The Indigenous-led arts nonprofit Caesar’s Ford Theatre is hosting a free event in Springfield this weekend to memorialize the Shawnee chief Tecumseh.
Tecumseh is a renowned Shawnee chief and military leader. He’s known for his resistance to U.S. colonization of his homelands, which include the Ohio River Valley.
The nonprofit theater company’s mission is to tell historically accurate stories with actors who are citizens of federally recognized tribes. But the group's programming now goes beyond plays.
The event will be at the Springfield Museum of Art from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday Oct. 12 — the day before Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Caesar’s Ford Theatre will welcome Tecumseh’s descendants visiting from Oklahoma and Kansas for a panel discussion about their connection to Ohio. Presenters will also share Shawnee history, including research on Tecumseh’s place of birth.
Brittany Hall is an enrolled Shawnee citizen, descendant of Tecumseh, and board member for Caesar’s Ford Theatre.
Although Shawnee history involves many struggles, she said she wants to remind people that the tribe is still here.
“I like to think that Tecumseh's warrior blood runs in our veins, and that's why we still want to fight. And a part of that is education," Hall said.
She said she’ll speak at the event about the importance of Ohioans learning about all federally recognized tribal nations, not just the Shawnee.
“There are over 500 federally recognized tribes," she said. "And that's a lot of people to think of where we were before colonization to where we are now. But it's something that is trying to be erased in our history and that's not okay with me."
More information can be found on Caesar’s Ford Theatre’s Facebook page.
