Historic Tribal Items in New “Okhvta Chito Okhoatali” Exhibit

DURANT, Oklahoma – On September 18, 2021, a collection of Choctaw artifacts from the 1700s went on display in the Versailles Public Library in Versailles, France. The exhibit featured part of the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac’s French royal collections of North America. In a unique collaboration, staff from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s Historic Preservation Department assisted in its preparation. Now, those items will be on display in Choctaw Country for the first time in three centuries.

In 2021 it was called “La Curiosité d’un Prince” or “An Inquisitive Prince – The Fate of the Ethnographic Cabinet of the Count of Artois.” That successful effort of the two nations – and the desire for Choctaw people to see these items on the Choctaw Reservation – led to the creation of the new exhibit “Okhvta Chito Okhoatali: Choctaw and French Transatlantic Legacies.” “Okhvta Chito Okhoatali,” Choctaw for “To Cross The Ocean” opens to the public at the Choctaw Cultural Center on Saturday, July 6.

Unlike many other European nations, when French explorers arrived in Choctaw homelands in 1699, the French and the Choctaw became respectful friends, allies in war, and trading partners. Items in the exhibit are believed to have been received in trade. Choctaws were largely settled in what became the state Alabama, and a major French trade center was in “Old Mobile.” While Choctaws were France’s largest Native trading partner, trade was also conducted with other tribes in the southeast part of North America. However, the style and design of the objects in the exhibit indicate that most are likely Choctaw in origin. In addition, archaeological items on loan from the University of South Alabama have been contributed and provide further understanding of the alliance between the two nations.

Visitors to the exhibit can expect to see exceptional pieces, including a pair of bear paw moccasins, a man’s beaded trade cloth legging, a finger-woven bison hair-and-bead sash, shell and trade bead jewelry, a gar fish skin quiver, rivercane darts, and a painted hide.

“Okhvta Chito Okhoatali” runs July 6 through November 30. Hours at the Choctaw Cultural Center, 1919 Hina Hanta Way in Durant, are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Regular admission prices apply, including complimentary admission for Choctaw tribal members and cultural center members. In addition, the Hvshi Gift Store and Champuli Café will be open.