Sculpture celebrating Irish connection unveiled in Choctaw Nation

(CHOCTAW NATION) The unbreakable bond between the Choctaw Nation and Ireland reached a new milestone this August.

Two events celebrated the unveiling of the Eternal Heart sculpture, honoring the longstanding connection between Ireland and the Choctaw Nation.

On August 29, the Choctaw Cultural Center held a celebration for attendees to enjoy music from RUNA, a Celtic music group with members from Ireland, USA and Canada. Elders from District 9 also participated in the musical performance. 

On August 30th, the Eternal Heart sculpture was unveiled on the Choctaw Nation Capitol grounds in Tuskahoma at 1:00 pm. 

Ireland Minister of State, Thomas Byrne TD attended both events. Chief Gary Batton, Assistant Chief Jack Austin, Jr. and the Choctaw Tribal Council were on hand for the unveiling. 

Eternal Heart is a sister sculpture to “Kindred Spirits”, a sculpture installed in County Cork, Ireland, in 2015. 

The “heart” of the sculpture that stands in Choctaw Nation, created by Choctaw artist Sam Stitt, faces towards Ireland. 

The bond between the Choctaw people and Irish people was forged in 1847, when the Choctaw Nation gathered up $170 and sent it to Ireland to aid them during the Great Famine, a time of disease, starvation, and detriment worsened by inaction by the United Kingdom, the country’s colonial ruler. The Irish gift was sent not long after the Choctaw Nation’s forced relocation to what is now Oklahoma.

Ireland also reached across the pond to help Native people in the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019. Almost $3 million was raised for Navajo and Hopi families through a GoFundMe page. Many of the donations came from Irish people and Irish Americans.

More recently, Choctaw Nation held its first Choctaw Irish Friendship Fest around Saint Patrick’s Day earlier this year, and two more Choctaw Nation citizens graduated from the University College Cork through an ongoing scholarship program between the two nations. 

This article has been updated with new information from the unveiling.