Walking in the footsteps of Chickasaw history and resilience, one step at a time with AYA
“Unconquered and unconquerable.” For generations, this phrase has captured something essential about who we are as Chickasaw people. It describes a nation never defeated; not by battle, not by Removal and not by more than two centuries of pressure to disappear. Time and again, our ancestors met adversity with courage, strategy and an unshakable will to endure. The same unconquerable spirit lives on in Chickasaw citizens today.
AYA Walk is one way to walk alongside that history. AYA is a free app from the Chickasaw Nation, and the word aya means “to go” or “to journey” in the Chickasaw language. As you log steps in everyday life, AYA pairs your walk with stories of Chickasaw ancestors and historical figures as your walking partners who share their journeys. There are no eligibility requirements; anyone can use AYA, Chickasaw citizens and non-citizens alike.
If you have never opened the app, consider this your invitation. Below is a look at defining chapters of Chickasaw history and the AYA walking partners who can take you deeper into each one.
From first contact with European explorers to the ongoing work of preserving tribal sovereignty today, Chickasaws faced profound challenges and remained standing. The Chickasaw Nation delayed Removal longer than a lot of tribes, negotiated the best terms it could, and maintained control of its own schools until statehood.
The Chickasaw Nation’s fortitude is because generation after generation of Chickasaws chose to advocate for our people, protect our traditions and work toward self-governance.
Long before contact with Europeans, our ancestors lived west of the Mississippi River. According to Chickasaw oral tradition, our hopaii (spiritual advisors) sought guidance from our Creator, Aba' Bínni'li', who directed them to seek a new home toward the rising sun in the East.
Their guide would be Itti' Fabassa' Holitto'pa', a sacred pole planted in the ground each night. Whichever direction it leaned by morning was the direction the people would travel. Ofi' Tohbi' Ishto, the large white dog, ranged ahead of the group as a guard and scout.
The journey was long and tested every ounce of the people’s endurance. Our ancestors adapted to a new land, learned to use new resources and prepared the generations after them for challenges no one could yet foresee. Reaching and thriving in their new homeland was an early example of the unconquerable spirit that would be tested again and again.
Akanowa, one of AYA’s Homeland walking partners, shares this story in episode 8 of her journey, “Our Migration to the Homeland.” Press play below to hear Akanowa tell it in her own words or walk with her in the app to unlock the full episode for yourself.
In May 1539, Hernando de Soto landed in present-day Florida with more than 700 Spaniards and immediately seized Native villages to use as camps. By December 1540, word of the “land of Chicasa” had drawn his expedition into Chickasaw territory. The Chickasaws had already heard rumors of de Soto and his men, and a wary, uneasy relationship formed between the two groups.
As de Soto began making harsh demands of Chickasaw leaders and asserting authority he had no claim to, the Chickasaws planned an ambush. The resulting Battle of Chicasa, fought March 8, 1541, disrupted de Soto’s plans and effectively ended his expedition in Chickasaw territory. European explorers would not return for another 150 years.
Walk with Hikatubby in AYA to experience this chapter, from the Chickasaws’ first encounter with Europeans in December 1540 through the Battle of Chicasa in March 1541.
That same diplomatic skill carried the Chickasaws through the founding of the United States. As the tribe’s alliance with England ended, Piominko, a Chickasaw leader, worked to build a relationship with the new U.S. government. In 1786, he signed the Treaty of Hopewell, establishing an alliance between the Chickasaw Nation and the U.S. government and defining the boundaries of the historic Chickasaw Homeland. He also developed a personal relationship with President George Washington, who awarded him a peace medal.
Piominko’s life and legacy are told in AYA through the AYA Hall of Fame series. His journey offers a look at an era that helped shape the course of Chickasaw sovereignty in the centuries that followed.
The Removal era of the 1830s remains one of the most painful chapters in Chickasaw history. It also shows the determination of the Chickasaw people to shape their own future.
The foresight and skilled negotiation of Chickasaw leaders led to favorable sales of Chickasaw lands in Mississippi. This allowed the Chickasaw Nation, unlike other tribes, to pay for its own Removal. By controlling the timing of their departures, Chickasaws could choose favorable seasons for travel and reduce some of the suffering our people endured during Removal.
That measure of control did not erase the pain the Chickasaw people endured on the journey west, but it helped the Chickasaw Nation preserve more of its sovereignty and traditions and arrive in a new land still intact as a people and a government.
Arriving in Indian Territory, the Chickasaws first settled in the western part of the Choctaw Nation. Faced with challenges and desiring an independent government, they continued to press for their own future. In 1855, the Chickasaw Nation signed a treaty of separation from the Choctaw Nation, regaining independence and the right to self-governance. In 1856, the nation adopted a constitution with executive, legislative and judicial branches.
As Oklahoma statehood approached in the late 1800s, that fight for self-determination found a defining leader in Douglas H. Johnston. He was elected governor of the Chickasaw Nation three times and later appointed by the president of the United States to represent the Chickasaw people until his death in 1939.
Johnston worked to maintain tribal control over Chickasaw schools and pushed for changes to the Atoka Agreement that allowed Chickasaws and Choctaws to challenge fraudulent citizenship claims accepted by the Dawes Commission. Those changes led courts to revoke nearly 4,000 fraudulent claims, saving the two nations an estimated $20 million. In 1924, Johnston secured permission for the tribe to sue the federal government in the U.S. Court of Claims over funds illegally taken from tribal resources.
Walk through Douglas Johnston’s story in AYA, and read more about his work on behalf of the Chickasaw people in an earlier AYA Walk post: New Walking Companion: Douglas Johnston
By the mid-20th century, the federal government may have believed it had finally succeeded in assimilating Chickasaws into mainstream society. But Chickasaw identity and community endured.
Year after year, Chickasaws gathered socially and in churches, spoke the Chickasaw language and practiced traditional ways whenever and wherever they could. Out of persistence grew a grassroots movement to restore self-governance.
A group of Chickasaws met at Seeley Chapel, a small church near Connerville, Oklahoma, to press for the restoration of tribal government. After Congress passed Public Law 91-495 in 1970, restoring the right of the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma to elect their own leaders, the Chickasaw Nation held its first tribal election since 1904 in 1971 where Overton James was elected governor.
Through it all, core parts of Chickasaw traditions endured: women held their place as matriarchs, elders were honored for their knowledge and Chickasaw warriors continued to answer the call to serve in defense of their country.
Today, the Chickasaw Nation is a thriving, self-governing nation. Chickasaw citizens make an impact around the world, while the nation continues to build an ever-growing array of services, businesses and cultural resources.
None of that erases what came before. It is a direct continuation of it. The same spirit that carried our ancestors across an uncertain migration, turned back de Soto, outlasted French armies, negotiated the terms of Removal and rebuilt a self-governing nation is the spirit carrying the Chickasaw Nation now.
Walking with AYA is more than a way to learn Chickasaw history. It allows you to experience history through stories unfolding as you move. Here are three ways to connect with the unconquerable spirit of the Chickasaw Nation as you walk:
AYA syncs with Apple Health and Google Health, works on iPhone and Android devices, and is free to anyone. Choose a walking partner, take your first steps and let their story unfold alongside yours.
Download the AYA Walk app today:
The Chickasaw people have shown, generation after generation, that resilience is not only about surviving. It is about thriving in the face of adversity. Walk with AYA, learn where you come from and carry that unconquerable spirit forward.
Anowa chipisala'cho (until we meet again),
Your AYA Walk Team
References
Chickasaw.tv. “Governor Douglas H. Johnston.” https://www.chickasaw.tv/profiles/governor-douglas-h-johnston-profile
Chickasaw.tv. “Piominko.” https://www.chickasaw.tv/profiles/piomingo-profile
Chickasaw Nation. “European Contact.” https://www.chickasaw.net/Our-Nation/History/European-Contact.aspx
Chickasaw Nation. “Migration Story.” https://www.chickasaw.net/Our-Nation/History/Migration-Story.aspx
Chickasaw Nation. “Removal.” https://www.chickasaw.net/Our-Nation/History/Removal.aspx
Amanda J. Cobb. “Chickasaw Schools.” The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society. https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=CH034
Chickasaw Nation. “Turn of the Century.” https://www.chickasaw.net/Our-Nation/History/Turn-of-the-Century.aspx
U.S. Congress. Public Law 91-495. Oct. 22, 1970. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-84/pdf/STATUTE-84-Pg1091-2.pdf