Crossroads

Nearly two centuries ago, the Choctaw nation heard about Irish families suffering during the potato famine, and they wanted to help. It wasn’t long after the Choctaw had been the first tribe to be forcibly relocated in the “Trail of Tears” Indian Removal Act, but somehow, they scraped together and sent $170 (That would be just under $6,000 in today’s money). It’s not a story you’d hear in an American history class, but it’s one the Irish know. In fact, there’s a piece of public art in Middleton, Ireland – a cluster of larger-than-life eagle feathers stretching toward heaven called “Kindred Spirits” – to commemorate their generous sacrifice. Today, the whole world is reeling from the impact of COVID-19. But certain Native American tribes have been particularly hard hit. Millions of dollars have been raised in the past few weeks to help supply clean water, food and medical supplies to the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Reservation, most of it coming from Ireland.