Ridgetop Band Of Shawnee

On February 26, 2009 the State House of the Kentucky General Assembly passed HJR-15 without opposition, 97-0. HJR-15 recognizes and honors the Ridgetop Shawnee Tribe of Indians. We are recognized but we will seek formal recognition in 2010.

For the first time in Commonwealth of Kentucky history a body of the Kentucky General Assembly recognized and honored a Native American Indian Tribe. The Ridgetop Shawnee Tribe of Indians will continue to be a positive example of Kentucky's true Native American heritage. By doing the right thing, and with GOD's help, we will pass this legislation in the near future.

We would like to thank all House Members for their help and their vote. The Ridgetop Shawnee Tribe of Indians will continue to gather our people in Eastern Kentucky. We are by far the largest Native American Tribe in Kentucky and we are proud of that fact.

The Ridgetop Shawnee Tribe of Indians and the City of Ashland work together to

The Ridgetop Band Of Shawnee or the Ridgetop Shawnee Tribe of Indians, obtain the right to organize a group of the descendants of the many displaced Native Americans that fled the ever expanding White migration, starting in the decade of 1780 and the migration continued until 1870. That 90 year period defines America today. That period in time saw rise to the First Melting Pot, the first modern American, a person of a mixed heritage.

Many names have been assigned to the people that lived here and still live here today. Some of these names are common and unique to this region and are used to explain the existence of a people of a mixed race, Melungeon and Black Dutch. The mystery of the Melungeons has been played out time and time again. And with the advent and common practice of utilizing DNA to trace and match family groups, the Melungeon theory has simply crumbled. We do believe a group of people lived in these hills and their existence here can not be explained, to us those are Melungeons.

The popular past time of DNA groups has exposed some secrets. Our history and modern existence is evident in this region. Some estimates says that a possible 60% of Kentucky's Native American population lives in extreme Southeastern Kentucky and organizations like the Kentucky Native American Indian Council, KNAIC for short, have provided educational opportunities to hundreds and thousands of Kentuckians. The KNAIC have also began to solidify its place among National Native American organizations and the future of the KNAIC is bright.

After the year of 1795, and the widening of the Cumberland Gap, Kentucky experienced a population boom. The years after, counties like Knox (portion that became Harlan), Whitley and Clay became safe havens for many mixed-blood Native peoples migrating down the Wilderness Road through Virginia, North Carolina and up from Tennessee. The original people that existed here could be estimated at a very low number during the time of mass migration. In 1752 DR Thomas Walker explored the Cumberland Gap (Cave Gap) and named the River Shawnee to the Cumberland River after the bloody Duke of Cumberland.
He attempted to kill what ever inhabitants that remained here, but could not "over come" them. I suspect the majority of the Native American population lived in the boarders of Letcher, Clay and Harlan Counties. The true story of a Cherokee called Red Bird being murdered along the banks of the Kentucky River in 1797 tells of a turbulent period for our people. Deep in the hills our Tribes survived. Many different cultures inter-mixed in these hills and valleys but one fact remained, they were all of a Native Heritage.

Some of the Tribes are familiar and some are obscure and forgotten, The Cherokee and the Shawnee claim the area and while the Cherokee/Shawnee Confederacy was unsuccessful in defending the region from White expansion, their legacy still haunts the secluded hollows and ridge tops of Southeastern Kentucky. The last stand of our people lives as a testament to the desperation of both sides. The Whites saw the riches of land in Kentucky and managed to eliminate most of the game within a few short decades.

Elk has been reintroduced to the Pine Mountain region and they have flourished in the short decade of their release.
Pine Mountain holds many secrets and is free of the coveted seams of coal, that has provided many jobs and fed many families in the region, but is blamed for the destruction of our Sacred Mountains. The KNAIC and Ridgetop Shawnee fought hard to pass a Native American Grave Protection and Preservation ordinance in Harlan County in 2006. Most digging along the ridges of Cumberland and Pine mountains has been stopped. Our cultural resources are neglected and forgotten by our Governments. We stand today and make a promise to our ancestors, that WE will preserve the legacy of the ancient ones and will remind all who inhabits our region as to the history.

Between the years 1780-1850 many of our region's mixed blood families settled the rugged hills of the Southeastern Kentucky. Pockets of Tribal existence developed and some are still in existence today. Many of the Native families chose to marry families of a likewise decent and for that we carry the marks of our heritage. Many of Southeastern Kentucky's population have jet black hair and dark skin and some are blond headed and blue eyed, but hold as much Native blood as the other. DNA and photographs are the best examples of who we were and who we are today. The Sizemore family's DNA has proved their Native blood and photographs of early Sizemore's also tell their story. Other families include, Fields, Bennett, Cole, Bowlin, Bowman, Goin, Spurlock, King, Jones, Rose, Gibert and Brock. These families are the first families of the Ridgetop Band of Shawnee. Those families began the tradition and these families passed on their knowledge and created awareness today.
Our oral histories, solid documentation and with DNA we can solidify our place as an organized people.