Vinyard Indian Settlement is an unrecognized group and

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

of people who claim to have

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

ancestry. The organization is based in

Herod, Illinois Herod is an unincorporated community in Pope County, Illinois, United States. Herod is located on Illinois Route 34 at the edge of the Shawnee National Forest. Herod has a post office with ZIP code 62947. A cultural heritage group and nonprofit ...

Origin

The poet Barney Bush (1944–2021), who claimed to be of Shawnee and

Cayuga Cayuga often refers to: * Cayuga people, a native tribe to North America, part of the Iroquois Confederacy * Cayuga language, the language of the Cayuga Cayuga may also refer to: Places Canada * Cayuga, Ontario United States * Cayuga, Illinois ...

ancestry, was a major organizer for this group. He purchased a trailer that served as the group's headquarters and organized a council. Bush said that about 1810 Shawnee refugees fled a militia in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and hid out near

Karbers Ridge, Illinois Karbers Ridge is an unincorporated community in Hardin County, Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Gr ...

, where the German/Irish-American Vinyard family allowed them to settle on their land. Bush said they assimilated into the local communities.Bigger, ''Reckoning at Eagle Creek'', 44. Other locals did not collaborate this story, and genealogists had "open objections to any connection with the Shawnee."

Nonprofit organization

In 2002, the group formed a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

nonprofit organization based in Herod, Illinois. Christine Wagner is their principal officer. In 2011, their revenue was $12,637 and their expenses were $22,254. In 2019, Mark Denzer served as executive director of the organization.

Land

The group owns a 24-acre parcel of land outside of Herod, Illinois, and hope to purchase more surrounding land.

Status

The Vinyard Indian Settlement is not

federally recognized This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

state-recognized State-recognized tribes in the United States are organizations that identify as Native American tribes or heritage groups that do not meet the criteria for federally recognized Indian tribes but have been recognized by a process established under ...

as a

Native American tribe In the United States, an American Indian tribe, Native American tribe, Alaska Native village, tribal nation, or similar concept is any extant or historical clan, tribe, band, nation, or other group or community of Native Americans in the Unit ...

. Illinois has no federally recognized or state-recognized tribes. In 2015, the Illinois state house of representatives passed HB 3127, Vinyard Indian Settlement of Shawnee Indians Recognition Act, which would have established them as the first state-recognized tribe in Illinois. However, upon hearing testimony from Shawnee tribes, the state senate did not vote on the bill. Leaders from the

Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma The Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma (or Absentee Shawnee) is one of three federally recognized tribes of Shawnee people. Historically residing in what became organized as the upper part of the Eastern United States, the original Sh ...

Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma is one of three federally recognized Shawnee tribes. They are located in Oklahoma and Missouri. The tribe holds an annual powwow every September at their tribal complex. Government The headquarters of the Ea ...

, and

Shawnee Tribe The Shawnee Tribe is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Oklahoma. Formerly known as the Loyal Shawnee, they are one of three federally recognized Shawnee tribes. The others are the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma and th ...

all traveled to Illinois to testify against the recognition of the Vinyard Indian Settlement.

Activities

The organization hosts Reconnection Days, an annual gathering in September, begun in 2010. They hold two other annual public festivals. Ben Barnes, chief of the federally recognized

, based in

Miami, Oklahoma Miami ( ) is a city in and county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom. This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capital of ...

, stated of Barney Bush and the Vinyard Indian Settlement: "These eremonialactivities he presents for people are minstrel shows. When they do those pantomimes, that is offensive and racist."

Notes

References

* {{authority control 2002 establishments in Illinois Cultural organizations based in Illinois Gallatin County, Illinois Non-profit organizations based in Illinois Pope County, Illinois Unrecognized tribes in the United States Shawnee heritage groups