Nothing divides the Choctaw people from the Irish except the Atlantic Ocean. The Choctaw Nation and Ireland were, in effect, both colonized by outside powers. Their ancient tongues almost became extinct. Both peoples have successfully preserved their cultures and traditions.
Their relationship began in 1847, when the Choctaws, who had only recently arrived over the ruinous “trail of tears and death” to what is now Oklahoma, took up a donation and collected over $5,000 (in today’s money) to support the Irish during the Potato Famine. The famine ravaged Ireland during the 1840s. In 2017, a sculpture commemorating the Choctaws and their gift, known as “Kindred Spirits,” was dedicated in a beautiful park in Midleton, Ireland.
In 2020 the story took a new twist when a pandemic known as coronavirus, or COVID-19, caused disruptions around the world. The death toll was particularly acute in the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Reservation. The Irish, stating that they were “paying it forward” gave the Choctaw Nation, who were severely impacted by the crisis, a grant of €2 million,
To commemorate the bond between the Choctaw Nation and Ireland, a tribal member named Samuel Stitt built a companion sculpture titled “Eternal Heart.” The sculpture combines a Celtic trinity shape intertwined with a heart that has no beginning and no ending and is specifically placed facing toward Ireland.
Choctaw Nation chief Gary Batton described the sculpture as symbolic of an “eternal bond” and that they are “extremely proud to call the people of Ireland our friends and kindred spirits”.
📸 Featured photo by Greg Willson on Unsplash, other photos provided by Patty
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