The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Government of Ireland are set to unveil "Eternal Heart," a sculpture honoring the Choctaw - Ireland relationship, on Friday, August 30.
All are welcome to attend the unveiling of the "Eternal Heart" sculpture at the Council House on the Choctaw Nation Capitol Grounds in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma at 1 pm on Friday.
The ceremony will "pay tribute to the two nations forever entwined because of an act of kindness."
The Choctaw Nation & the Government of Ireland will be unveiling the Eternal Heart sculpture on August 30 at 1:00 p.m. on the Choctaw Nation Capitol Grounds. All are welcome to attend. Learn more about the sculpture and events surrounding the unveiling at https://t.co/yPXQFlWcp3. pic.twitter.com/ZxsFHEmqxf
— ChoctawNationOK (@choctawnationOK) August 26, 2024
The new sculpture was announced by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Government of Ireland, who jointly funded the project, in May 2023, following a call for submissions initiated in 2022.
Samuel Stitt of Spokane Valley, Washington and a member of the Choctaw Nation submitted the winning entry "Eternal Heart," which combines a Celtic trinity shape intertwined with a heart.
“There is no beginning or end to the overall piece – thus, it is eternal,” Stitt said last year upon his submission being selected.
The sculpture will have a very specific orientation, with the heart – representing the Choctaw Nation – facing toward Ireland.
The sculpture display will include an informational sign and winding path, while the concrete base for the 8-foot-tall piece is edged with diamond shapes, a Choctaw symbol of reverence to the diamondback snake.
The sculpture will sit atop a mound, honoring the heritage of mound-building of the Choctaw ancestors as well as the ancient “hill forts” and mounds found in Ireland. Even the winding footpath represents the Trail of Tears, with the exact orientation mirroring the arduous route from the Mississippi homelands to Indian Country.
“All the elements are symbolic and created with specific references in mind,” Stitt said.
Ireland's Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin congratulated Stitt last year on being awarded the commission, and said the new project was intended "to serve as a permanent legacy in Tuskahoma of the solidarity that exists between our peoples, just like the sculpture in Bailick Park, Midleton in Co Cork."
The unveiling of the new "Eternal Hearts" sculpture comes not long after a bronze sculpture titled "The Gift" was unveiled outside the National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park in Co Roscommon.
The warm relationship between the Choctaw nation and the people of Ireland dates back to March 1847, when Choctaw people mustered a gift of $170 to ease the suffering of the Irish during the Great Hunger.
The gift was even more significant due to the Choctaws having just completed their trek on the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma.
In 2015, the "Kindred Spirit" sculpture was unveiled in Co Cork, symbolizing the connection and appreciation of the Irish for the Choctaw people.
Kindred Spirits, Choctaw Monument in Midleton, Co Cork. (Ireland's Content Pool)
In 2020, the historic favor was 'returned' when Irish and Irish Americans were among the many donors who raised more than $8 million via GoFundMe for Navajo and Hopi families at the height of the pandemic.
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