HJ0112LRB101 11800 MST 58587 r

1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois counts within its
3extraordinary history the American Indians, including the
4Vinyard Indian Settlement of Shawnee Indians (Vinyard Indian
5Settlement), who inhabited the lands that would become Illinois
6since time immemorial; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Vinyard Indian Settlement, formerly known as
8part of Chief Sedowii's (Setteedown) Shawnees, is a political
9successor to the signatories of treaties between colonial and
10tribal entities under which large areas of land in the states
11of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois were ceded to the United States;
12and
 
13    WHEREAS, The members of the Vinyard Indian Settlement
14continue to live in the State of Illinois, as their ancestors
15have since time immemorial, before colonial records were kept
16and after the removal of many tribal members to the Oklahoma
17Indian Territory; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The Vinyard Indian Settlement has continued to
19exist as a separate and distinct community as recorded in oral
20history and in Colonel William M. Cockrum's 1907 "Pioneer
21History of Indiana", in which he records the Wabash and Ohio
22River Shawnee community areas near Shawneetown 1807-1811; and
 

 

 

HJ0112- 2 -LRB101 11800 MST 58587 r

1    WHEREAS, Ancestral homelands of the Vinyard Indian
2Settlement significantly stretch from Saline Landing on the
3Ohio River south to Cave-In-Rock, including the bluff areas
4along the Ohio River and in a line northwest to the Eagle
5Mountains, including the Garden of the Gods; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Many of our rivers, streams, forests, trails,
7islands, towns, and landmarks bear important cultural ties to
8the Shawnee people; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The Vinyard Indian Settlement members currently
10reside in Hardin, Gallatin, Saline, White, and Pope Counties
11and hold numerous cultural ceremonies throughout the year; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The Shawnee people have, through their cultural
13heritage, historical influence, and participation in public
14life, helped to make the State of Illinois the great state that
15it is today and have contributed to the prosperity and freedom
16of our country; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Formal recognition will support the Vinyard
18Indian Settlement's efforts to provide for the well-being of
19its members and the surrounding communities; therefore, be it
 
20    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE

 

 

HJ0112- 3 -LRB101 11800 MST 58587 r

1HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
2SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize the Vinyard Indian
3Settlement of Shawnee Indians as an Indian tribe; and be it
4further
 
5    RESOLVED, That we urge the Vinyard Indian Settlement of
6Shawnee Indians and its members be accorded all the rights and
7privileges that come with being recognized as an Indian tribe;
8and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That this resolution should not be interpreted as
10creating any specific rights to land, entitlements, or any
11special privileges related to gaming.