Craft & Material Culture
Basketry, beadwork, pottery, and woodcraft passed down through families and taught at community gatherings.
About the Tribe
The people who rose from the ashes
In Shawnee, Piqua (traditionally spelled Pekowiiθa) means ashes or dust. We are known as the people who rose from the ashes — the descendants of Ancestral Algonquians.
Who We Are
Descendants of Ancestral Algonquians
In Shawnee, Piqua (traditionally spelled Pekowiiθa) means ashes or dust. We are known as the people who rose from the ashes, people who have ashes on their feet, and the ash people. We are the descendants of Ancestral Algonquians.
We speak an Algonquian language, which we share with 30 other tribes from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.
Historians state that perhaps the Shawnee people have inhabited Alabama for a longer period of time than any other geographic region. Archaeologists set the date of 1685 as the first documented evidence of Shawnee settlements in Alabama.
1832 — Cultural Concealment
We retreated into the caves, forests, and mountains of Alabama.
In 1832, the Piqua Shawnee refused to cede their land in Alabama to the United States and move east of the Mississippi River. Instead, we retreated into the caves, forests, and mountains of Alabama.
We survived by publicly suppressing our culture and heritage, generation after generation. After almost two centuries of cultural concealment, we continue to survive in our homeland as we have since time immemorial.
Culture & Heritage
Living traditions
From basketry to song, from the council fire to the family kitchen — our culture is not displayed, it is lived.
Land & Stewardship
Our connection to Alabama's forests, rivers, and seasons shapes how we live and what we teach our children.
Ceremony & Gathering
Annual cultural events, stomp dances, and council gatherings keep our community woven together.
July 10, 2001 · State Recognition
“On July 10, 2001, the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission, under the authority of the Davis-Strong Act, recognized the Piqua Shawnee Tribe as an Indian tribe in the State of Alabama — thus making the Piqua the first petitioning group to be recognized in seventeen years.”
Language Preservation
Carrying the words forward
Our Algonquian language is shared with 30 other tribes from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Our language preservation program brings together elders, fluent speakers, and learners of all ages to keep Shawnee words alive in everyday use — at home, in ceremony, and within the council.