Shawnee Nation Case Study

How did many members of the Shawnee Nation, who previously lived in what is now Ohio, end up living in Oklahoma? These sources allow you to further investigate this story of American Indian removal.

Catahecassa, an experienced and honored political leader, believed, unlike his Shawnee Nation rival Tecumseh, that peace and blending in with the whites was the only way for the Shawnee Nation to keep their remaining lands and communities together.

Be the Art Historian

What does this painting tell you about the Shawnee leader, Catahecassa?

  1. How would you describe what Catahecassa is wearing in this image?
  2. How is Catahecassa�s appearance connected to his strategy of avoiding removal for the Shawnee Nation?
    3. Challenge Question
  3. What effect do you think Catahecassa�s appearance had on other people with whom he interacted?
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Portrait of Catahecassa

Ca-ta-he-cas-sa—Black Hoof, 1838. Print by J. T. Bowen Lithography Company after a painting by Charles Bird King (1785�1862). Courtesy National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Betty A. and Lloyd G. Scherme. (NPG.99.167.27)

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