Welcome to ta’saawanwaatoweeyakwe, the new blog series dedicated to the Shawnee Language Immersion Program’s happenings and language preservation work. Now that we are most of the way through the first year of our Master-Apprentice program, we wanted to share some of our work. Each week we focus on a new concept, and we had a lot of fun during our story unit. ke’ki’kimoofocki (students) and keeke’kimiweecki (teachers) alike wrote short stories in saawanwaatoweewe (Shawnee language), designed to be simple for ease of understanding. Read the English translations of their stories below! Log in to SLIPstream to read this post in saawanwaatoweewe [the Shawnee language]. Need to register for SLIPStream? Email a copy of your tribal ID to shawneelanguage@shawnee-tribe.com.
Mikala Hill
The mouse looks for cheese.
They looked in the living room but couldn’t find the cheese.
They looked in the bedroom but couldn’t find the cheese.
They looked in the bathroom but couldn’t find the cheese.
Mouse thought.
They looked in the kitchen, there they found cheese.
The mouse cooked cheese and was happy.
Marsha Meyer
This cat is looking for mice.
He looks in the living room but doesn’t find mice.
He looks in the bedroom but doesn’t find mice.
He looks in the bathroom but doesn’t find mice.
This cat thinks.
He looks in the kitchen and here he finds mice.
This cat chases the mice, he eats them and he is happy.
Margaret Sewell
My mother looks for a book.
She looks in the living room but doesn’t find the book.
She looks in the bedroom but doesn’t find the book.
She looks in the bathroom but doesn’t find the book.
My mother thinks.
She looks in the kitchen, here she finds the book.
My mother reads and she’s happy.
Daniel Citty
My baby daughter is looking for milk.
Near her toys she looks, but she doesn’t find milk.
Behind the rocking chair she looks, but she doesn’t find any milk.
In the kitchen she looks, but she doesn’t find any milk.
My baby daughter thinks.
In the bedroom she looks, here is her mama!
My wife nurses her, our baby daughter, and they are happy.
Ryan Conway
This coyote looked for a toy.
He looked for it in the forest but he didn’t find a toy.
He looked for it in the field but he didn’t find a toy.
He looked for it at the lake but didn’t find a toy.
This coyote thought.
He looked for it at the store, right here he found a toy!
This coyote played and he was glad!
Dillon Dean
My Grandma looks for a cigarette.
In the living room, she searched but did not find a cigarette.
In the bedroom, she searched but did not find a cigarette.
In the bathroom, she searched but did not find a cigarette.
My grandma thought.
In the kitchen, she searched, and here she found a cigarette.
My grandma smoked and was happy.
Coral Avery
Little duck looks for her friend.
She searched among the flowers, but she didn’t find her friend.
She searched in the woods, but she didn’t find her friend.
She searched at the garden, but she didn’t find her friend.
Little duck thought.
She searched by the lake, there she found her friend.
Now little duck can play with her friend and she is happy.
Lindsey Jennings
This mouse looks for a bed.
Wiila looks in the living room but doesn’t find a bed.
Wiila looks in the kitchen but doesn’t find a bed.
Wiila looks in the bathroom but doesn’t find a bed.
This mouse thinks.
Wiila looks in the bedroom, here wiila finds a bed.
This mouse sleeps and is happy.
Steve Roach
My brother looks for a book.
He looks in the living room but does not find the book.
He looks in his bedroom but does not find the book.
He looks in the bathroom and does not find the book.
Finally my brother thinks.
He looks in the basement and here he finds the book.
My brother sells the book and he becomes happy.
Andrea Conway
Rabbit-lady looks for glasses.
She searched in the burrow, but she didn’t find glasses.
She searched by the river, but she didn’t find glasses.
She searched on the table, but she didn’t find glasses.
Rabbit-lady thought.
She searched in the garden, there she found the glasses.
Now rabbit-lady can see with her eyes and she is happy.
ONE CITIZEN’S JOURNEY THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION, CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND HOMEOWNERSHIP Shawnee tribal citizen Michael Cedrone lives in Texas, where he works as Head of Human Resources at GBC Food Services. Cedrone attributes his success to the tribe’s educational, career and housing support programs. His professional journey began at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, TX, […]
During General Council weekend (September 20-21), the Shawnee Tribe hosted Firaxis Games’ Pete Murray (Learning & Development Manager) and Lead Producer Andrew Frederiksen, developers of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, due to be released next February. Murray and Frederiksen kicked off their Shawnee visit with attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Emma “Mock” Donaldson saawanwaatoweewika […]
Messages from the Chiefs – Fall 2024: It’s a US Election Day! Chief Barnes highlights the importance of voting in every election, local to federal, and Chief Baldridge reflects on the earliest days of his service on the Business Council compared to where we are today.
Shawnee language classes will resume for the 2025 calendar year on Monday, January 6! Self-paced learners and those hoping to participate in live classes should contact the Shawnee Language Immersion Program team (SLIP) to begin enrollment. SLIP will work with each individual student to place them in the appropriate course(s) based on their learning preferences […]
On Friday, September 20, tribal citizens and community members gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Shawnee Tribe’s newest facility and cultural resource—the Emma “Mock” Donaldson saawanwaatoweewika (Shawnee language house). A little more than ten minutes east of central Miami, OK, the facility boasts a large, open gathering space with high ceilings and a […]
On October 15, the Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine and his wife, First Lady Frances “Fran” DeWine traveled to Miami, OK to visit with various Shawnee Tribal programs and leadership. “We were honored to receive Governor DeWine and his wife at our Shawnee language house, Cultural Center, and Administrative offices,” said Chief Ben Barnes. “We […]
In September, the Shawnee Tribe’s Gaming Commission staff received safety training from City of Guymon professionals including; Fire Marshall Jason Bond, Fire Chief Scott Lathrop, 911 Director Justin Carnagey, and Police Sergeant Jacob Bankston. “It was a very productive training day and was well received by the Gaming Commission staff,” said Otis Hughs, Executive Director […]
GILA RIVER, Ariz.—Chief Ben Barnes attended today’s event on the reservation of the Gila River Indian Community, where President Joe Biden delivered a historic speech and a formal presidential apology for 150 years of federal Indian boarding school policies which he called “a shame” and “a blot on American history.” “I’m delighted that President Biden’s […]