Vinyard Indian Settlement


Vinyard Indian Settlement is an unrecognized tribal group claiming to consist of descendants of the Shawnee Indian Tribe. The organization has its headquarters in Herod, Illinois.

History

The ancestors of the Vinyard Indian Settlement sought refuge in Illinois after crossing the Ohio River near Shawneetown in 1810. This date was cited by Clyde Vinyard, who lived from 1890 until 1980. This region is north of Karber's Ridge in Hardin County.
This first band was composed of eighty Kispokfa, Shawnee. They were fleeing from Ohio militiamen who were trying to prevent this group from uniting with the forces of Tecumseh at Prophetstown. This band intended to find refuge among the French settlers at Shawneetown. Encouraged by the salt miners and fur trappers at Shawneetown, the band of refugees moved into the hills. The Shawneetown settlers feared that the militia would take reprisals for assisting this group.
The Shawnee refugees arrived at a location near High Knob. They settled among Irish-German immigrants who had the surname of Vinyard. Relations between the two groups was friendly. The Shawnees took the name of Vineyard partially to honor the people who assisted them, as well as to hide from the local authorities. Many abandoned children were found among this group. Intermarriage was common between Shawnees and non-natives.
Out of fear of removal, many of the people of this region hid their native origins.
In recent times, the people of the Vinyard Settlement have been involved in a campaign to buy property in their ancestral homeland in the Ohio Valley. The enrolled citizens of the Settlement do not wish to build a casino, an activity done by many other Native American Tribes. The tribe seeks to build ecologically oriented businesses for the purpose of providing employment for both natives and non-natives. This is part of a five-year plan.