Governor Bill AnoatubbyWe are proud to be Chickasaw, American - and free!
With the 1786 Treaty of Hopewell, the Chickasaw Nation and the United States formalized their peace with each other. This act of hopefulness and fellowship defined the relationship these two sovereign entities were to enjoy in perpetuity.
It has been suggested that the Lower Mississippi Valley, and even the entire country, would be speaking French today had it not been for the results produced by the Chickasaw Nation. In 1763, the Chickasaw Nation succeeded in effectively driving the French from the Lower Mississippi Valley. During this period, the French, English and Spanish were all vying for control of this important area.
All these countries wanted dominion over the entire North American continent. With the rise of the American Revolution, it was also obviously desired by the new and fragile country that would become the United States.
The Chickasaws sided with the British during the Revolutionary War, but there is good evidence many Chickasaws became uneasy with the British because of their ways of using tribal forces without proper battlefield support or care. With the war’s end and the American victory, Piomingo saw the benefits of being allied with the Americans. It was a good relationship for a number of years.
We all know now of the devastating actions that would occur later, beginning with the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Despite the courage of Chickasaw warriors during the War of 1812, even fighting alongside Andrew Jackson at New Orleans, Jackson, who became president in 1828, swept the Chickasaws aside.
We know the history after Removal and the incredible lows that befell Chickasaws, and citizens of other tribes, over the next 130 years.
Despite our often contentious history with the United States, Chickasaws and Indian people across the country are some of America’s proudest servants and defenders. Indian people have historically served in the U.S. military in much higher proportions than the U.S. population in general. Beginning in World War I, Indian soldiers have been among the most highly decorated and courageous warriors in the American military.
To non-Indians, it may seem a contradiction to be so dedicated to the U.S. and the Chickasaw Nation simultaneously. But to us, it is an embracing of all the good things both nations represent.
On this Independence Day, we will celebrate the 235th anniversary of our country’s Declaration of Independence. And we will rejoice that we are citizens in an America that cherishes freedom, and in a Chickasaw Nation that holds up its culture, traditions and people as historic and sovereign.
When the United States was first emerging, its framers recognized quickly that the Indian tribes were sovereign nations based on their longstanding existence, government and organization. The tribes were recognized in the U.S. Constitution as sovereign nations, and that has never changed.
We are in the unique and enviable position of actually being “dual citizens.” And to Chickasaws, there is no contradiction. There is only love of our country, and love of our tribe.
