For Immediate Release
Press Contact: media@shawnee-tribe.com
TOPEKA, KS – Kansas Governor Laura Kelley signed Senate Bill 405, authorizing the Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS), to convey the Shawnee Indian Cemetery located in Johnson County, to the Shawnee Tribe. The 0.52 acre parcel of land is the final resting place of Shawnee personages such as Chief Joseph Parks and family members of famous general Chief Bluejacket.
“The Shawnee Tribe considers the cemetery a sacred place, a traditional cultural property,” said Chief Ben Barnes. “We are committed to protecting the gravesites of our ancestors and to the preservation and conservation of the historical, archeological character of the site.”
The Shawnee Indian Cemetery is located near Nieman Road and W 59th Terrace, in Shawnee, Kansas. Chief Barnes and Second Chief Baldridge previously met with the leadership of the City of Shawnee with plans to continue relationship-building between the Shawnee Tribe and the City of Shawnee.
“Besides being a sacred site for our people, it also signifies the general location of our last true home,” said Second Chief Roy Baldridge. “We are grateful to the Kansas Legislature and the Governor’s office for the conveyance of the cemetery. We also appreciate the assistance of the Kansas Historic Preservation Office.”
The Kansas Attorney General has reviewed and approved the deeds and conveyance. The bill states the Shawnee Tribe agrees to pay all costs related to the conveyance and grants the State a historic preservation easement that will reflect current federal preservation laws regarding properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
WATCH 7-min video highlights of SB 405
EXPLORE Kansas legislature’s history of SB 405.
DOWNLOAD Chief Barnes written testimony for SB 405.
READ “Kansas bill aims to return sacred land to Shawnee Tribe” (Fox 4 Kansas City, Feb 8, 2022)
READ “A Visit to the Shawnee Indian Cemetery” (JoCoHistory, Oct 14, 2018)
READ “Shawnee Indian Cemetery” (KansasTravel.org, 2008)
***
About the Shawnee Tribe
The Shawnee Tribe is a sovereign nation of more than 3,700 citizens living across North America and abroad. Tribal headquarters are located in Miami, Oklahoma. Chief Benjamin J. Barnes was elected in 2019, and Second Chief Roy Baldridge took office in 2020. The Shawnee Tribe’s Kansas reservation was significantly reduced in 1854 and became allotted to individual Shawnee Tribal citizens by 1858, with some lands being held in common by Shawnee Tribal citizens of the Black Bob Band. However, aggression and abuse from white settlers before, during, and after the Civil War forced most Shawnees to relocate to northeastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit shawnee-nsn.gov.
On Monday, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum for heads of executive departments and federal agencies requiring agencies to “complete a comprehensive analysis of all of their [f]ederal financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects, and activities that may be implicated by any of the President’s executive […]
Messages from the Chiefs — Spring 2025: Chief Banes looks ahead in 2025, and Chief Baldridge highlights building and maintaining relationships on the local, state and federal levels to ensure the growth of the Shawnee Tribe.
MIAMI, OK — Chief Benjamin Barnes of the Shawnee Tribe is commending recent federal efforts to advance the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Adopted in 2007, UNDRIP outlines the rights of Indigenous peoples worldwide, and the United States joined 192 other United Nations member states in 2014 in committing to […]
Check out recycling plastics by their numbers from the tribe’s Environmental Resources Department!
Stalking is a pattern of repeated, unwanted, and intrusive behavior aimed at controlling or intimidating another person. It can involve a range of actions, from following the victim in person or online to sending excessive texts, emails, or gifts. Stalking is often driven by a desire for power or control and can occur between people […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MIAMI, OK—The Shawnee Tribe Tag Office is now an authorized PIKEPASS agent. The most cost-effective way to travel Oklahoma’s turnpikes, PIKEPASS can also be used on toll roads in Texas and Kansas, as well as certain toll roads in Florida and Colorado. Since 2021, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) has been migrating […]
Check out these fun facts about recycling aluminum from the tribe’s Environmental Resources Department!
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at specific times of the year, typically during the fall and winter months when daylight hours are shorter, occasionally referred to as the “winter blues”. It’s believed to be triggered by changes in sunlight exposure, which can disrupt the body’s natural rhythms, including the […]