By Barry Coughlan
Those traveling east from Cork city to Waterford can not escape the view on the left hand side approaching the eastbound roundabout from Midleton, a sculpture that clearly harks back towards the USA.
The sculpture perfectly describes the longstanding relationship between the people of Ireland and the first nations of what is now the USA. The stories of how that bond came about are many and varied but none is surely more poignant than the gesture of solidarity by a group of oppressed, impoverished people 5,000 miles away with the people of Ireland in their time of need.
More than 175 years ago, when the Irish were suffering through the great famine in 1847 they were gifted with $170 (a considerable sum at that time) by the Chocktaw people of what would become the state of Oklahoma, in the heartlands of the emerging USA.
The aim of the Choctaws was simply to ease the suffering of fellow human beings, whose grinding poverty had struck a chord with the tribe. All the more remarkable, since they had just completed a grueling forced march along the notorious Trail of Tears from their original lands in the south to US government reservations in the heartlands of the country.
Recorded on a brass plaque in the grand Entrance Hall of the Lord Mayor of Dublin’s Mansion House, the Choctaw peoples’ generosity has become more widely known in recent years, and in June 2017 Kindred Spirits was erected in Midleton, and dedicated at a moving and widely-attended ceremony by Chief of the Choctaw Nation Gary Batton.
In 2022, a Choctaw delegation once again made the journey to Midleton to view it, as do an increasing number of Irish and international visitors.
And now Kindred Spirits – nine huge steel feathers in the shape of a cup that’s set amid the greenery of Bailick Park in the town – is to have a companion installation, across the Atlantic in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma.
The Choctaw Nation and Irish Government have revealed their plans for Eternal Heart, soon to be installed on Choctaw Capitol ground in Tuskahoma.
Samuel Stitt, a member of the Choctaw Nation, submitted the winning design, combining a heart shape and a Celtic trinity cross. The heart will be specifically located to face toward Ireland, representing the eternal bond between the peoples of the two Nations.
The Choctaw Nation – with more than 220,000 tribal members and associates, the third-largest Indian Nation in the US, can trace their origins back more than 13,000 years and today – nearly 200 years after their grueling journey along the Trail of Tears – they are a thriving community with a recently opened and impressive, interactive Cultural Center in their headquarters town of Durant/Calera, Oklahoma.
For international visitors’ young and old – not least those from Ireland – the Center is a ‘must-visit’ stop on any Oklahoma road trip.
Oklahoma is at the ‘heart’ of the USA on the Great Plains – the wide grasslands between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, offering a large range of very special natural and cultural experiences plus warm hospitality. People are welcoming, caring and witty at the same time, and cowboys and Native American Indians are not a tourist attraction, but part of everyday life.
Oklahomma’ – ‘Red People’ – is what the Choctaw Indians originally called the native population and it’s the name given to the area when it became America’s 46th state in 1907. Prior, in 1803, Oklahoma had been declared ‘Indian Territory’ by US President Thomas Jefferson.
Traveling in Oklahoma provides an introduction to the authentic culture of the Native American Indians and cowboys, but you’ll also get to know pioneers and oil magnates and to explore a variety of ecosystems.
The major natural feature is the prairie, but the landscape ranges from grassland and mountains to lakes and woods. Historically and culturally the region is colorful with a broad range of fascinating events and exciting chapters of history. Travelers interested in the Santa Fe Trail, the Oregon/California Trail, Route 66, the Trail of Tears or the Chisholm Trail can delve into the subject to make it all come alive.
From the largest urban area – Oklahoma City, through the mid-size city – Tulsa, to smallest towns – like Sulphur, OK, – the atmosphere is vibrant, warm and welcoming.
It’s about farm to plate food; art and culture; live music and sport – all of these are easily accessible in Oklahoma.
Visitors are very welcome and are likely to be endlessly surprised and delighted!