Native Americans remember Irish famine donation

Descendants of a native American tribe who raised funds for Irish famine victims visited Ireland this week, rekindling an unlikely relationship forged 160 years ago.

In 1847 a group of impoverished Choctaw native Americans collected $710 and sent it to a famine relief fund for Ireland.

Yesterday, Gary White Deer, a member of the Choctaw tribe, said the visit to Ireland was aimed at heightening awareness of famine history and the effects of food shortages in the Third World today. "As people at that time, we were both oppressed. It was an act of solidarity, of one poor, dispossessed people reaching out to help another," he said.

"That's why we were asked to attend a famine walk in Co Mayo at the weekend. We want to remember what happened in the past and link it to famine issues in the world today."

As well as taking part in the annual Afri (Action from Ireland) famine walk, members of the tribe met protesters in Rossport, Co Mayo, opposed to the construction of the Corrib gas pipeline. The tribe also visited schoolchildren at Gaelscoil Cholmcille in Santry, Dublin, yesterday.

The Choctaw tribe, based in Oklahoma and Mississippi, now number almost 200,000. Thousands died during the course of a government-forced relocation of the tribe in 1831 from its homeland near Mississippi to Oklahoma. Many died during the 500-mile journey known as the "long march" and the "trail of tears".

The $710 raised by the tribe for the famine relief fund in Ireland is estimated to be worth in the region of €10,000 in today's terms.

Mr White Deer said the modern history of the Choctaw tribe also mirrored aspects of the Irish experience.

"We've had our version of the Celtic Tiger. The Mississippi band of Choctaw Indians are doing well, with light industry and casinos. When you have money coming in, you're in transition from one culture to another. Within that transition, there are still lots of families who are poor, however," he said.

Details of the Choctaw's donation are contained in an edition of the Arkansas Intelligencer in 1847. It is also the subject of a book, The Long March.

The Choctaw tribe and Afri have helped raise funds together for famine relief efforts in countries such as Somalia.

Irish people walked much of the 500-mile route from Mississippi to Oklahoma to mark the 150th anniversary of the donation in 1992.