The Choctaw Nation speaks exclusively to Gaming America about its history – and a special relationship with Ireland.
Could you give us the history of the Choctaw Nation?
The Choctaw Nation is the third-largest Indian Nation in the US, with more than 225,000 Tribal members and over 12,000 associates. These ancient people have an oral tradition dating back over 13,000 years. The first Tribe over the Trail of Tears, its historic reservation boundaries are in the southeast corner of Oklahoma, covering 10,923 square miles. The Choctaw Nation’s vision, “Living out the Chahta Spirit of faith, family and culture,” is evident as it continues to focus on providing opportunities for growth and prosperity.
Can you tell us about the Choctaw Nation’s gaming operations?
Choctaw Casinos & Resorts feature a variety of gaming, hotel and resort properties throughout southeastern Oklahoma, with 22 casino locations including three casinos & resorts (Durant, Grant and Pocola), four casinos (Stringtown, McAlester, Broken Bow and Idabel) and 15 Casino Toos locations in area travel plazas. In spring 2024, the Choctaw Nation is opening a 100-bed luxury resort Choctaw Landing in Hochatown.
How important is the revenue from the Choctaw Nation's gaming operations to the Tribe?
Revenue generated through the Choctaw Nation’s gaming operations goes to support other programs across the reservation including health, education, housing and other businesses.
In what ways do you think Tribal gaming can compete with commercial gaming?
We continue to invest in Vegas-style amenities to attract players to our properties with family-friendly amenities. Today’s players are looking for spas, movie theaters, pools and other resort-style amenities they can enjoy when they visit. That’s why we built The District, which includes a movie theater, bowling alley and arcade games.
The Choctaw Nation helped to donate money to Ireland during the Great Famine; why was the Tribe so keen to help?
Forged through the bond of shared suffering, this seemingly unexpected connection of two people groups continues to change lives. In 1847, The Choctaws pooled together $170, which was sent first to the Memphis Irish Relief Committee, then to the General Irish Relief Committee of the City of New York. The $170 would be worth around $5,000 in today’s economy. These funds were a donation in response to the Great Potato Famine that was devastating Ireland. The generous hearts of the Choctaw people were moved to respond to this great suffering, even though they had recently been displaced from their homeland and forced to walk the Trail of Tears.
In what other ways since 1847 have the Choctaw Nation and Ireland supported each other?
Irish President Mary Robinson visited the Choctaw Nation in 1995 to rekindle and reestablish the friendship and thank Choctaws for their aid to Midleton. Some years later, in 2017, a sculpture commemorating the Choctaws and their gift, known as “Kindred Spirits,” was dedicated in a beautiful park in Midleton. In 2018, Ireland’s Prime Minister, or Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, visited Choctaw Nation headquarters to thank the Choctaws and initiate the first of a continuing series of yearly scholarships for Choctaw students to study in Ireland.
Ireland’s Consul General visited the Choctaw Nation a year later. Throughout the years, many other donations have been made by the Irish and the Choctaws in honor of that donation so many years ago. In 2020, the Irish people once again honored that sacred bond, giving back to Native American Tribes hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Through a GoFundMe campaign, contributors have raised $7,865,930 as of February 11, 2022, to help supply clean water, food and health supplies to people in the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Reservation, with hundreds of thousands of dollars coming from Irish donors, according to the organizers.
Many of the contributors have cited the Choctaw–Irish connection as the reason for their generosity. The connection between the Irish people and the Choctaw Nation shows that a simple act of kindness can bring nations together. A donation made roughly 175 years ago is still making an impact today. In fact, a sculpture honoring the relationship between the Choctaw Nation and the people of Ireland will be erected on the Choctaw Capitol grounds in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma. The project is funded jointly by the Choctaw Nation and the Government of Ireland. The piece, titled “Eternal Heart,” is the design of Choctaw Tribal member Samuel Stitt. “Eternal Heart” combines a Celtic trinity shape intertwined with a heart.
Can you talk us through the Choctaw Ireland Scholarship?
The Choctaw-Ireland Scholarship Programme is one of the most significant ways these nations continue their connection.
This scholarship is one of the Chahta Foundation’s most prestigious education offerings. The Republic of Ireland provides tuition and expenses for a Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma recipient to study at University College Cork. This scholarship program has changed the lives of its recipients. Jessica Militante was the first recipient of this scholarship in 2019. “Being the first recipient of this scholarship was an honor I still can’t believe. With Choctaw and Irish ancestry, I grew up knowing about the connection between my two cultures and the amount of resilience and generosity that is rooted deep in our bones,” said Militante.
“To be a part of furthering that connection – and have the opportunity to form new ones – was the experience of a lifetime.” In 2021, the Choctaw-Ireland Scholarship Programme accepted two recipients for the first time, Claire Green Young and Austin West. The second scholarship that year was made possible by a matching donation through the Chahta Foundation to allow another student to study in Ireland. With the acceptance of the 2023 recipients, the Choctaw Ireland Scholarship program will have provided eight students access to higher education and a life-changing experience since it was founded.
Why do you think the relationship between the Choctaw Nation and Ireland remains so strong?
Chief Gary Batton commented on the tradition of the Choctaw Nation’s spirit of giving, saying, “We are committed to continuing the legacy of generosity our ancestors began in the 1800s. We want to continue to help our Tribal members, the state of Oklahoma, and the world.” Nothing divides the Choctaw people from the Irish except for the ocean. Both the Choctaw Nation and Ireland were, in effect, colonized by outside powers. Their ancient tongues almost became extinct and have been rescued from oblivion and made into working languages again through concerted effort and sophisticated approaches. Both peoples have successfully preserved their cultures and traditions.
