Andrew Dushane

FROM THIS CORNER
By
Glenna J. Wallace

ANDREW DUSHANE: A YOUNG CHIEF

Andrew Dushane (second from left)

Andrew Dushane was an Eastern Shawnee Chief. When he was first elected Chief is unknown at the
time of this writing. How long he was Chief is also unknown at the time of this writing. What is known
is that the document recording his election as First Chief and the election of Tom Captain as Second
chief was discovered in the recent trip to the National Archives in Washington DC (2014). Andrew
Dushane and Tom Stand ran for First Chief whereas Tom Captain was unopposed for his position. The
year was 1898 and Andrew was 30 years of age, young to be a Chief. Voting members were Tom
Captain, Stonewall Jackson, Charlie Dushane and Andrew Dushane. Term of office was for two years.

The son of David C. Dushane and Nancy Jackson Dushane, Andrew was born March 19, 1868 in Kansas.
(His father was born in Kansas, his mother in Ottawa County Ohio.) According to relative Jack Dushane,
Andrew was probably born in Johnson County, near Olathe where his father David was born. Andrew
was the eldest of four boys: Andrew (Eastern Shawnee allottee No. 9), Charles (four years younger and
Eastern Shawnee allottee No. 22), David Jr. (five years later and Eastern Shawnee allottee No. 3), and
Daniel (eight years later, Eastern Shawnee allottee No. 4).

In a letter dated May 6, 2014, Jack Dushane wrote he believes David and Nancy “came down to
Oklahoma after the Civil War, when the Federal Government forced the Cherokees to take them on
their tribal rolls and give the allotments. They brought Mariah Louisa Dushane with them on the trip.
Mariah was the child of David’s first marriage to Hanna Evans, who must have died in child birth.”
According to Andrew’s younger brother David Jr. who was interviewed October 6, 1937 by Nannie Lee
Burns, David and Nancy married in Kansas (circa 1865) and lived there six (6) years before coming to
Indian Territory in 1871. Andrew must have been about 3 years old at that time.

Jack goes on to say that David and Nancy “must have resided over by Vinita and White Oak for awhile,
but then moved over to live with the Eastern Shawnees and Nancy’s family, John and Ke-Ne-Fe-Ase
Jackson.”

Andrew, one quarter French, one quarter Cherokee and half Eastern Shawnee, was allotted 180 acres
according to Department of Interior records. Much of the information gleaned about Andrew used in
this article actually came from an interview of noted Canadian ethnographer, folklorist and
anthropologist Charles Marius Barbeau who did extensive research of the Huron-Wyandot and who
interviewed Andrew’s wife Rebecca, a member of the Wyandot Tribe. In testimony regarding the estate
of Andrew after his death, Rebecca states she was allotted land as Rebecca McDaniel, the name of her
first husband George McDaniel who died before allotments. Later Andrew and Rebecca “were married
by the Indian Agent where the old agency used to be”; north of the Seneca Indian School at Wyandotte,
OK. This would have been approximately 1888 and Andrew would be about 20 years of age, Rebecca
about 18. Following their marriage, Rebecca Hicks McDaniel always signed her name as Becky Dushane.
Andrew and Becky first lived on Andrew’s allotment, but then moved to Becky’s allotment, some three
miles east of Wyandotte where they lived until Andrew died March 24, 1924 at the age of 56.

Sitting: Becky Hicks DuShane, Stella
May, Andrew Dushane; Backrow:
Noami Dushane, Lousi Logan a friend,
Clifford Dushane, Mary Splitlog, Rebecca
Dushane, Mabel Dushane.

Not too many details are known about Andrew. He was a Deputy Sheriff and once owned a restaurant
named Andrew’s Restaurant. His granddaughter Colleen Carpenter (Clifford was her father) said she
never knew her grandfather as he had already passed away when she was born. Thankfully she was
able to provide the photograph of Andrew’s Restaurant. Andrew’s name surfaces again in Indian Wills
1911-1921 where in Stonewall Jackson’s last will and testament it is recorded in 1920 that he was
bequeathing his property and other belongings to Andrew and his brothers, stating they should “ share
and share alike.”

Andrew and Becky had nine children. In a document entitled QUAPAW INDIAN COMPETENCY
COMMISSION, EXAMINATION OF ALLOTTEE, Andrew lists names and birthdates of six of the children,
stating that an infant daughter was born Dec. 4, 1910 but was unnamed. However Rebecca states in an
interview that they had nine children and names each of them as follows:

1st; George Dushane (8-16-1890), a son who died when he was about grown, but he never married and
never had a child
2nd; Walter Dushane (9-1-1892)
3rd; Isabel Dushane, a daughter who died while small
4th; Bertha Dushane, a daughter who died while small
5th; Clifford Dushane (6-6-1899), a son;
6th; Rebecca Dushane (2-27-1901), a daughter;
7th; Naomi or Lillie Dushane ( 9-27-1908), a daughter
8th; Isabel Ramona Dushane (1-22-1907), a daughter;
9th; Stella May Dushane, a daughter

(Information taken from Estate of Andrew Dushane, Eastern Shawnee 21 and Quapaw Indian
Competency Commission)

In Dr. Barbeau’s interview with Rebecca Hicks Dushane, Becky indicates she was born in 1870, is the
daughter of Mary Splitlog Logan and Henry Hicks. “Becky was a descendant of Chief Thomas Splitlog, the
younger brother of Roundhead. The two were allies of Tecumseh and the Shawnee Prophet.”

“Becky was a leader in her own way,” according to Dr. Barbeau. “She was such an excellent craftsman in
her beadwork that Dr. Barbeau bought many of her items and took them back to Canada where they
now remain in the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Andrew and Becky were married for 36 years until his death in 1924. Andrew’s younger brother David or
Dave became Chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma in 1940.

Life was not easy for Eastern Shawnees in early 1900’s. Andrew Dushane was a man who helped keep
the Eastern Shawnee Tribe alive. We have come so close to losing so much. From this trip to DC we
have learned much about Andrew, but there is much more to be learned or relearned about our tribe. If
you can provide additional information, please do so. If you have additional pictures or can identify
individuals in the pictures printed with this research, please help. It has been exciting discovering
information about Andrew Dushane, a young Eastern Shawnee Tribal Chief.