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IN 1847, THE Native American Choctaw people collected money for the Irish famine, despite living in conditions of starvation and poverty themselves.
They had been forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands, known at the Trail of Tears, and were exposed to disease and starvation en route to Oklahoma.
However, the Choctaw people contributed $170 (€150) – which is about $4,400 (€3,950) today – to send food aid when they heard about Ireland’s struggle.
Today the chief of the Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton, and a delegation of over 15 representatives from the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma, will attend a public ceremony in Cork to officially dedicate a sculpture in Midleton which commemorates the donation.
The sculpture ‘Kindred Spirits’ by Cork based sculptor Alex Pentek was commissioned in 2013 to commemorate the donation. It has nine 20 foot eagle feathers arranged in a circle shape reaching towards the sky, representing a bowl filled with food.
Chief Gary Batton said there is a connection between his people and the Irish.
Your story is our story. We didn’t have any income. This was money pulled from our pockets. We had gone through the biggest tragedy that we could endure, and saw what was happening in Ireland and just felt compelled to help.
“The bond between our nations has strengthened over the years. We are blessed to have the opportunity to share our cultures, and meet the generous people who have continued to honour a gift from the heart.”
This is not the first time the Choctaw Nation has been honoured in Ireland. In 1990, Choctaw leaders travelled to Mayo to take part in a re-enactment of an 1848 protest. The gesture was returned in 1992, when Irish leaders took part in a trek from Oklahoma to Mississippi. Former Irish President Mary Robinson also has been named an honorary Choctaw chief.
‘Demonstration of love’
Speaking ahead of today’s Official Dedication, Joe McCarthy, East Cork Municipal District Officer, said, “The Choctaw people were still recovering from their own injustice, and they put their hands in their pockets and they helped strangers. It’s rare to see such generosity. It had to be acknowledged.
“They bestowed a blessing not only on the starving Irish men, women and children, but also on humanity.
The gift from the Choctaw people was a demonstration of love, and I hope that this monument and the Official Dedication acknowledges that, and that it will encourage the Irish people to act as the Choctaw people did.
The ‘Kindred Spirits’ Official Dedication starts at 2pm and a special ceremony on Bailick Road will include traditional Choctaw and Irish music and dancing.
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Never knew about this . Interesting
@Ronan McDermott: people should also read about the turkish aid during the famine.
https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/little-known-tale-of-generous-turkish-aid-to-the-irish-during-the-great-hunger
@Ronan McDermott: Turkey did the same…
Childish comment John – I think this is a wonderful initiative by all involved & the monument is beautiful. Hope they had Damien Dempsey there to sing his great song in honour of the Choctaw.
@Margaret Murphy: well said
A beautiful sculpture commemorating a beautiful gesture by the Choctaw people. Well done to everyone involved.
possibly the greatest example of altruism in human history, as they saved lives in Ireland during that horror there are people alive today in our country because of what they did out of sheer humanity.
As a kid I had a beautifully illustrated book called “the long walk” telling this story!
Apologies, it was called “The Long March”
@Fionn Bohane: I belief the prequel book was also good , it was called the short February
@Fionn Bohane: I googled that book it’s out of print, but I got it secondhand on Amazon! There’s not many around, so glad I got a copy! Thanks for the reference to it, it will also stay on the family shelf for the next generation!
I really hope you enjoy it Marie :-)
The journey was called the Trail of Tears not trial.
A very interesting article. It looks like a lovely sculpture also and some thought was put into it, the feathers arranged in a bowl. Well done to the people of Middleton.
The Turks also helped despite Queen Victoria restricting them.
https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/little-known-tale-of-generous-turkish-aid-to-the-irish-during-the-great-hunger
@Peter McGlynn: showing what a proper Muslim did,who obviously followed his conscience,and his holy book
@billy Dorney: His Irish doctor influenced him .
@Ken Hayden: There were many international donors , the sultan was also keen to cement ties with Britain as he wanted their help against the Russians who were encroaching on his former empire , something which culminated in the Crimean war . Here’s a list of countries and organizations who contributed to famine relief , the sultan would be a long way down the list .
http://www.historyireland.com/18th-19th-century-history/the-widows-mite-private-relief-during-the-great-famine/
@Ken Hayden: Read down to find out about Queen Victoria’s actions.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: I knew what she did , and i know he sent an extra 5 ships into Drogheda harbour . I think it was reading the comment about him being a proper muslim who followed his holy book . I could have mentioned the first time Ireland came into contact with the Ottoman Empire at Baltimore , but that’s another topic .
It’s well worth reading about the trail if tears, what was done to them was horrific. The American government have alot to answer for.
Found out about this part of our history through a Damien Dempsey song when I was younger. Fascinating and humbling part of our history that we are never thought about in school.
I will definitely be visiting this statue at some stage.
And this while the Popes priests and Bishops ate well and preached.
@Will Hamilton:
Oh give over with your anti-Catholic nonsense Will. You’d fit in with the dup.
Priests starved aswell and had no rights in 19th Ireland.
It was your Protestant Britain that shipped food away and even tried to give soup to those that converted.
Everyone knows it.
It is remarkable to think of what the Choctaw Indians did for our country, considering what Irishmen like Gen Philip Sheridan did to the Indians in clearing them out of the reservations as the white men grabbed the land in America.
@Chris Kirk: As a young boy in school in 1973 , my school teacher told me the story of the Choctaw , he related it to us because of the incident at wounded knee in the same year .
He also included the stories of Irishmen who went on to fight against the Indians , and the fact that they may have helped some of them during the famine .
@Chris Kirk:
Also remarkable all the Irish who attempted to invade Turkey at Gallipoli for the British who brought the famine.
And we never apologised.
@T Beckett is back: Made up for all the Irish who died in the Crimean war protecting the ottoman Empire .
And too bad the Irish weren’t successful at Gallipoli , might have saved the Armenians from genocide .
@T Beckett is back: You seem to be in a time warp, Gallipoli was seventy years after the famine so you can hardly blame the soldiers fighting the Turks.
@Chris Kirk: Hey Chris. Not disagreeing with you or anything but felt I should probably point out that there’s no evidence to suggest that Sheridan was born in Ireland or associated himself with being Irish. His parents did come from Cavan though.
Legends
If it happened now it would be only the same people who would help. The Choctaws and the Turks. The rest would run away as usual.
Fouad,
The town crest in Drogheda is the ” star and crescent” in honour of Turkish generousity . It can be seen in many places around the town!
Turks also did great job in help during famine. The story is subject to an oncoming movie
@Fionn Bohane: where would someone get the book Fionn??
. God bless the Choctaw Indians for their thoughtfulness while despite their own terrible situation they were still able to reach out to Ireland in their hour of need
Paragraph 2. Structure. The Trail of tears was the name of the forced relocation journey, not the name of their ancestral homeland as your structure implies. Also, “Trail of tears” is spelled with an “ai” not an “ia. The “Trial of tears” implies an upsetting court case”.
Finally, it should read known “as” not known “at”.
Does anybody proof read or fact check this stuff? It may seem pedantic of me, but you’re supposed to be journalists. If we can’t expect basic factual accuracy or even correct grammar from you, what function do you serve? I can copy/paste poorly written sources from Wikipedia or let iOS autocorrect mess up my spelling all by myself, I don’t need you for that. I gave up reading less than 30 seconds in.
Check your work before you publish. Modern journalism doesn’t need any more lazy copy writing.
A really really great story and a kindness and empathy we can all learn from…Well done everyone
Trail of tears not trial of tears. Read a book
I wonder where the money ended up..fascinating
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