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 kitchenette, plenty of gravel lot parking and approximately eight acres of land for the Shawnee Language Immersion Program’s future use. Off the back patio of the main building, the program is already working on what will eventually become a state-of-the-art audio recording studio.

The new facility is named for the late Ms. Emma “Mock” Donaldson (1921-2021). Mock was born in White Oak, OK and grew up in the area before eventually moving to raise her family in Sioux Falls, SD. She loved gardening, fishing, bowling and sewing, and she was one of the last remaining first-language speakers and among the oldest living Shawnees at the time of her passing. Two of Mock’s children and many of her extended family members were in attendance at the ribbon cutting, where Chief Ben Barnes spoke about the language warriors, including Mock, who laid the foundations for what the Shawnee Language Immersion Program is now able to accomplish. Other honorary guests included the family of Troy Little Axe, Sr., representatives from Firaxis Games, who’ve recently worked with the tribe’s language program on their in-game portrayal of historical leader Tecumseh in the forthcoming seventh edition of Sid Meier’s Civilization video game franchise, and George “Fife” Blanchard, who works for the tribe as their first-language specialist. The ceremony’s remarks concluded with heartfelt speeches from Mock’s daughters, Diann Burrier and Audrey Holzworth.

The Shawnee Language Immersion Program team is looking forward to their future in the new facility named for such a remarkable Shawnee woman. While the facility is not generally open to the public during tribal business hours, Shawnee citizens and local community members should watch for upcoming events at the saanwanwaatoweewika, like the Winter Stories Gathering on Friday, December 7.