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 (Shawnee language house) on Friday, September 20, in Miami. They gave brief comments about the collaboration between Firaxis and the Shawnee Language Immersion Program (SLIP), Tecumseh’s character and Shawnee assets in the upcoming Civilization VII game.
Later that evening, Murray and Frederiksen joined tribal citizens, community members and staff for meat gravy & frybread and stomp dancing at the Miami Tribe Council House.
Murray and Frederiksen took stage Saturday morning to reveal and present the Civilization VII game to Shawnee citizens during the annual meeting of the tribal council at the Craig County Fairgrounds and Community Center in Vinita, OK. They spoke of how initial requests developed into an ongoing relationship they have working with the Shawnee Tribe, especially the SLIP staff. In addition to incorporating the Shawnee language into the game, they researched old family photographs, archaeological material, and consulted with cultural knowledge-keepers on content to share or not share.
Civilization VII had a table with promotional materials available for citizens during the annual meeting.
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 […]
Meet Magdalene “Mag” Walls, a proud Shawnee citizen born on February 25, 1921, in Ramona, Oklahoma. Her early years were spent in Ramona before her family moved to White Oak, where Mag attended grade school and met her first husband. Together, they had two wonderful children, Deloris and Jim. In 1942, Mag embarked on a […]
On Monday December 8, the new Chief Ron Sparkman Shawnee Tribe Council Chambers, located at 29 S. Main Street, held its naming, dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The newly designed interiors included the main tribal chambers, private tribal chambers, kitchen and prep space, restrooms, and a private meeting space all adorned with modern flooring, walls, lighting, […]