Shawnee
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he Shawnee originally lived in the Ohio River Valley and spoke Algonquian. They lived in wigwams, or domed shaped houses made out of wood poles and covered in bark or grass. They had several dances dedicated to growing crops during each season: the spring Bread Dance, the Green Corn Dance, and the autumn Bread Dance. They celebrated the planting, ripening, and cultivation of crops respectively. Around 1630, the Iroquois pushed the Shawnee out if the Ohio territory, moving them south. Around 100 years later the Shawnee moved back into the Ohio territory as the Iroquois’ power lessened. Trade with the settlers was being pushed during this time. However, in exchange for furs, the settlers gave the Shawnee brandy or rum which led to problems involving alcohol abuse. During the French and Indian war, the Shawnee originally sided with the French until 1758 when they switched sides to support the British. After several agreements, the “Treaty of Easton” and the “Proclamation of 1763”, established the Shawnee’s ownership of land and promoted limits to English colonization. However, the colonists continued to approach and cross the border onto Shawnee land. As a result of encroachments by settlers in the Ohio Valley, the Native Americans attacked the settlers. In May, 1774, the Governor of Virginia declared war on the Natives. Virginia won the war; the land previously deemed as “hunting grounds” was given to the British. During the Revolutionary War, hoping to stop the settlers from taking more land, the Shawnee fought on the side of the British. They continued resisting further settlements after the British lost the war, but were forced to give up most of their land in Ohio after the “Treaty of Greenville” in 1795. They hoped to gain back their land, however, by fighting in the War of 1812. After the “Treaty of Fort Meigs of 1817”, the Shawnee were forced to give up all their land and were placed on three reservations in Ohio. In the 1830’s, the United States
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