The Choctaws' gift to Irish
The Choctaws' gift to Irish

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By Peter Duffy

Published: March 15, 2008

Every year on St. Patrick's Day, Americans of Irish descent celebrate Ireland's patron saint by marching in parades, wearing green neckties and perhaps visiting a local tavern to "drown the shamrock,” as the saying goes. But to many, the holiday retains a more somber and reflective aspect. It must not be forgotten, after all, that the day is dedicated to a Catholic saint, someone who possesses "heroic virtue” in the eyes of the church, the essential attribute for canonization.

So on this day of Irish memory, I propose that Oklahomans spare a thought for a collection of citizens who displayed "heroic virtue” during one of the most trying times in Ireland's history.

During the worst days of the Great Irish Famine of 1845-1852, when a million Irish died and another million or so fled to foreign lands like the United States, the Choctaw Indians gathered in Scullyville and raised $170 for an Irish relief fund. An account from the time recorded that "traders, missionaries, and (Indian) agency officials contributed, but the greater part of the money was supplied by the Indians themselves.”

The gift represented a considerable amount of money at the time. And it was given by a people who were living in less than comfortable circumstances. Indeed, just 16 years earlier the Choctaw had been evicted from their lands in Mississippi in a manner not dissimilar to what poor tenants in Ireland were then experiencing, forced to relocate to Oklahoma by traveling along the "Trail of Tears.”

The donation has long endeared the Irish to the Choctaw. In 1995, Irish President Mary Robinson visited the Choctaw Nation to formally offer Ireland's gratitude. In turn, members of the Choctaw Nation have visited Ireland, where they have participated in the annual "famine walk” organized by AFRI (Action from Ireland), an Irish organization that advocates for social justice around the world. Gary White Deer, an artist who lives in Ada, has been to Ireland more than a dozen times to participate in the walk and other activities.

But the Choctaws' powerful act should serve as an example to us all, no matter our ethnic or national category. They showed that the sufferings of a different race of people living half a world away were worthy of attention and concerned action. And they proved that one's own poverty should have no bearing on the level of one's outreach.

It would be fitting, then, on St. Patrick's Day for us to honor the Choctaws' gift by looking across the world to suffering countries like Somalia, the Sudan and Ethiopia, each of which has sections that are poised on the brink of famine.

As Mary Robinson said when she visited Oklahoma, "I think it is very important … to encourage others to understand that there are people today who need the support that the Choctaw Nation gave 150 years ago to the Irish people.”

Duffy, of New York City, is the author of "The Killing of Major Denis Mahon: A Mystery of Old Ireland” (HarperCollins).

The Choctaws' powerful act should serve as an example to us all, no matter our ethnic or national category.

Related Topics: Culture and Lifestyle, Holidays, Natural Disasters