The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma is staking claim to land in Ohio as part of its effort to open several off-reservation casinos on their ancestral territory.

Eastern Shawnee Chief Charles Enyart sent a May 5 letter to state attorney general Jim Petro to discuss the tribe's legal claims in Ohio. "Unlike what was done to the Shawnee one hundred fifty years ago, the Tribe does not want to dispossess Ohioans of their lands. The Tribe remains interested in working with the state and local communities to help return the Eastern Shawnee to their homeland," Enyart wrote, The Dayton Daily News reported.

The tribe is eyeing up to nine sites in Ohio for gaming, an idea that has been welcomed by at least three communities.

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Shawnee make claim to Ohio land (The Dayton Daily News 5/13)
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Oklahoma tribe may sue for recognition in Ohio (AP 5/13)
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