Gov. Bill Anoatubby

As we begin a new year, it is appropriate for us to remind ourselves of our common mission as Chickasaw people, and as the Chickasaw Nation.

Now is a good time to recall that our tribal nation was established and functioning as a government long before the time of European contact. Chickasaw communities had well-established routines and duties assigned to the many members of the tribe. Our communities functioned efficiently and well, and that was the result of generations of developing a tribal government that worked.

This history of tribal structure and government is the basis of our enduring tribal sovereignty. It is the key to our independence and self-governance. We have survived and developed as a tribe with a distinct heritage, which includes many hundreds of years of governing ourselves and caring for our people.

Since the establishment of the United States, the Chickasaw Nation has been recognized as a sovereign entity within this country. That is a unique and historic designation. We were sovereign before the country was founded, and we have continued to be sovereign after its establishment.

Of course, the road has not always been straight and true. U.S. federal Indian policy has, as we all know, taken some wild and frightening detours along the way. Our Chickasaw ancestors suffered greatly from this whipsaw policy. Our ancestors endured displacement and virtual abandonment in a new land. They suffered all the human disappointments and tragedies that go with such a wrenching event.

But, as we know from our history, they refused to give up. And that great tenacity, that incredible commitment to families, friends and fellow Chickasaws, is the bedrock upon which our sovereignty endured. Even after our people established themselves in the new Indian Territory, attempts to dissolve our tribe, and others, persisted. But despite all the pressure to quit, the Chickasaw people and the Chickasaw Nation survived.

Recognized by the federal government and the U.S. courts as sovereign, it then became our goal to achieve self-sufficiency as a people. Again, we encountered countless obstacles. We knew we must achieve a level of economic independence if we were to properly care for the Chickasaw people. We wanted to offer all Chickasaws the opportunities they deserved.

I am so very pleased to report that we have come a good way down that good road. We are building an excellent economic base for our tribe, and with that base we are strengthening our tribal sovereignty. We are directing our resources into the programs and services that keep the Chickasaw people strong – education, housing, health care, nutrition, employment, personal and family development, elders and youth, and so much more. We are providing the essential elements Chickasaw families have always counted on, from the days long before Removal, to the present.

Our common mission is simple – to improve the lives of the Chickasaw people. This is the very same mission our tribal government has maintained for centuries. Through the sacrifices of the Chickasaws who have come before us, our sovereignty has been preserved. Now, the Chickasaw people will reach new heights. And their tribal government, nurtured throughout the centuries, is there to support them.

It has not been an easy road. It has often been long and torturous. But keeping our tribal sovereignty alive and strong has been worth the many sacrifices made.

This new year is a good time to remind ourselves of our history, and what is truly important to us as Chickasaws. We remain, as always, the unconquered and unconquerable Chickasaw Nation.