What is now Tupelo, MS, was once the Homeland of the Chickasaw people. The Chickasaw Nation, with a population of about 2000, lived on a small natural prairie near Tupelo, now called the Chickasaw Old Fields. The Chickasaw claimed and hunted over much of northern Mississippi, Alabama, western Tennessee, and Kentucky, but their villages occupied an area of less than 20 square miles in north Mississippi. The Chickasaw ceded the last of their ancestral lands to the United States in 1837-1847 and scattered across the South Central United States.
Today, travelers can stop at the Chickasaw Village Site on the Natchez Trace Parkway at milepost 261.8, which is believed to be the land that once occupied a Chickasaw fort and village until the 1700s. Visitors will find interpretive signs and artist renderings of what the village could have looked like. There are several hiking/walking options located at the Chickasaw Village Site. And a half-mile interpretive trail that identifies plants and their use by American Indians.
While the Chickasaw Village Site is a must-see on the Natchez Trace Parkway, Chickasaws have long envisioned creating a more distinct destination to educate the public and celebrate the Chickasaw people’s heritage.
The Chickasaw Inkana Foundation (CIF) is a 501(c)(3) Mississippi-based non-profit organization founded in 2014. The Chickasaw Nation’s Governor, Bill Anoatubby, first conceived the idea in 2011. CIF’s mission is to preserve, protect, and interpret the history and culture of the Chickasaw people in the historic Chickasaw Homeland. The foundation, along with the Chickasaw Nation, hosts annual celebrations of Chickasaw history and culture throughout the historic Homeland, and preserves endangered cultural and sacred sites important to the Chickasaw people.
The largest project of the CIF is to work in partnership with the Chickasaw Nation, the State of Mississippi, the United States Department of the Interior, and the City of Tupelo to create a state-of-the-art Chickasaw Heritage Center in Tupelo, the heart of historic Chickasaw. In the summer of 2024, they finally broke ground.
“This project has been a cherished dream for decades.” said Chickasaw Inkana Foundation CEO, Mr. Brady Davis at the 2024 Chickasaw Heritage Center Groundbreaking Ceremony. “It fills me with immense pride to witness this taking root.”
The $60 million project will cover 162 acres and be built along Gun Club Road near the Tupelo Regional Airport. The Chickasaw Heritage Center will allow visitors to travel time to learn more about the Chickasaw Nation and its people. When completed, it will have a 10,000-square-foot state-of-the-art exhibit hall, theater, café, art gallery, administrative offices, gift shop, multi-purpose room, playground, and collections areas.
“The Chickasaw Heritage Center will be so much more than a museum,” shared Davis. “It will have artifacts and such, but it will also include cultural aspects passed down from generation to generation. And most importantly, it will highlight Chickasaw’s history and culture from a uniquely Chickasaw perspective.”
Most of the construction is expected to be completed by 2026. You can learn more about the progress of the Chickasaw Heritage Center at inkana.org.
*Photos courtesy of CIF
