AITC Mobile Workshops 2023

At the Annual American Indian Tourism Conference, AIANTA in partnership with the local host Tribe showcases Native tourism experiences around the conference host site. This year, at the 25th Annual AITC held in Durant, Oklahoma, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will provide guests with two one-of-a-kind cultural tourism experiences.                                                        

Mobile Workshop (M1) – Choctaw Cultural Center
Sponsored by Choctaw Country
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Capacity – 55 | $75 per person

Visit the new Choctaw Cultural Center, located just a few minutes from Choctaw Casino Resort. With a knowledgeable guide, you will find the best interactive displays of Choctaw history and culture. Experience the Orientation Gallery’s “Welcome to our Story,” and then proceed to the “Chahta Nowvt Aya, The Choctaw Journey” an exhibition from ancestral times to present day that will awaken all your senses. Then onto an exhibit depicting the landscape during the European arrival through the early years of the Trail of Tears.
Outside you can walk along the trails with interpretive signage and view the large Mother Mound, participate in some of our Cultural activities with workshops including basket-weaving, cultural dancing, stick-ball demonstrations, traditional cooking and more.  Enjoy lunch at our Champuli Cafe, where you will find an assortment of traditional Choctaw foods and a few other modern food choices.

Mobile Workshop (M2) – The Choctaw Nation
Sponsored by Choctaw Country
9:00 am to 4:15 pm
Capacity – 55 | $75 per person

Enjoy the beauty of The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s Reservation, located in the SE corner of the State of Oklahoma.  Get a see a glimpse of Choctaw’s buffalo as you approach the grounds; see the crystal-clear Sardis Lake nestled inside the majestic hills as you make your way to the Choctaw Nation’s Capital grounds located in Tuskahoma, OK.  Take a selfie in front of the monumental Red Warrior statue. The Choctaw Capital was annexed by the U.S. on November 16, 1907 (115 years ago). On site you will also find our Tribal Council House built in 1884 (renovated through the years), the Tribal Council members still hold their monthly meeting there. Other attractions on the grounds include the Choctaw Veterans cemetery and memorial where veterans are honored every Veteran’s Day with laying of the wreath ceremony by our Chief & 5-Star Generals. Visit the Choctaw Museum which features the Choctaw Code-Talkers from Oklahoma who helped end World War I by using the Choctaw language to communicate the plans of action. You can learn about the Irish Potato Famine where, although impoverished itself, the Choctaw Nation took up a collection to send aid to Ireland and help save their starving nation.  In Ireland, there is a beautiful giant feather statue called “Kindred Spirits” commemorating the incredible generosity of the Choctaw Nation.
The Capitol Grounds is where the Princess Pageant ceremonies for Choctaw Royalty is held; the annual Labor Day Festivals where the Chief gives his State of Nation address and where the Chief and Tribal Council members are sworn into office.  This is also where Choctaw people gather to celebrate family, fellowship and honor Choctaw traditions. Box lunches will be served on site.

Mobile Workshop (M3) – Experience Chickasaw Country
Sponsored by Chickasaw Country
Time: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Capacity – 35 | $75 per person

The Chickasaw Nation, located in south-central Oklahoma, invites you to explore the historical sites of Chickasaw Country in a fun-filled day of hands on-activities, historical demonstrations and behind-the-scenes tours! This all-day tour includes three Chickasaw Country destinations. First, visit the Fort Washita Historic Site, explore the grounds and museum, participate in a blacksmith shop demonstration and experience a cannon-firing demonstration. Next, the tour heads to Tishomingo, the historic capital of the Chickasaw Nation, for lunch at Chickasaw Country native Blake Shelton’s restaurant Ole Red and a driving tour of Tishomingo, including the Chickasaw Nation Capitol, Chickasaw Nation Information Center and Chickasaw Bank Museum. Tishomingo will be bustling as the community prepares for the upcoming Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival. Lastly, head to the Chickasaw White House, once considered a mansion on the frontier, for a tour, cultural and gardening demonstrations and an ice cream social. Snacks and water will be provided on the bus.