Shawnee language classes will resume for the 2025 calendar year on Monday, January 6! The Shawnee language team will work with each individual student to place them in the appropriate course(s) based on their learning preferences and familiarity with saawanwaatoweewe (Shawnee language). After course placement, class details will be distributed via SLIPstream, the tribe’s virtual language learning platform.

More About Classes: In general, live virtual classes will meet weekly via Zoom. Depending on the course, classes are led by either a Community Language Preservationist (CLP), or a Shawnee language Apprentice.

The most recent addition to the available courses is the mayaani kake’kimetiiwe (parent/caregiver) class. Michelle Hood, the Early Childhood Development Director for the tribe’s Living Languages Grant Program, will lead this course. While the coursework is geared toward parents and caregivers of young children, anyone hoping to learn elementary vocabulary and ways to implement it quickly with others will benefit from this class. Students in mayaani kake’kimetiiwe will learn the vocabulary for subjects like colors, animals, numbers, body parts, and emotions, as well as basic games and activities to reinforce these concepts in a group setting. The course can be taken on its own or as a supplement to other classes.

Student Enrollment: Students should meet at least one of the following enrollment guidelines and be prepared to show proper documentation:

1. Enrolled citizens or lineal descendants of any of the three Shawnee nations (Shawnee Tribe, Eastern Shawnee Tribe, Absentee Shawnee Tribe).
2. Family members (including non-Native spouses or extended family) to Shawnees who meet guideline #1.
3. Employees of the Shawnee Tribe

Other students who do not meet the above guidelines may be eligible for enrollment on a case-by-case basis.

Existing and new students should complete this online form to begin the registration process.