A ceremonial mound, modeled after the Mother Mound in the Choctaw homelands of modern-day Mississippi. Photo by Linda Miller
items and displays, skillfully bringing past and present together. There’s also a children’s activity center, an outdoor living village and mound, and a café and gift shop. The most compelling exhibits focus on events and treaties that brought the Choctaws, most of them walking, along the 500-mile grueling Trail of Tears to what is now Oklahoma. Details of their journey is often told through the voices of ancestors’ family members. Of the estimated 12,000 Choctaws who left Mississippi, about 4.000 died of exposure, disease and starvation on three separate journeys that stretched from 1830 to 1833. Others came in the 1840s
and ’50s and the last group in 1902 who arrived in Ardmore. Many of the details, especially of their living conditions and treatment in Ardmore, are troubling to read. The center, opened in July, is dedicated to exploring, preserving and highlighting the culture and history of the Choctaw people. Told from the Choctaw perspective, it’s an impactful and inspirational story that honors their spiritual and physical journey. For more information, hours and admission prices, go to choctawculturalcenter.com or call 833-708-9582. n
Visitors can explore the outdoor village the Choctaw Cultural Center. Photo by Linda Miller
24 ion Oklahoma March/April 2022
