(“Let’s look closer”)
Ready for Launch: Shawnee Dictionary Now Available Online
For the past three years, staff linguist Anastasia Miller-Youst has been gathering thousands of Shawnee words and phrases, leading teams of interns, and working with SLIP’s first language specialist George Blanchard and community language preservationists (CLPs) on a massive undertaking—creating a searchable archive and online dictionary for saawanwaatoweewe (Shawnee language).
Part of the Indigenous Languages Digital Archive (ILDA), the dictionary is now available to all Shawnee people and language learners. The Shawnee ILDA also serves as a central archive for the primary sources used by the Shawnee Language Immersion Program’s curriculum development and research projects.
“When Terry Hinsley joined the team as a CLP, I knew he had the understanding of the language to help make it a reality,” said Anastasia. “He took the materials I gave him, expanded them, and also added audio for every single entry.”
Anastasia and the SLIP team have populated the dictionary with over 3,000 words and phrases thus far and will continually add more. Users may also submit requests for words they’d like to see added by using the dictionary’s feedback feature.
“It really was a team effort because as Terry was making entries, he would ask me questions about grammar rules, and we would often go to George Blanchard with all sorts of questions to help us make accurate entries. We have already created such a valuable resource and we’re not even done yet.”
Sign up here for the Shawnee ILDA.
Current users of SLIPstream, the Tribe’s online classroom portal, can access the Shawnee ILDA by clicking the announcement banner at the top of the homepage after logging on and requesting an account using the provided link.
If you are not enrolled in SLIPstream but would like access to the classroom portal, please email shawneelanguage@shawnee-tribe.com or call (918) 542-2441, ext. 109 for assistance.
TA KEEWAKI: Learn Shawnee Numbers and Colors with this Card Game
George Blanchard and Karl Meyer spent much of the last year hard at work developing ta keewaki (not yet!), a Shawnee card game for 3-10 players. Nostalgic and familiar as far as the rules of gameplay, ta keewaki helps players learn how to speak and read colors and numbers in saawanwaatoweewe (Shawnee language).
Citizens and SLIP participants may order up to three decks—pay only shipping. Shipping costs are $7 for 1 deck, $9 for 2 and $12 for 3.
Orders will be accepted through May 31 and will ship in early June.
or call (918) 542-2441 to place your order over the phone.
Messages from the Chiefs – Spring 2024 / / Chief Barnes discusses tribal tags in Oklahoma and defeating OK SB 1907, while Chief Baldridge highlights Shawnee leader’s roles and efforts, past and present.
On April 13, Golden Mesa Casino was the presenting sponsor of a 5k race in Guymon, OK. About 20 members from the casino and the Shawnee Tribe Gaming Commission participated as runners and event volunteers, helping to raise nearly $6,000 to benefit local Special Olympics.
In late March, Shawnee Tribe Second Chief Roy Baldridge and Councilman Keni Paul Hood (Seat 7) convened with more than 70 tribal leaders in Stillwater at a tribal summit on workforce and economic development hosted by the Oklahoma State University Spears School of Business and Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association. “This being the second year that […]
Shawnee Tribe Indian Child Welfare participated in the Peoria Tribe’s “Paint the Town Blue” initiative as a part of April’s Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month. Local muralist Jessica Stout painted the murals pictured below at the Tribe’s Downtown Miami location.
Since January, the Shawnee Tribe Gaming Commission are the new residents of 314 Northridge Circle in Guymon, OK. Commission staff moved out and began setting up the new office space in under a week, without any interruption to the operations of the Golden Mesa Casino. “Our staff was growing, and our building wasn’t,” said Gaming […]
DOMINANT AGGRESSOR DETERMINATIONS On March 27, the Shawnee Tribe & Native Alliance Against Violence co-sponsored a Domestic Violence Training event titled Dominant Aggressor Determinations. The training event was held in the Shawnee Tribe’s Community Building and had over 30 attendees, mainly law enforcement officers and DV victim advocates. “The event was successful, and we received […]
Contest open to citizens, students, CLPs or apprentices from any of the three Shawnee Nations or Shawnees enrolled in other federally recognized tribes. Entrants must use the official orthography of either the Shawnee Tribe or Absentee Shawnee Tribe for their project. Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in each category. 1st Place […]
Miami, OK — Business Council Secretary Carolyn Foster and Rosanna Dobbs, Shawnee Tribe Section 106 Manager, were in attendance at the February 23 groundbreaking for the new Northeastern Tribal Health System (NTHS) Wellness Center. “This is an exciting and needed addition to the services our clinic currently offers,” said Rosanna Dobbs, who also serves as […]