Shawnee traditions connect them to North America's first native people. They have held on to their beliefs and their culture despite nearly impossible odds. Few tribes have lived in as many places as the Shawnee. Before Europeans arrived, the Shawnee spent summers growing food and winters hunting it. They often traveled. After Europeans arrived, the Shawnee were driven from their land. But they fought back. Skilled warriors, they won battles where they were outnumbered. One of their leaders, Tecumseh, nearly succeeded in building a nation of tribes. Today, the Shawnee seek their own homeland within the state of Oklahoma.