MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians

The historic Choctaw people occupied extensive territory in what later became the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The US Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, authorizing the federal government to arrange for exchanges of land in order to remove the Five Civilized Tribes from the Southeast and to territory west of the Mississippi River.

A portion of the Choctaw were the first to be removed along with the Wea, Ohio, and some Cherokee Indians, believing they had ceded their land under various treaties. They were removed to Indian Territory, later the state of Oklahoma.

The MOWA Band of Indians is composed of descendants of Native Americans (described as primarily Creek Indians by Jackie Anderson Matte) who did not remove to the west and remained in Alabama.[3] There are also several other Native American bands in Alabama that have been recognized by the state for their cultural and ethnic status.

In the late 20th century, the MOWA Band and several groups of Native Americans in Alabama pressed for recognition by the state.[4]

The state legislature passed the Davis-Strong Act in 1984 and established the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission to represent Native Americans in the state. Made up of leaders of several tribes, the Commission created rules for recognition, and recognized seven tribes at the time, including the MOWA Band. The Commission has since recognized two more.[5]

Historical records note the presence of the Choctaw in the southwest region of Alabama. The MOWA have most of their territory in Washington County, Alabama.

In 1979, the MOWA Indians organized as the MOWA Band of Indians of South Alabama. The MOWA incorporated as an Alabama non-profit corporation in Washington County, Alabama. While most of the MOWA reside inside Washington County, some members have moved and live in other locations across the entire United States. Some have married outside the tribe, and pursued education and employment opportunities.

The MOWA have a chief, a tribal council of eleven members, and a tribal judge. According to their constitution, the chief and members of the tribal council are elected. The tribal judge is appointed by the chief with the approval of the tribal council.

The MOWA have an annual Pow Wow each year, typically in the fall.

• Matte, Jacqueline Anderson. They Say the Wind Is Red: The Alabama Choctaw—Lost in Their Own Land. Montgomery, Ala.: NewSouth Books, 2002.
• Matte, Jacqueline Anderson. "Extinction by Reclassification: The MOWA Choctaws of South Alabama and Their Struggle for Federal Recognition." Alabama Review 59 (July 2006): 163-204, posted at https://accessgenealogy.com/alabama/the-mowa-choctaws.htm (AccessGenealogy)

• Matte, Jacqueline Anderson (10 October 2007/updated 2017). "MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 29 September 2019. Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Official website