Shawnee language learners of all ages and abilities are invited to join the Shawnee Language Immersion Program for the 2025 Language Fair, Dinner and Stomp Dance on Saturday, July 26, at the Emma “Mock” Donaldson saawanwaatoweewika east of Miami, OK. Citizens of all three Shawnee nations are eligible to participate. Submissions will not be judged for the complexity of the language used but rather on each contestant’s ability to incorporate the language they know, understand, and feel confident speaking in a creative project. Use what you’ve learned in class to make something of your own, and, most of all, have fun! Over $6,000 in prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in each category—scroll down for complete requirements and important project deadlines.
Entry Requirements & Contest Categories
All entries must primarily consist of written and spoken Shawnee, a written and spoken English translation, and accompanying image(s). Shawnee text must be written using either the Shawnee Tribe orthography or bibabebo. A non-exhaustive list of possible project formats is at the bottom of this page; however, final fair presentations must be submitted as an MP4 or MOV video file and meet the maximum allowable duration guidelines in the table below. Participants whose video presentations exceed the maximum allowable duration will be asked to trim their presentations or indicate start & end timestamps to meet the guidelines. Assistance in creating the final video presentation will be available for every contestant who needs it.
| Category | Written Length | Video Duration (max.) |
| Kindergarten – Grade 2 | 1-3 words or phrases | 2 minutes |
| Grades 3 – 5 | 4-10 sentences | 3 minutes |
| Grades 6 – 8 | 6-16 sentences | 4 minutes |
| Grades 9 – 12 | 10-20 sentences | 6 minutes |
| Adult Students – SLIP Levels 1–3 | 10-20 sentences | 6 minutes |
| Adult Students – miina, waapiko, m’skoci’faki, taami | 10-20 sentences | 6 minutes |
| Adult CLPs & Apprentices | 10-20 sentences | 6 minutes |
Tap/click each date below for more important information about these upcoming deadlines and Fair Day!
There’s only one Earth — and it’s up to all of us to help take care of it. Why Recycling Matters: ♻️ Reduces Landfill WasteItems that can be recycled take up unnecessary space in landfills. Recycling keeps usable materials in circulation instead of buried in the ground. 🌳 Conserves Natural ResourcesRecycling paper saves trees. Recycling aluminum saves […]
May is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Month, a time to bring attention to the high rates of violence experienced by Native American and Alaska Native communities. MMIP highlights the urgent need to address the number of Indigenous people who go missing or are murdered each year. Native communities face higher rates of […]
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness and support for survivors. Sexual violence can happen anywhere, in any community, and affects people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds, including Native American communities, who are disproportionately impacted. Sexual violence means any unwanted sexual contact or behavior without consent. This can include rape, […]
Plastic production has grown rapidly over the past 60 years, creating an estimated 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic—most of it used in disposable products that quickly become trash. Of that total, about 6.3 billion metric tons has already become waste. Despite widespread recycling eaorts, only about 9% of plastic waste has been recycled. Around […]
By A. Gwynn Henderson and David Pollack On September 7, 1816, readers skimming the Niles’ Weekly Register might have noticed a story about two groups of Shawnee men visiting central Kentucky. It appears on a page with a variety of national and international news: an accounting of how many immigrants had arrived in America, details […]
On November 15, Shawnee Tribe’s Environmental Manager, Cindy Riley, participated in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s recycling event to explore new ways of collecting and processing materials—from electronics and batteries to tires, and many more items—and to bring those best practices back to our own tribal community. Key takeaways: Next steps: Together, we can grow our […]
Button cell batteries are the small, flat, round batteries found in watches, hearing aids, key fobs, calculators, toys, and medical devices. They may be tiny, but they contain valuable materials and can create safety hazards if thrown in the trash. Because they are so small, button batteries are often tossed with household waste. However, lithium […]
On October 22, 2025, the Shawnee Tribe was notified that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would pause operations during the month of November due to a protracted government shutdown. In response, the Shawnee Tribe developed the Temporary Emergency Food Benefit Assistance Program, which was established by October 29, 2025, to support Shawnee Tribe families […]