February is Dating Violence Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about a serious issue that impacts people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. Dating violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors used to gain power and control over a partner in a romantic relationship. It can take many forms, including physical, emotional, sexual, and digital abuse, and often goes unrecognized until it escalates. While it affects individuals across all demographics, young people between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence, making early education and awareness crucial.
Dating violence may look different in every relationship, but common warning signs include excessive jealousy, controlling behaviors, constant criticism, isolation from friends and family, and monitoring a partner’s activities through technology. Physical signs such as unexplained injuries, or emotional changes like anxiety, depression, or fearfulness around a partner, can also indicate abuse. It’s essential to understand that abuse is never the victim’s fault and can happen to anyone, regardless of their circumstances.
If you or someone you know is experiencing dating violence, help is available. Start by confiding in a trusted friend, family member, or counselor who can offer support and guidance. Resources like the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) and loveisrespect.org provide 24/7 confidential assistance, including safety planning and emotional support. The Shawnee Tribe’s Victim Services Department can also help connect you to resources and support. By learning to recognize the signs of dating violence and knowing how to seek help, we can work together to build safer, healthier relationships for everyone.
Let’s show each other some love in saawanwaatoweewe (Shawnee language)! The tribe is hosting a Valentine’s Day card contest. Sincere, funny or somewhere in-between, we want to see your most creative cards, artwork, memes, or poetry. Email your entries to media@shawnee-tribe.com on or before next Wednesday, February 12. Entries must use Shawnee language. People’s Choice […]
2K FOUNDATIONS SUPPORTING SHAWNEE LANGUAGE REVITALIZATION On February 3, tribal leaders and the Shawnee language team hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling a newly renovated recording studio at the Emma “Mock” Donaldson saawanwaatoweewika (Shawnee language house) with citizens and staff from Firaxis Games. 2K Foundations, the charitable giving subsidiary of 2K Games, has provided generous support to renovate and […]
From “The Ohio Country” Webpage: “This 12–episode series provides a perspective on the history of the region we now call Ohio that very few of us learned in school. It puts the experiences of Miami, Shawnee, Wyandotte, and other American Indian People at the center of a refreshed version of the state’s complicated past and […]
Did you know? Recycling each ton of paper saves:
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!