Discover Hidden Gems: Exploring AYA's Point of Interest

Imagine walking through your neighborhood and suddenly discovering the hidden stories behind places you pass every day. This is exactly what Points of Interest (POI) in AYA deliver – windows into locations with profound significance.

Bringing Chickasaw History to Life Through AYA Points of Interest

These form the foundation of the AYA experience, marking authentic historical sites and geographic landmarks along each walking partner's journey. Every POI you unlock reveals meaningful places with rich cultural stories waiting to be discovered.

Think of POIs as digital pushpins on a living, interactive map. Just as you might mark favorite locations on a physical map – places that captivated you or hold special memories – AYA's walking partners mark important sites along their trails. Each point represents a place worth remembering, a story worth telling.

When you expand the map feature in AYA, you reveal this network of cultural landmarks. What makes these POIs truly special is their authenticity – these places exist in the real world, grounding each story in genuine Chickasaw history and making the digital journey come alive.

Why Points of Interest Matter

The Points of Interest (POI) feature in AYA looks deeper, connecting you to something greater.

First, POIs brilliantly link physical places to historical narratives. How often have you walked past a building but never known its story or driven by a lake or river without knowing what lies beneath its surface? The Earth holds countless stories, and a POI helps you discover them.

Second, POIs connect people from diverse backgrounds. Though we may come from different parts of the world, have different upbringings or speak different languages, POIs create a common ground. When we explore important places through AYA's POI feature, we unveil the threads that unite us all. Our ancestors found these places meaningful. The stories they shared in them echo through time, and POIs help us find them.

AYA’s POIs are valuable because they connect places to our rich Chickasaw history while bringing people together across all walks of life.

Community Exploration

Community exploration and POIs work together.

Explore your community and seek knowledge about local people, places and resources. AYA users live all around the world, so how does community apply in this context?

The beauty of digital connection is that AYA creates a sense of place, history and community regardless of where you live. Sometimes we highlight a location's distant past, other times we share its present-day significance. By marking these places with digital pushpins in AYA, you weave them together and expand your knowledge.

The POI feature brings you closer to our collective history as a people, tribe and community. This serves as a gateway to engage in deeper community connections.

Discover Local Hidden Gems

Have fun and discover hidden gems! The POI feature allows users to make these discoveries in a digital format.

To enhance the authenticity of these "hidden gems," we established clear guidelines that maintain genuine storytelling and historical accuracy:

• Guideline 1: POIs must be real places you can locate on a map. If a POI cannot be historically verified or located using geospatial technology, it should not be featured.
• Guideline 2: POIs must be thoroughly researched for historical accuracy.
• Guideline 3: POIs must highlight the importance of the character, the significance to the Chickasaw Nation or both.
• Guideline 4: POIs must include photography to bring the story to life. Locations may be photographed as they appear today, even if the site has changed over time. Historical photographs from digital archives, online repositories or museums may also be used.
  
  

The Journey of Creating POIs in AYA

These guidelines make POI creation both enjoyable and challenging. Over the years, the AYA team has encountered fascinating and complex POIs. Here are two noteworthy stories from our POI creation process:

Brief History No. 1: Tishomingo County

POI name/location: Tishomingo County
Walking partner: Ben
Journey title: The Storytelling Reflections of Ben Walker

History: This POI initially seemed straightforward. We met almost all guidelines except for one critical element: photography. We quickly discovered the location wasn't easily accessible because it was on private property.

Our photographer had to carefully explain to the landowner not just to gain permission for the photo, but also to clarify how it would be used. The effort proved successful and the image is spectacular. It captures the winding Canadian River with train tracks of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway from the late 1800s cutting through a cliff face. With a sharp drop-off and brilliant blue sky beyond, this rare view of the railway crossing such dramatic terrain isn't accessible to most people.

Brief History No. 2: Pennington Creek

POI Name/Location: Pennington Creek
Walking Partner: Te Ata
Journey Title: The Talking-Leaves of Te Ata

History: This POI also presented unexpected challenges. The desired location is closed to the public, situated near Slippery Falls by Kerr Scout Ranch. Similar to the Tishomingo County POI, we needed special permission for photography and required an in-person guide to reach the site.

Interestingly, we learned the location was near a filming spot for one of the opening scenes in the Te Ata movie. The POI description mentions how someone suggested that Te Ata returns to the riverbanks annually as a wildflower. In one of our photos, if you look carefully, you'll notice a cluster of sunflowers emerging on the right side of the frame – a beautiful tribute to Te Ata's enduring legacy. This has become one of our favorite POIs!

Honoring Chickasaw Culture

The role of POIs extends beyond rich history, community connections and hidden gem discoveries. These points also honor and showcase Chickasaw culture. After all, cultural knowledge stands as a fundamental principle of AYA.

How do you define culture? Beyond the Chickasaw language, culture encompasses everything our ancestors did in their daily lives and provides a snapshot of life from long ago.

Through AYA's POIs, we aim to use history – like places significant to the Chickasaw people – to illuminate and elevate our culture.

Culture in Characters: Akanowa

Akanowa, meaning "the walker" in Chickasaw, was among our first characters introduced in the app. Her story is also one of our most culturally rich. Through Akanowa, we view how life was for Chickasaws in the 1500s. It is interesting to see how they celebrated rites of passage, their spiritual practices and the role of tribal elders.

Culture in Characters: Hikatubby

Hikatubby, meaning "he stood and killed" in Chickasaw, was another early walking partner. His narrative parallels Akanowa's, offering insight into a young Chickasaw warrior's thoughts, feelings and responses to foreign presences like Hernando de Soto.

In AYA, we use documented accounts to provide insights into Chickasaw culture. Conversely, these elements give greater context and meaning to historical events. The POIs ground us in real places while evoking a sense of community and shared history.

Experiencing POIs with Fresh Perspective

The next time you unlock a POI in AYA, keep these concepts in mind. Each was created following thoughtful guidelines. The creation process itself has a history, separate from the history of the place. Consider how each POI balances respect for community, history, culture and the unifying stories we share.

Here are some tips to engage with POIs in new ways:

• When unlocking a new POI, tap the photograph to enlarge it. Some POIs feature multiple photos to explore.
• Switch to "Map" view and zoom in and out to see how POIs relate to each other and their positions on a modern map.
• Research the POI on Chickasaw Nation resources like Chickasaw.TV for deeper insights into Chickasaw history and culture. Start with the Chickasaw White House or Bloomfield Academy – both featured in several walking partner stories, including Douglas Johnston and Te Ata.
• If you live near any POIs, consider visiting in person. On Talowa's walking partner journey, she visits the Chickasaw Cultural Center – an excellent destination for Chickasaw history and culture that is easy to plan a visit to.
• For more extensive travel plans, explore Chickasaw Country online resources, which offers an event calendar for Oklahoma, accommodation guides and an interactive map to help find the perfect destination.
• Share your favorite pieces of history from AYA with friends and family to spread awareness of these cultural treasures!

By exploring AYA's Points of Interest, you are not just discovering locations – you are connecting with centuries of tradition, culture and community that continue to shape our world today.

Anowa chipisala'cho (until we meet again),

- The AYA Walk Team