MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians

MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians. . Aiokpanchi, "Welcome,” to the Official Tribal Reservation of the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians. Chata hapia hoke! "We are Choctaw.” We are glad you are able to visit us and hope your visit to our Tribal Reservation is both rejuvenating and educational. We are all very proud of where we are today and excited about where we are headed. Please take a few minutes to read about us.

The MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians consists of over 3,600 tribal members who live in Mobile and Washington Counties, Alabama, where the Tribal Reservation encompasses 300 acres of land. Several pow-wows, open to the public, are held here each year. The Tribe provides numerous services for its members, and is governed by a Chief and an eleven-member Tribal Council. Our leaders and members have the vision, the knowledge, the ability, and the experience to help us make a better future. Tribal members are truly our greatest asset today and tomorrow.

Here are a few terms highly important to our Choctaw culture: , Alito - Hello (in Alabama Choctaw) , Halito - Hello (in standard Choctaw dialect) , Iksa Alhiha - Community , Chata Immi - Choctaw culture , Alhichi - Honesty , Shilombish immi - Spirituality , Ittikana - Kindness , Itti kashkoa - Sharing , Na-mihiksho - Patience , Achonachi - Effort , Iyikowa - Generosity , Momit holitobli - Love , Ayoppachih - Respect , Alhtampa - Balance , Aiahli - True, the truth , Noktala - Peace

According to tribal legend, “The Great Spirit" created the Choctaw people on a high hill, Nana Chafa. The Yowanni Choctaws lived in this area for many centuries, defending their homeland and way of life from intrusions by Spanish, French, and British colonists. With the arrival of thousands of American settlers in the early 19th century, conflicts arose over land. With the 1830 Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the Choctaws ceded almost all their lands east of the Mississippi River to the United States. Some Choctaws who had neither the heart nor the desire to leave their beloved Alabama moved to remote communities in north Mobile and south Washington Counties (from which their name MOWA derives).

After the United States forcibly removed most Indian peoples from their eastern homelands, the Alabama Choctaws became more and more isolated from their relatives in Oklahoma and Mississippi. Between 1830 and 1890, our ancestors lived close knit lives with little intrusion by outsiders. To improve social and economic conditions for themselves and their children, they allowed Christian missionaries into their communities. This period saw the creation of tri-racial schools, a completely autonomous school system with instruction provided by the missionaries.

From 1888 to 1910, a second Indian removal profoundly affected the Choctaws. The Dawes Act in 1887 attempted to do away with Indian reservations by dividing tribal lands into individual family allotments. Many Choctaws living in the east relocated to Oklahoma, but some filtered back to Alabama and Mississippi. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Choctaws in Alabama lost most of their land to unscrupulous white businessmen. Logging then became the primary occupation for many Indians. Poverty existed among the small communities in north Mobile and south Washington Counties.

From the 1930s to 1950s, educational opportunities were very limited for the MOWA Choctaws, but some managed to receive a higher education. Among the first college graduates were some who became teachers and returned to help educate more of their own people. The passage of civil rights laws in the 1960s represented a turning point for the MOWA Choctaws of Alabama. With the disappearance of societal barriers based on color, expressions of Indian identity among the Choctaws intensified. The members of the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians are proud descendants of brave individuals who resisted oppression and would not leave their beautiful land. Today we draw strength from our ancestors to face the future with confidence and determination.

The MOWA Choctaw Cultural Center has displays on our history and present-day culture. Tours are available upon request by calling 251-829-5500.

Photo captions: , [Top center:] In 1922 William Weaver donated a deed for one acre and this building, thereafter known as the Indian Schoolhouse, to the Mobile County School Board. At that time Indian children could not hope for more than a seventh-grade education, since no high school was available to them. (Courtesy of the Historic American Building Survey) , [Top right] The MOWA Choctaw Cultural Center is located in the Becker-Heard House, a Creole-style structure built between 1855 and 1860 by Christian Becker, a native of Germany and one of Mount Vernon's earliest settlers. Originally standing in Mount Vernon until the early 1990s, it was donated to the MOWA Choctaws by Mr. Cecil Jordan and moved to this spot, which is historically known as The Old Stomping Grounds. . This historical marker was erected by Town of Mount Vernon.. It is Near Calvert in Washington County Alabama