The Great French Lick trading post built near the intersections of Jefferson Street and 5th Avenue was built to trade with the Shawnee, who lived in the area in the early 1700’s. Several Shawnee villages were located along the Cumberland River (Chaouanon – French for Shawnee). They lived in Tennessee with the permission of the Cherokee. Following a tribal argument, the Chickasaw chased the Shawnee out of Middle Tennessee. The men did the hunting and fishing, the women cared for the corn fields. During the summer they gathered into large villages of bark-covered houses and in the fall they separated into small hunting camps of extended families. Besides Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, famous Shawnee include: Cornstalk, Blackfish, Black Hoof, and Bluejacket. Thousands of Shawnee from Illinois came into the Cumberland Basin during 1690 and changed their status with the Cherokee from buffer with the Chickasaw to rival tribe. They also began to trade with the French at French Lick. The Cherokee allied with the Chickasaw and defeated the Shawnee in 1715, removing them from the Nashville area. A band tried to re-settle in the mid-1700’s, but they left after a couple of years.
http://www.nativenashville.com/History/shawnee.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawnee
http://www.bigorrin.org/shawnee_kids.htm
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tennessee/index.htm
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/shawnee/shawneehist.htm
http://www.tncia.org/tn-fed-tribes.html
http://www.tolatsga.org/shaw.html