By 2027, Mississippians will be saying “chokma” or “hello” to the Chickasaw Heritage Center in Tupelo.
On Wednesday morning, Brady Davis, CEO of the nonprofit Chickasaw Inkana Foundation, spoke to a group at the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum about the new facility breaking ground this summer, which will be located on 126 acres just off of the Natchez Trace Parkway.
“This is one of the first, if not the absolute first time, that a fully removed First American tribe is returning to their homeland, being welcomed to tell their story from their perspective, but also the nation really wants to help with heritage tourism,” Davis said.
When the Chickasaw people originally migrated to the area, Davis said, they lived in territory in north Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. Those borders grew smaller over time as treaties were signed, he said, and in 1837, the Chickasaws were removed to Indian Territory.
Davis said the heritage center, which will be completed in “late ‘26, early ‘27,” will tell the story of that nation from its migration to the present day. The $60 million facility will be used as a gathering place for visitors and Chickasaw scholars alike, as it will include a museum, an event space and cafe, a traditional Chickasaw village, walking trails, a playground and more.
Inside one of the two main buildings, there will be a full museum complete with exhibits on Chickasaw dances, culture, economy, tribal sovereignty, removal and more. Throughout the center’s exhibits, Davis said, there will also be pieces of Chickasaw dances and language.
“The Chickasaw language will be dispersed through the entire exhibit,” Davis said. “So hopefully, when you’re finished, you’ll know ‘chokma’ or hello and ‘chapisa lacho,’ until next time.”
In the traditional village, Davis said, there will be a summer and winter house built as closely as possible to how Chickasaw family groups used to live.
Davis said the project will also help with “ecological restoration” on the property, as the group is replanting plants from the area, along with a Chickasaw garden growing squash and other native plants.
Davis mentioned that the center will also be connected with surrounding cities due to the history of the Chickasaw tribe throughout the region, as more historical markers can be installed throughout Starkville, Columbus, Tupelo and all along the Natchez Trace Parkway.
“The more that we can develop and share with people, the more we can increase Mississippi heritage tourism,” Davis said. “We have the blues, we have rock ‘n roll, we have Elvis, civil rights, and really, we have a lot of First American culture and history to share as well.”
Davis said that so far, about $44 million has been raised for the center’s construction, but on a trip to Washington D.C. last month, he requested the remaining $16 million in federal funds.
The areas where the center will stand have already been cleared, and construction will begin this summer whether those funds come through or not, he said, though it may limit construction to just one of the two main buildings initially.
Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum Director Derek Aaron told The Dispatch the museum invited Davis to speak at its Community Event Series as a way to provide both education and a cultural opportunity to local attendees.
“We had heard about the work of the (Chickasaw) Inkana Foundation and wanted to bring Mr. Davis here to talk more about the foundation and the Chickasaw, since they have found more evidence of the Chickasaw having lived in the Starkville and Columbus area,” Aaron said. “We have a nice exhibit on Indian artifacts in the museum.”
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