Shawnee Reclaiming Ohio Homeland

According to this story in the Dayton Daily News (free reg.), the Eastern Shawnee tribe of Oklahoma wants to reclaim ancestral homeland in central and southern Ohio. They want the land to be placed in trust with the U.S. Department of the Interior so that the tribe can negotiate a deal granting them ownership and sovereignty. However, Gov. Bob Taft is prepared to circle the wagons to prevent the Shawnee from succeeding since it's generally recognized the tribe intends to open several casinos if they are granted rights to the land. Several sites in the Miami River Valley have been mentioned, including the town of Botkins, south of Lima.

The Shawnee were a tribe originally from the Pacific Northwest and they established camps in many locations so it's not clear that their claim for Ohio lands is supportable.

Stay tuned.