American expansion and Native American relocation. Through several treaties between 1801–1830 the Choctaw ceded more than 23-million acres of land to the United States. Insufficient, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced all of the southern tribes to relocate. About 13,000 Choctaw relocated, but about 5,000 remained. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw are descendant from that courageous group who refused to leave their ancestral homeland. Choctaw Expressions features artifacts representing their rich culture and history including basketry, beadwork, traditional dress, as well as stickball related objects. A progressive community, the Choctaw went from sharecroppers in the 1830s to now owning a casino and resort as well as a museum — the Chahta Immi Cultural Center, amongst other holdings. Today, the Choctaw is one of the ten largest private employers in Mississippi and has created jobs for all Mississippians, tribal and non-tribal. Choctaw Expressions in conjunction with Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes will be on display May 1–August 11, 2021. Make sure to visit the Chahta Immi Cultural Center and the Annual Choctaw Indian Fair in July to experience their cultural heritage and legacy.
A Program of ExhibitsUSA and The National Endowment for the Arts
Learn more at Chahta Immi Cultural Center (Inside the Choctaw Shopping Center) 100 Choctaw Town Center Philadelphia, MS 39350 601-650-1687 www.choctaw.org
Top to bottom: Audience looks on at a demonstration at the Annual Choctaw Indian Fair. Artist displays her beadwork. Both images courtesy of Chahta Immi Cultural Center, The Mississippi Band of Choctaw. Study for Vessel, Shan Goshorn, 2015, arches watercolor paper splints printed with archival inks, acrylic paint. Kitsch Me, I’m Indian, Juanita Pahdopony, 2016, cast concrete, acrylic, aluminum cones, buckskin, rhinestones, paper. 6 | PLACE