TVSHKA HOMMA – Members of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will come together in remembrance of the Trail of Tears and to honor their ancestors who made the journey. The 2024 Trail of Tears Memorial Walk will be held at the historic Choctaw Capitol Grounds at Tvshka Homma on Saturday, May 18.
This will be the 193rd anniversary of the first Choctaws’ forced migration from their ancestral lands in Mississippi and Alabama to their new home in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. The initial journeys of removal from 1831-1833 involved approximately 15,000 tribal members with one-fourth to one-third of them perishing on what came to be called “the Trail of Tears and Death.”
Tribal members, and the public wanting to recognize those Choctaws who walked the original Trail of Tears, are invited to participate in the symbolic 2.5-mile walk.
The Living Village area of Tvshka Homma will host cultural demonstrations, artist booths, and service vendors beginning at 9 a.m. The ceremony with an address by Chief Gary Batton will start at 10 a.m. in the Living Village. The walk will follow with the Choctaw Honor Guard leading the procession.
Participation is free. For updates and additional details about 2024 Trail of Tears Memorial Walk visit https:// chocta.ws/tot-event.