United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation
The United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation, also called the Shawnee Nation, United Remnant Band (URB), is an organization that self-identifies as a Native American tribe in Ohio. Its members identify as descendants of Shawnee people. In 2016, the organization incorporated as a church.[1]
| Abbreviation | URB |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Shawnee Nation, United Remnant Band[1] |
| Successor | Zane Shawnee Caverns[2] |
| Formation | 1971[2] |
| Founder | Hawk Pope[1] |
| Founded at | Bellefontaine, Ohio[1] |
| 31-0952858[1][2] | |
| Purpose | Christian,[2] Church; Cultural, Ethnic Awareness (A23)[1] |
| Headquarters | Bellefontaine, Ohio[1] |
| Location | |
Official language | English |
Executive officer | Lukas Peshewa Pope[2] |
Revenue (2022) | $70,113[2] |
| Expenses (2022) | $43,100[2] |
Staff (2022) | 0[2] |
Three federally recognized tribes of Shawnee are based in Oklahoma.[3]
Status edit
Despite using the word nation in its name, the group is neither a federally recognized tribe[4] nor a state-recognized tribe.[5][6] Ohio has no office to manage Indian affairs[7] and no state-recognized tribes.[6]
In the late 1970s, the band filed historical and genealogical documents with the state to support their claim of descent from the historical Shawnee.
The Ohio General Assembly held hearings and heard testimony from numerous groups.[8] In 1979, the 113th Ohio General Assembly passed a "Joint Resolution to recognize the Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band", as adopted by the Ohio Senate, 113th General Assembly, Regular Session, Am. Sub. H.J.R. No. 8, 1979-1980.[citation needed]
At least 35 groups in Ohio claim to have Shawnee descent, such as the Vinyard Indian Settlement, but "Ohio has no state recognized tribes nor does it have a recognition process," wrote Mary Annette Pember (Red Cliff Ojibwe).[9]
Nonprofit organization and church edit
In 1971, residents of Ohio organized the United Remnant Band of the Shawnee Nation as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization.[2] Until his death in 2015, Jerry L. "Hawk" Pope led the URB for more than 40 years.[10][11]
In 2016, the IRS accepted Shawnee Nation, United Remnant Band as a church in the state of Ohio.[1] Jack "Eagle" Lewis" served on the church's board of directors in 2008.[1]
Now the nonprofit is named Zane Shawnee Caverns, a Christian 501(c)(3) organization.[2] The Tides Foundation donated $150,000 to the organization in 2021.[2]
The nonprofit's administration in 2022–23 was:
Properties edit
In 1989 the URB purchased 110 acres near Urbana, Ohio.[citation needed] In 1989 the URB purchased 20 acres of land, three miles (6.4 km) south of Urbana, Ohio.[12][13]
In 1995 the URB purchased the Zane Caverns and an associated museum, between Zanesfield and Bellefontaine, Ohio.[10] In total they have bought 330 acres in four counties.[10] They renamed 100-acre (0.40 km2) campground, museum, gift shop, caverns, and surrounding property as the Zane Shawnee Caverns and Southwind Park.
The museum in Bellefontaine was expanded and renamed as the George Drouillard Museum, for George Drouillard (Shawnee, 1773–1810), an interpreter and hunter who was a part of Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806).[5][14]
Membership edit
The Shawnee Nation, URB states that the organization requires people to trace their lineage and document at least one-eighth Shawnee ancestry (the equivalent of one great-grandparent), or one-16th if the person is a child "of a provable person."[15]
Coins edit
The US Mint contracted with the United Remnant Band to sew pouches for the 2004 US Mint Lewis and Clark Coin but was informed by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board that "the Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band of Ohio does not meet the legal requirements to produce and market authentic 'Indian' products under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act." The US mint refunded money that customers spent on the pouches.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band". GuideStar. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Zane Shawnee Caverns". CauseIQ.
- ^ Smith, Pamela A. "Shawnee Tribe (Loyal Shawnee)". The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ "Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs". Indian Affairs Bureau. Federal Register. 11 November 2022. pp. 7554–58. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ a b c DAVID LAZARUS, "Tribal question a matter of dollars", Los Angeles Times, 2 November 2007, accessed 11 January 2014
- ^ a b . National Conference of State Legislatures. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "State Committees and Commissions on Indian Affairs". National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "American Indians in Ohio", Ohio Memory: An Online Scrapbook of Ohio History. The Ohio Historical Society, retrieved October 10, 2006[dead link]
- ^ Pember, Mary Annette (19 June 2015). "Black and Red and White Like Me: Natives Know Too Many Rachel Dolezals". Indian Country Today Media Network. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ a b c ; The Ojibwe News, October 16, 1998
- ^ Obituary for Jerry L. Pope, April 26, 1941 - May 13, 2015 (accessed 2015-10-02).
- ^ Kevin Harter, "Ohio Home At Last For The Shawnees", Cox News Service in The Free Lance–Star, May 26, 1989.
- ^ "Split Shawnee Tribe Gains a 'Homeland'", Associated Press in Tulsa World, May 18, 1989.
- ^ Jon Craig, "Indian Gaming Interests Eye Ohio; Secrecy, Big Money Surround Land Deals, Plans", Columbus Dispatch, 1 June 2003, hosted at American Policy Roundtable, accessed 9 January 2014
- ^ Boice, Judith. "A Place Without Apology", Cultural Survival Quarterly, Issue 14.2, 30 April 1990, accessed 11 January 2014
External links edit
- Shawnee Nation, United Remnant Band, official website[dead link]
- Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band, ProPublica
- Zane Shawnee Cavers & Southwind Park