Shawnee Tribe Expresses Interest in FBI Raid in Rush County, Indiana

Shawnee Tribe involved interested in FBI raid of human remains in Rush county, Indiana. Tribal support of NAGPRA

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Indianapolis, IN -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/07/2014 --The Shawnee Tribe has been in active conversations with individuals from the FBI and IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis) regarding this week's raid on a collector of human remains in Rush County, Indiana.

The Shawnee Tribe formerly occupied much of what is now Indiana prior to statehood. All trafficking, collecting and displaying of native ancestors is of interest to the Shawnee, particularly those from our former homelands. The Shawnee Tribe supports the efforts of the State of Indiana and the FBI to determine the exact scope and nature of the collection under investigation. We have the utmost hope to have a briefing with all parties involved at the earliest possible date.

The Shawnee Tribe also regrets that there has been some confusion within the local news medias about reports of the FBI raid, the nature and scope of the investigation, and who actually represents the Shawnee Tribe. The Shawnee Tribe also awaits additional information but urges patience during the ongoing efforts. We also urge that parties that claim to represent the Shawnee be fully investigated before accepting their claims as being native, a tribal member, or an official representative of the tribe.

News organizations and institutions seeking additional information from the Shawnee should direct their inquiries to our tribal headquarters located in Miami, Oklahoma. That address is 29 South Highway 69A, Miami, OK 74354 or by calling (918) 542-2441.

The Shawnee Tribe is one of three federally recognized Shawnees and we urge parties to contact our office, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe or the Absentee Shawnee Tribe for official information.

About The Shawnee Tribe
The Shawnees are an Eastern Woodlands tribe pushed west by white encroachment. In 1793, some of the Shawnee Tribe's ancestors received a Spanish land grant at Cape Girardeau, Missouri. After the 1803 Louisiana Purchase brought this area under American control, some Cape Girardeau Shawnees went west to Texas and Old Mexico and later moved to the Canadian River in southern Oklahoma, becoming the Absentee Shawnee Tribe.

The Shawnees settled in and around White Oak, Bird Creek (Sperry), and Hudson Creek (Fairland), maintaining separate communities and separate cultural identities. Known as the Cherokee Shawnees, they would also later be called the Loyal Shawnees.

Initial efforts begun in the 1980s to separate the Shawnee Tribe from Cherokee Nation culminated when Congress enacted Public Law 106-568, the Shawnee Tribe Status Act of 2000, which restored the Shawnee Tribe to its position as a sovereign Indian nation.

Media Relations Contact

Ben Barnes
Shawnee Tribe
918-542-2441
http://www.shawnee-tribe.com/

View this press release online at: http://rwire.com/488788