Chickasaw Annual Meeting born of desire for representative government

This article appeared in the October 2021 edition of the Chickasaw Times

Chokma,

The Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival is a celebration generations in the making.

It is a time when we invite Chickasaws across the country and the world to celebrate all that it means to be Chickasaw. It is a time to reflect on where we have been and where we are going.

It is because of the leadership of a group of dedicated Chickasaws that we are still meeting as we are today.

In addition to the fellowship and culture we celebrated on the first Saturday in October, the Annual Meeting and Festival also serves as a true example of Chickasaw leadership and perseverance.

A grassroots movement arose in the 1950s from citizens of the Chickasaw Nation, seeking recognition of our sovereignty, and a more representative and responsive government.

This movement helped pave the way for the formation of the Chickasaw Tribal Council at Seeley Chapel in 1954.

The Annual Meeting would be born out of another meeting of more than 100 Chickasaws at Seeley Chapel, six years later in 1960.

Those early, grassroots meetings began a tradition of fellowship and cultural celebration that continues to reconnect and reunify Chickasaws today. They also encouraged citizens to actively participate in tribal progress.

With representative leadership, the Chickasaw people could address the challenges they saw every day and present solutions focused around our communities.

Programs and services began to expand, and the Chickasaw Nation thrived.

The Chickasaw Annual Meeting has changed locations over time, moving between Connerville, Byng and Tishomingo. Sites have included Seeley Chapel, Byng School Auditorium, under a tent on Chickasaw National Capitol Grounds and the Fletcher Auditorium at Murray State College.

In 1992, the Annual Meeting was relocated to the Chickasaw Nation’s capital city of Tishomingo, strengthening our relationships with Murray State College, the City of Tishomingo and the Tishomingo Chamber of Commerce, who play key roles in Annual Meeting and Festival each year. The Chickasaw Festival was also added to the Annual Meeting that year, and what began as a one-day gathering soon developed into the weeklong celebration of culture, art, history and community that we enjoy.

The last two years, the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival has been hosted online. Although it has been difficult to be physically separated, Chickasaws and community members the world over have been invited to virtually attend the weeklong series of events, cultural demonstrations and more.

Chickasaw citizens have experienced and celebrated Chickasaw culture, heritage and progress on computers, tablets, smartphones and other streaming devices at AnnualMeeting.Chickasaw.net.

The Chickasaw Nation Annual Meeting is a celebration of our past, present and our future.