can begin setting up at 7:00 am.

to register as a vendor or set up a display booth, email [email protected] and [email protected]

07/23/2026

We are grateful to WYSO Public Radio and NPR All Things Considered for helping share the story of Eastern Shawnee people visiting our homeland sites. Niyaawe!

The group of Eastern Shawnee citizens made stops in sacred and historic sites across their homelands in the Midwest.

07/22/2026

Nehiwe yooma?
It's "what is that?" Wednesday!!

Here's a super close up of something on display at Natives Connected, now its up to you to see if you can guess what it is!

Later today, or once we get a correct guess, we'll post the reveal with a bit of history about the object. Happy guessing!

07/20/2026

Here’s a quick reminder that our Teen’s Culture Camp starts a week from today, at 9am on July 27th at Natives Connected, and runs until July 29th, ending with an overnight in the Wiikwa, or bark house, we’ll be building together!

If you missed the link to register, it’s not too late to sign up your teen! Here is the link to the sign up sheet:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RizyFqaNRha2hcSgk71LKcztwqIK-d8O/view?usp=sharing

We welcome all ESTO members 13+ and their parents/guardians to attend and spend time with us as we cook, sing, play, and work together with one mind.
Niyaawe!

07/18/2026

Howesiwapani! After Pittsburgh, we headed towards Northern Ohio and Michigan. Fort Laurens, and then on to River Raisin National Battlefield.

Fort laurens was only there for a short time, but it represents one of the most direct American pushes into native territories-attempting to create a string of forts leading to Detroit to remove British presence from North America, and by extension, remove British support from tribes like the Shawnee.

River Raisin is a war of 1812 site where British forces, along with Tecumseh's confederacy, handed the United States one of the largest defeats of the war of 1812.

07/16/2026

We spent some time at Meadowcroft Rock Shelter today, learning about some truly ancient human history in our homelands.

19,000+ years ago, some of our earliest ancestors walked along the cross creek, near the Ohio River and found a place that would prove how perfect it was over generations. If you closed your eyes tonight and woke up 19,000 years ago- there's no telling what language you would speak, what you would call the large family group you traveled seasonally with, or the places you visited through the year. But you would likely be hunting with your father, brothers, or older sisters- setting traps for small game, birds, and fish along the way. Gathering firewood with your grandparents or your brother who had a leg injury. Or even going out in the afternoon with your mother to forage tubers, nuts, berries, pawpaws, or whatever else is in season while you camp for a few weeks under the rock face.

We may not know WHO the earliest people were, but we know that their communities were seasonally mobile and deeply connected to the world around them, and that even in Ice Age North America, supportive and healthy communities did far better than isolated ones. We are grateful to learn these lessons today.