Chickasaw Homeland

Chickasaw Homeland. A message from the Chickasaw Nation. The Chickasaw Nation has enjoyed a long and faithful collaboration with the National Park Service here in our homeland and also in Oklahoma. It is important to preserve the culture and history of the Chickasaw Nation in tis area. This exhibit helps to connect Chickasaws to their original homeland and helps to educate local residents and visitors about the local history. – Bill Anoutubby, Governor., Oral History , Our oral history tells of two brothers, Chilksa’ and Chaltra, who led our people from the West to our new homeland in the Southeast. Our homeland encompasses present day southwest Kentucky, Western Tennessee, northwest Alabama and northern Mississippi. Our towns and communities were scattered across the forests and prairies of our homeland. Waterways and numerous trails offered routes for expeditions, trade, hunting, and military actions. Ancient Southeastern Indians built great earthen mounds, extensive settlements and vast agriculture fields. Artifacts from these features reveal knowledge about daily lifestyle including a complex social structure. Earthen mounds that embellish the landscape reinforce our understanding of cultural identity and remind us of our ancestors, the Southeastern Indians’ architectural skills and ingenuity. , The Removal , In 1837, our Chickasaw people were forcibly removed to Indian Territory. Our ancestors anticipated a society without inference from the federal government or intruders. While the forced sale of our lands in Mississippi provided some monetary support for our removal, it did not prevent the loss of loved ones. Our families were met with starvation, diseases, military force, and federal misappropriation of funds, thieves and death. Our removal lasted until the turn of the 20th Century and is the most traumatic event in our history. , Modern Day , A presence in our Homeland is maintained through locations such as Chisha Talla’a (Postoak Grove), village site and the Shiloh Indian Mounds where Chickasaw citizens can reconnect with the land and their ancestors. Preservation and protection efforts continue, through maintaining a permanent presence in the Homeland. This is completed by establishing offices in Tupelo and Jackson, Mississippi and extraordinarily well-preserved sites managed by the National Park Service.