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 is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of Marina Staubus, whose artwork Whispers in the Wind earned First Place in the Painting category at the 2026 55th Annual Trail of Tears Art Show in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Marina, a Shawnee Tribe citizen, continues a family tradition of service and dedication to the Tribe as the daughter of Mike Staubus, […]
A traditional bow-making workshop recently brought together Shawnee youth and cultural instructors to share knowledge, skills, and values that have been passed down through generations. The opportunity began when a request was made to teach Shawnee relatives the traditional craft of bow making. Having previously shared these skills with Muscogee participants, the instructors were honored […]
By David Pollack, A. Gwynn Henderson, and Edward R. Henry A people’s relationship to their homeland is dynamic. How they alter the landscape reflects their sense of place, their social relationships, and their connections to their ancestors. This is as true now as it was in the past. The North Elkhorn Creek Earthworks Around 500 […]
The Hidden Cost of Four Everyday Products When we buy a product, we usually see only the price on the shelf. What we don’t see is the environmental cost of making it. For example, it takes about 2,700 liters (713 gallons) of water to produce a single cotton T-shirt—about the same amount one person drinks […]
Mark McDowell, Treasurer and Keni Hood, Business Council Seat 7 have filed seeking re-election to their respective offices. The filing period for candidates has passed, with no additional candidates declaring their intention to run for office. Therefore, in accordance with Title 6, Sec. 6.20.080 of the Shawnee Election Act, both unopposed candidates are hereby deemed […]
YOUR CAN COULD BE BACK ON THE SHELF IN JUST 60 DAYS! You enjoy your beverage and recycle your aluminum can. Recycling trucks collect the cans and take them to a facility to be sorted. The cans are cleaned and shredded into small pieces. The aluminum pieces are melted down and rolled into large sheets. […]
The Shawnee Tribe’s Environmental Department recently hosted a hands-on learning experience focused on water systems, runoff, and watershed education in the Miami community. During the event, students participated in the installation of a rain barrel system while learning how rainfall moves through local watersheds and contributes to flooding.
WEEMEYAKWE (WHERE WE COME FROM) By A. Gwynn Henderson and David Pollack “Two heads are better than one,” the old saying goes. With twice the brainpower and two times the life experiences to draw from, we are twice as likely to solve a puzzle, make sense of an enigma, or figure out a mystery. The […]