The Piqua Shawnee tribe is an American Indian tribe found in the US that is native to the great plains. The Shawnee Tribe are generally a tribe of farmers and hunters who are said to have migrated across many regions in the Southeast and Northeast. With the onset of civilization, the tribe adopted European-style clothing which consisted of bandana style headwear or turbans. Among the most popular chiefs of the Piqua Shawnee tribe include Chief Cornstalk Tecumseh and Chief Blue Jacket.
The Shawnee originated from Tennessee around the Cumberland River and would later move to many other parts of America. Their home tribal territories covered present day Tennessee, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and Oklahoma. Other places where the Piqua Shawnee tribe migrated to include Pennsylvania and Kansas.
In the lands that they lived, the Shawnee tribe ended up adopting lifestyles that suited the climatic conditions of the regions they lived. They had to take into account the natural resources and geography and incorporate them in their lifestyles too. Being a semi-nomadic tribe, the Piqua Shawnee tribe constantly changed locations and this enabled them to come into contact with other tribes which practiced various Native Indian cultures.
The Piqua Shawnee People came across included the Northeast, Southeast, and the Plains Native Indian cultures. After the American Civil war, the Piqua Shawnee, who were in Kansas at the time, ended up blending with the Cherokee Nation. They were then referred to as the Cherokee Shawnee.
The lifestyle of the Shawnee tribe consisted of small tent-like structures known as Wigwams. In some parts, they are referred to as wetus, or wikkums, or basically birchbark houses. This was a temporary shelter due to their nomadic lifestyles. It was also the kind of shelter that was used by Algonquian speaking Native Indian tribes who originally lived in woodland regions. Check this website at http://kansas.wikia.com/wiki/Shawnee_County for more details about Shawnee tribes.
A wigwam was built into a cone shape with an arched roof and wooden frames which were covered with woven mats and sheets of birchbark. The sheets were held together by strips of wood or rocks. In some cases, the wigwams were covered with buffalo hides for more warmth and durability.
Buffalos were available in plenty in the region and the hides were a major resource in the area. A wigwam is about 8-10 ft tall and about 10-15ft wide at its base. Given the nomadic nature of the Piqua Shawnee tribe, they used to eat foods that were available in a particular area that they moved to at a given time, visit the site to know more!
