100,000 square-foot Choctaw Cultural Center teaches the rich history of the tribe's culture
DURANT, Okla. — CBS News Texas is exploring places to learn more about Indigenous history. The Choctaw Cultural Center at the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma features exhibits, a theater, retail, and more.
You'll find a gem of Native American history tucked away just north of DFW across the Oklahoma border.
"We're at the entrance of the Choctaw Cultural Center in Durant, Oklahoma. We have just stepped into our main entrance at a curvature set up just like a Choctaw winter home would have been," Cheyhoma Duggar said.
Choctaw tribal member and former royalty princess Cheyhoma Duggar led the tour of the more than 100,000-square-foot center.
"Fire would have been a really important resource for us. Inside of the fire pit are actually 12 different clay pots," Duggar said. "Clay pottery was a huge resource for us as Choctaw people.
The orientation gallery is where visitors start their journey.
"There are 12 vignettes to feature the 12 districts of the Choctaw Nation. Each of these vignettes features Choctaw tribal members from that respective district," Duggar said. "We're not just a nation that you read about in the history books. We have a living, breathing culture that we still practice today."
You'll step back in time at the People of the Mother Mound exhibit to learn the origins of the Choctaw people. The tour then continues to the first landscape in the permanent exhibit.
"This talks about before we were Choctaw people. We were believed to be a part of a much larger society, based out of Alabama," Duggar said. "There are screens around this demonstration or diorama that allows visitors to learn more about just our way of life during this time period."
Visitors move to the Chahta Pia (We Are Choctaw) exhibit to experience the sights and sounds of the Mississippi homelands and they were hundreds of years ago.
The Moving Fires is the third permanent exhibit and tells the story of the Trail of Tears through two families.
The Oklahoma exhibit teaches the work and progress of the Choctaw people as they transitioned into life in the state after forced removal in the Deep South.
"I'm standing next to our replica of Wheelock Academy, which is in Millington, Oklahoma," Duggar said. "It still stands today, owned and operated by the Choctaw Nation, of course. We also highlight the school of language and their efforts to revitalize Choctaw language."
"The church featured here in our landscape is a full-size replica of a Choctaw church," Duggar said.
Oklahoma also features military and stickball exhibits. Stickball isn't just a sport but a way to resolve disputes.
The Living Field is where social dancing and stickball demonstrations happen. The expansive outdoor area includes winter homes, where visitors can go inside and take in the total experience.
You can then take home a piece of Choctaw history by shopping at its Hvshi Gift Shop and get a bite to eat at the Champuli Café.
"If you want to get a taste of our Choctaw foods, this is the place to do it," Duggar said.
The center opened in 2021 and is less than a two-hour drive from the DFW Metroplex.
"It's just a special opportunity to really dive into something that's meaningful and powerful," Duggar said.
The Choctaw Cultural Center not only preserves Indigenous history but teaches it for generations to come.