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Native American tribe unveil sculpture to honour Irish connection

PA Media The sculpture combines a Celtic trinity shape intertwined with a heart and is placed facing Ireland.PA Media
The eight-foot tall Eternal Heart sculpture, created by Choctaw member Samuel Stitt, was unveiled at the Choctaw Capitol Grounds

Choctaw leaders have unveiled a sculpture in Oklahoma dedicated to their people's connection with Ireland.

The connection was founded on the gift - a donation made to Ireland in 1847.

The Eternal Hearts sculpture was created by Samuel Stitt and was a joint commission, funded by the Irish government and the Chahta Foundation.

The sculpture combines a Celtic trinity shape intertwined with a heart and is placed facing in the direction of Ireland as a companion piece to 'Kindred Spirits', a sculpture in County Cork.

The Trail of Tears

In 1847, the Choctaw nation of Oklahoma made a donation of $170 to help people suffering thousands of kilometres away in the Irish famine.

The gift would be worth tens of thousands of dollars in modern terms.

At the time, the Native Americans were themselves being forced from their native lands - known as the Trail of Tears.

Thousands of people died from starvation, cold and disease as they made their way to designated reservations in parts of south-east Oklahoma.

The Choctaw's heartfelt donation was sent to Midleton in County Cork, providing much-needed relief.

PA Media Minister Thomas Byrne joins Choctaw tribe leadersPA Media
Minister Thomas Byrne joins Choctaw leaders at the unveiling on Friday

'Kindred spirits'

The Irish and the Choctaws have continued to honour this gesture through continued acts of generosity.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Irish people demonstrated their support by providing €2 million in aid to Native Americans severely affected by the crisis.

Similarly, in 2018, former Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar announced a scholarship for Choctaw people to study in Ireland.

Speaking at the unveiling event at Choctaw Capitol Grounds in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma, Ireland's Minister of State Thomas Byrne said the memorial would be a "permanent symbol of the enduring and meaningful friendship between our two nations".

"A relationship which began with an act of solidarity and extraordinary generosity during the darkest years of the Great Irish Famine," Mr Byrne added.

Choctaw Nation chief Gary Batton described the new sculpture as symbolic of an "eternal bond" and that they are "extremely proud to call the people of Ireland our friends and kindred spirits".

Andrew Foley The 'Kindred Spirits' sculpture in Middleton, Co Cork, incorporated 6m tall feathers. Andrew Foley
The Kindred Spirits sculpture in Midleton, Co Cork, was designed by Cork-based artist Alex Pentek who told the BBC that the feathers signify those used in Choctaw ceremonies

Former US soldier and sculptor of the Eternal Heart, Samuel Stitt, was inspired to create the piece after viewing the Kindred Spirit sculpture in Cork.

"I saw the sculpture in Ireland years ago and it was very striking," he told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

"But I thought to myself, ‘so that's in Ireland - we should have a companion piece in Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma,'" he added.

Mr Stitt hopes the sculpture becomes a pilgrimage site as he is "just amazed at how many tribal members go to Ireland specifically to see the Kindred Spirit".

The Choctaws are the third largest Native American tribe in the United States, with almost 230,000 members, most of who live in Oklahoma.