Diaspora of the Chickasaw

The diaspora of the Chickasaw tribe was forced from their homeland that was southwestern Kentucky, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi and northwestern Alabama. The Chickasaw people moved to Indian Territory during the “Great Removal,” on what was called the “Trail of Tears.”  Other tribes forced to relocate such as the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole, called the “Five Civilized Tribes” because of their highly developed ruling systems.  But the Chickasaws were one of the last to move.  In 1837, the Treaty of Doaksville called for the resettlement of the Chickasaws among the Choctaw tribe in Indian Territory.  In 1856, the Chickasaws, in order to restore direct authority over their governmental affairs, separated from the Choctaws and formed their own government.