The Conference on Indian Removal from Ohio:
As a result of the Impact of the War of 1812

Conference on Indian Removal from Ohio Brochure

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The War of 1812 is always a chapter in history books, but what do we really know about it? It has been called the second war for independence, the forgotten war, Mr. Madison's War, and a few other unkindly names. Yet, says local historian Randall Buchman, it has a much greater impact on our heritage than the casual remarks often associated with it. For Native Americans, the War of 1812 was their last major attempt east of the Mississippi River to stop the Euro-American onslaught into their world. Their choices, says Buchman, became limited to assimilation or moving west.

A local conference on the impact of the War of 1812 on Native Americans in Ohio will span three days, May 10-12, and will be held at the sites of the three sponsors - Defiance College, Northwest State Community College and Sauder Village, with support from the Ohio Humanities Council. The conference will feature leading scholars in the field as well as leaders of Native peoples.

There will be participation from representatives of the Eastern Shawnee of Seneca, Mo.; Shawnee of Miami, Okla.; Seneca Cayuga of Miami, Okla.; Ottawa Nation of Oklahoma; Miami of Oklahoma and Indiana; Delaware of Bartlesville, Okla.; and Absentee Shawnee of Norman, Okla.

Conference speakers from four Native American nations will address the cultural adjustment faced during the removal period. Uprooted and struggling for survival, they lost many aspects of their culture and identity.

Keynote speaker on Thursday, May 10, will be Dr. John Bowes, assistant professor of history at Eastern Kentucky University. Speakers on Friday and Saturday include Dr. Dawn Marsh, assistant professor of history, Purdue University; Matthew Fletcher, J.D., professor of law, Michigan State University; Dr. Melissa Rinehart, visiting assistant professor of anthropology, Miami University; Dr. Stephen Warren, professor of history, Augustana College; George Ironstrack, assistant director of the Myaamia Project at Miami University; Buchman, emeritus professor of history, Defiance College; and representatives from the Shawnee, Miami, Delaware, Ottawa and Seneca/Cayuga tribes.

According to Buchman, the forced removal of the Native American population has been neglected in Ohio's history of more than 170 years. "The story of events after their removal has received very little attention in literature and textbooks," he said. "To help understand our common heritage in a diverse culture, we need to review and reflect on this chapter of our past. There are contradictory views on the subject, and they point out the need to be examined to give a more complete historical context."

Buchman explained that Euro-Americans and Native Americans struggled in North America for more than 300 years. The war convinced the U.S. it could determine where Native Americans would be permitted to live. "They could give up their native land and move west, flee to Canada, or give up their way of life and blend into the white culture," said Buchman. "A nation founded on a declaration of justice for all was creating a moralistic issue in regard to Native Americans."

This conference's activities are structured around the knowledge needed to understand the impact the War of 1812 had on Native American people of Ohio who voluntarily left Ohio. With support from the Ohio Humanities Council, the conference will bring some outstanding academic scholars to the table along with current Native American leadership to review historical events and reflect on outcomes. There will be significant opportunities for open conversation and question-and-answer segments.

"These issues still linger today in our culture - displacement of people, culture conflict, government's role, and the role of minorities - not only in our country, but in the world," said Buchman. "Can we forget or ignore the past? This conference seeks to focus on our heritage as it is revealed. Humanity is enhanced by the human mind when put into action."

The 2012 conference begins Thursday, May 10, with Bowes' keynote address on the Defiance College campus at 8 p.m. Presentations continue throughout the day on Friday at Sauder Village, Archbold, and conclude on Saturday at Northwest State Community College, Archbold.

To register for the conference, print and complete a registration form found at the above website. Early registration deadline is May 4. Registration fee is $70 if paid by May 4.

Conference on Indian Removal from Ohio Brochure

May 10-12, 2012