Deep ties that bound Irish & the Choctaws

Documentary reflects on influence of Irish settlers

- BY OWEN CONLON

IRISH settlers had a complex relationship with Native Americans, ranging from a landowner who forged deep ties with the Mohawk Nation to soldiers who took part in the Wounded Knee Massacre, a new TG4 documentary reveals.

The story of how the Choctaw Nation raised $170 to send to Ireland in the 1840s after hearing of the Great Famine is well known.

However, Eire agus Na Chead Naisiuin (Ireland and the First Nations) delves deeper into this extraordinary act of generosity, which happened a mere decade after the Choctaws lost up to 5,000 people during a forced relocation known as the Trail of Tears.

Choctaw artist Waylon Gary White Deer explores the spiritual and historical connections between the Choctaws and the Irish people, rooted in the shared trauma of dispossession.

Another positive story is that of Meath-born Sir William Johnson, an 18th-century trader and landowner.

Johnson had a good working relationship with the Mohawks after building a trading post west of Albany in modern day New York state.