Government

The government of the Chickasaw Nation took over one hundred years to become what it is today. After the removal took place and the Chickasaws were relocated to Oklahoma they put a new constitution in place in 1856. The constitution was modeled after the United States government with three branches of government dividing power; it also strived to guarantee the nation to be of free people and government with essential principals and rights. At this point traditional bodies and establishments within the nation changed to resemble a more democratic state. The tribal chief had to be elected by a popular vote and could serve for a two-year term as the nation’s governor. The council house became a bi-cameral legislature housing the Senate and the House of Representatives. The 1856 constitution lasted ten years before being updated for the post Civil War era, the new constitution acknowledged freedmen and banned slavery.

Two primary parties emerged during this time period, the Progressive and the National. The Progressive party advocated for accommodation and economic growth but never quite won wide spread support. The National party’s platform of conservativeness resonated with more people and was the dominate political power of the nation from 1874 to 1902. In this time education was the primary focus and was able to increase and schools were reopened. The political autonomy the Chickasaw Nation believed they had gained was over with the adoption of the Curtis Act in 1906; at this point the nation lost all of their laws, courts, and government. Despite petitioning the United States government for statehood all efforts failed and the Chickasaw Nation did not formally exist from 1907 to 1983. While in non-existence the nation put a new constitution together modeled after the 1886 constitution in 1979. Once the nation had received approval from the United States they were able to ratify it in 1983, this led to the election of Bill Anoatubby and the nation being led successfully into the 21^st century.

Today the Chickasaw Nation is a democratic government made up of three branches, Executive, Judicial, and Legislative, resembling the United States federal system. The Executive branch is headed by the governor and supported by the lieutenant governor they run as a team and are elected by the people. The governor runs the tribe day-to-day, speaks officially for the tribe, signs official documents, and makes official appointments. Similar to the federal president the governor also has administrators who help guide him in decisions, and they may run divisions of the government. The Judicial branch is the tribal Supreme Court made up of three elected justices. Similar to the United States Supreme Court the tribal justices also perform duties of interpretation of the nation’s constitution. The Legislative branch is a thirteen person tribal legislature, where the members of the legislature serve three year terms. The three year terms and the small number of members mean often a third of the seats are up for election each year.

The Chickasaw Nation of today has a vision and a mission they strive to achieve and values they live by. Their mission is to overall enhance the quality of life for their people and their vision of being “a Nation of successful and united people with a strong cultural identity” supports this belief. Their values in their people, cultural identity, leadership, selflessness, perseverance, stewardship, trust, respect, loyalty, honesty, integrity, and teamwork are ways the nation works toward holding up their vision and mission.

By Jaclyn Dyos

Works Cited

“Government.” The Official Site of the Chickasaw Nation. http://www.chickasaw.net/about_us/index_47.htm.

Pate, James P. “Chickasaw.” Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma State Universtiy. http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/C/CH033.html.