The Tragedy of Broken Trust

A Documentary by the Choctaw & Chickasaw Nations

The Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations of Oklahoma share threads of a common history. Most Americans are aware of the forced relocation of the Five Civilized Tribes over a treacherous 600-mile journey to Oklahoma, but less known are the betrayals and broken treaty promises that occurred in Indian Territory. In 1906, as the territory moved toward Oklahoma statehood, the United States dissolved the tribes’ constitutional and democratically elected tribal governments, appointed tribal leadership to administer with limited powers and sold their timber, mineral rights and lands without providing a meaningful accounting, as required by law. The effects reverberate today.

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Events Leading Up to Removal

Experience Chickasaw History
National security concerns after the War of 1812 led the federal government to want control over the Indian lands along the Gulf Coast.

Jackson Refused to Help Quell Removal Outcry

Dr. Daniel Littlefield
Dr. Littlefield describes Andrew Jackson as the leading proponent of Indian Removal and the dynamics of the time, as tribes began to fight back.

The Last Tribe to Remove: Making Oklahoma Home

Dr. Amanda Cobb-Greetham, Director of Native American Studies, University of Oklahoma
The Chickasaws were the last tribe to be removed and spent a great deal of time finding the right place to settle.

Removal: Negotiating the Best Possible Conditions

Lona Barrick
The Chickasaws were the last tribe to be removed from their homelands in the 1830s.

Struggle on Arrival in Indian Territory

Richard Green, Author & Former Chickasaw Nation Historian
Richard Green describes the wilderness and shortages of food and water that awaited the Chickasaws and Choctaws on arrival in their new homeland.

The Dawes Commission

Richard Green, Author & Former Chickasaw Nation Historian
Not long after removal, the 1887 Dawes Act set the stage for abolishment of the tribes and their domains.

Allotments After Removal

Lisa Billy
After the Chickasaws arrived in Indian Territory, they had to reestablish their government and get used to a new land.