Welcome to ta’saawanwaatoweeyakwe, the new blog series dedicated to the Shawnee Language Immersion Program’s happenings and language preservation work. Now that we are most of the way through the first year of our Master-Apprentice program, we wanted to share some of our work. Each week we focus on a new concept, and we had a lot of fun during our story unit. ke’ki’kimoofocki (students) and keeke’kimiweecki (teachers) alike wrote short stories in saawanwaatoweewe (Shawnee language), designed to be simple for ease of understanding. Read the English translations of their stories below! Log in to SLIPstream to read this post in saawanwaatoweewe [the Shawnee language]. Need to register for SLIPStream? Email a copy of your tribal ID to shawneelanguage@shawnee-tribe.com.
Mikala Hill
The mouse looks for cheese.
They looked in the living room but couldn’t find the cheese.
They looked in the bedroom but couldn’t find the cheese.
They looked in the bathroom but couldn’t find the cheese.
Mouse thought.
They looked in the kitchen, there they found cheese.
The mouse cooked cheese and was happy.
Marsha Meyer
This cat is looking for mice.
He looks in the living room but doesn’t find mice.
He looks in the bedroom but doesn’t find mice.
He looks in the bathroom but doesn’t find mice.
This cat thinks.
He looks in the kitchen and here he finds mice.
This cat chases the mice, he eats them and he is happy.
Margaret Sewell
My mother looks for a book.
She looks in the living room but doesn’t find the book.
She looks in the bedroom but doesn’t find the book.
She looks in the bathroom but doesn’t find the book.
My mother thinks.
She looks in the kitchen, here she finds the book.
My mother reads and she’s happy.
Daniel Citty
My baby daughter is looking for milk.
Near her toys she looks, but she doesn’t find milk.
Behind the rocking chair she looks, but she doesn’t find any milk.
In the kitchen she looks, but she doesn’t find any milk.
My baby daughter thinks.
In the bedroom she looks, here is her mama!
My wife nurses her, our baby daughter, and they are happy.
Ryan Conway
This coyote looked for a toy.
He looked for it in the forest but he didn’t find a toy.
He looked for it in the field but he didn’t find a toy.
He looked for it at the lake but didn’t find a toy.
This coyote thought.
He looked for it at the store, right here he found a toy!
This coyote played and he was glad!
Dillon Dean
My Grandma looks for a cigarette.
In the living room, she searched but did not find a cigarette.
In the bedroom, she searched but did not find a cigarette.
In the bathroom, she searched but did not find a cigarette.
My grandma thought.
In the kitchen, she searched, and here she found a cigarette.
My grandma smoked and was happy.
Coral Avery
Little duck looks for her friend.
She searched among the flowers, but she didn’t find her friend.
She searched in the woods, but she didn’t find her friend.
She searched at the garden, but she didn’t find her friend.
Little duck thought.
She searched by the lake, there she found her friend.
Now little duck can play with her friend and she is happy.
Lindsey Jennings
This mouse looks for a bed.
Wiila looks in the living room but doesn’t find a bed.
Wiila looks in the kitchen but doesn’t find a bed.
Wiila looks in the bathroom but doesn’t find a bed.
This mouse thinks.
Wiila looks in the bedroom, here wiila finds a bed.
This mouse sleeps and is happy.
Steve Roach
My brother looks for a book.
He looks in the living room but does not find the book.
He looks in his bedroom but does not find the book.
He looks in the bathroom and does not find the book.
Finally my brother thinks.
He looks in the basement and here he finds the book.
My brother sells the book and he becomes happy.
Andrea Conway
Rabbit-lady looks for glasses.
She searched in the burrow, but she didn’t find glasses.
She searched by the river, but she didn’t find glasses.
She searched on the table, but she didn’t find glasses.
Rabbit-lady thought.
She searched in the garden, there she found the glasses.
Now rabbit-lady can see with her eyes and she is happy.
The Shawnee Tribe’s 2025 General Council & Election Weekend included a community dinner and stomp dance, as well as the annual meeting of the Shawnee Tribal Council and Business Council election. Citizens had the opportunity to meet tribal service programs & administrative staff, collect raffle prizes, and hear reports on the past twelve months of happenings of the […]
Check out this helpful information on recycling myths. 1. Myth: Everything with a recycling symbol is recyclable. Fact: The symbol shows material type, not what your local facility accepts. 2. Myth: It’s okay to guess what’s recyclable — “wishcycling” helps. Fact: Guesswork often leads to contamination; non-recyclables can spoil batches. 3. Myth: Recyclables don’t need […]
This September 30, 2025 is Orange Shirt Day.
Welcome to ta’saawanwaatoweeyakwe, the new blog series dedicated to the Shawnee Language Immersion Program’s happenings and language preservation work. From June 18-21, Shawnee Language Immersion Program apprentices, mentors, Community Language Preservationists (CLPs), and other guests gathered for their annual conference at the Emma “Mock” Donaldson Shawnee Language House. Many of the attendees live far away from […]
Miami, OK — The Shawnee Tribe is pleased to announce the launch of its Project Proposal Portal, a new digital platform designed to streamline the submission and evaluation of business ideas and partnership opportunities. This initiative supports the tribe’s commitment to economic independence, sustainability, and diversification beyond gaming-related enterprises. The portal offers a straightforward process […]
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GUYMON, OK — Construction is complete on the $78 million expansion of the Golden Mesa Casino & Hotel, which now boasts a 40,000-square-foot gaming floor, new food and beverage options, an RV park and a four-floor hotel. On Friday, Shawnee Tribe officials and representatives from Shawnee Development, Global Gaming Solutions, Chickasaw Nation, the City of Guymon, Connect […]
MIAMI, OK – The brand-new FAMily Discovery Center at First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City will have its grand opening later this summer, thanks in part to support from the Shawnee Tribe. In May 2024, the Shawnee Tribe’s Business Council approved a pledge of $500,000 over four years to help support the FAMily Discovery Center. […]