Named after | Vinyard family, [2] American Indians |
---|---|
Formation | 2002 (nonprofit) [1] |
Type | nonprofit organization, [1] unrecognized cultural heritage group |
EIN 37-1387373 [1] | |
Purpose | Cultural, Ethnic Awareness (A23) [1] |
Location | |
Official language | English |
Principal officer | Christine Wagner [1] |
Vinyard Indian Settlement is an unrecognized group and nonprofit organization of people who claim to have Shawnee ancestry. The organization is based in Herod, Illinois. [1]
The poet Barney Bush (1944–2021), who claimed to be of Shawnee and Cayuga ancestry, was a major organizer for this group. [3] He purchased a trailer that served as the group's headquarters and organized a council. [4] Bush said that about 1810 Shawnee refugees fled a militia in Ohio and hid out near Karbers Ridge, Illinois, where the German/Irish-American Vinyard family allowed them to settle on their land. [5] Bush said they assimilated into the local communities. [6] Other locals did not collaborate this story, and genealogists had "open objections to any connection with the Shawnee." [6]
In 2002, the group formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Herod, Illinois. Christine Wagner is their principal officer. [1] In 2011, their revenue was $12,637 and their expenses were $22,254. [1]
In 2019, Mark Denzer served as executive director of the organization. [7]
The group owns a 24-acre parcel of land outside of Herod, Illinois, and hope to purchase more surrounding land. [8]
The Vinyard Indian Settlement is not federally recognized or state-recognized as a Native American tribe. [8] Illinois has no federally recognized or state-recognized tribes. [8]
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. [8] [9] Leaders from the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and Shawnee Tribe all traveled to Illinois to testify against the recognition of the Vinyard Indian Settlement. [10]
The organization hosts Reconnection Days, an annual gathering in September, [8] begun in 2010. [11] They hold two other annual public festivals. [8]
Ben Barnes, chief of the federally recognized Shawnee Tribe, based in Miami, Oklahoma, stated of Barney Bush and the Vinyard Indian Settlement: "These [ceremonial] activities he presents for people are minstrel shows. When they do those pantomimes, that is offensive and racist." [8]
Named after | Vinyard family, [2] American Indians |
---|---|
Formation | 2002 (nonprofit) [1] |
Type | nonprofit organization, [1] unrecognized cultural heritage group |
EIN 37-1387373 [1] | |
Purpose | Cultural, Ethnic Awareness (A23) [1] |
Location | |
Official language | English |
Principal officer | Christine Wagner [1] |
Vinyard Indian Settlement is an unrecognized group and nonprofit organization of people who claim to have Shawnee ancestry. The organization is based in Herod, Illinois. [1]
The poet Barney Bush (1944–2021), who claimed to be of Shawnee and Cayuga ancestry, was a major organizer for this group. [3] He purchased a trailer that served as the group's headquarters and organized a council. [4] Bush said that about 1810 Shawnee refugees fled a militia in Ohio and hid out near Karbers Ridge, Illinois, where the German/Irish-American Vinyard family allowed them to settle on their land. [5] Bush said they assimilated into the local communities. [6] Other locals did not collaborate this story, and genealogists had "open objections to any connection with the Shawnee." [6]
In 2002, the group formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Herod, Illinois. Christine Wagner is their principal officer. [1] In 2011, their revenue was $12,637 and their expenses were $22,254. [1]
In 2019, Mark Denzer served as executive director of the organization. [7]
The group owns a 24-acre parcel of land outside of Herod, Illinois, and hope to purchase more surrounding land. [8]
The Vinyard Indian Settlement is not federally recognized or state-recognized as a Native American tribe. [8] Illinois has no federally recognized or state-recognized tribes. [8]
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. [8] [9] Leaders from the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and Shawnee Tribe all traveled to Illinois to testify against the recognition of the Vinyard Indian Settlement. [10]
The organization hosts Reconnection Days, an annual gathering in September, [8] begun in 2010. [11] They hold two other annual public festivals. [8]
Ben Barnes, chief of the federally recognized Shawnee Tribe, based in Miami, Oklahoma, stated of Barney Bush and the Vinyard Indian Settlement: "These [ceremonial] activities he presents for people are minstrel shows. When they do those pantomimes, that is offensive and racist." [8]