Chickasaw Nation Research Articles

Pilot study of a heart-healthy food box intervention for Native Americans with uncontrolled hypertension: methods and results from the Chickasaw Healthy Eating Environments Research Study.

We sought to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a culturally tailored food box intervention for improving blood pressure (BP), food security and Body Mass Index (BMI) among Chickasaw Nation adults with uncontrolled hypertension. As part of the Chickasaw Healthy Eating Environments Research Study (CHEERS), we administered a group randomized pilot study in four tribal communities (two intervention, two control). Participants in the intervention communities received six heart-healthy food boxes, culturally tailored to traditional Chickasaw diet and current food context. Outcomes were measured over 6 months. We enrolled 262 participants, and 204 with complete data on key variables were included in the analysis. The food boxes were very popular, and we achieved high retention for follow-up data collection. Intervention community participants had 2.6 mmHg lower mean systolic BP and improved diet quality and BMI compared with control participants, although, as expected for a pilot study, the differences were not statistically significant. The culturally tailored diet intervention and randomized trial study design were acceptable and feasible for Chickasaw Nation adults with uncontrolled hypertension. Our findings support the value of tribal-food bank partnerships as a potential approach for reducing food insecurity and hypertension-related disparities in Native American communities.

Initial Success Collaborating With Chickasaw Nation’s Primary Care Clinics to Promote Limb Preservation

Initial Success Collaborating With Chickasaw Nation’s Primary Care Clinics to Promote Limb Preservation

Collaboration With Tribal Stakeholders to Explore Care for Postpartum Depression in the Chickasaw Nation

ObjectiveTo describe and interpret Indigenous women’s experiences of postpartum depression (PPD) from the perspectives of community advisory board members. DesignQualitative, descriptive design with a community-engagement approach. SettingVirtual group interviews. ParticipantsCommunity advisory board members (N = 8) who were tribal employees, citizens of the tribe, and/or family members of citizens who had detailed knowledge of PPD among Indigenous women and issues surrounding their care. MethodsIn video- and audio-recorded virtual group interviews, we asked participants questions using a semistructured interview guide. We used qualitative content analysis to generate results. ResultsMajor themes included The “Who, What, and Where” of PPD in Indigenous Women; Meanings Attributed to PPD in Indigenous Women; Realities of PPD Care in the Chickasaw Nation; and Feasibility, Acceptability, Perceived Barriers, and Facilitators of a Future Collaboration. ConclusionThe participants identified next steps for addressing PPD in the Chickasaw Nation: raise awareness of PPD among providers, patients, and families; improve messaging about PPD to decrease stigma and normalize mental health care; and develop or adapt a culturally appropriate and relevant tool to screen for PPD in Indigenous women.

Establishment of a Community Advisory Board to Address Postpartum Depression Among Indigenous Women

In this article, we describe the process of establishing an academically and tribally supported community advisory board (CAB) to guide and inform community-engaged research about postpartum depression (PPD) among Indigenous women. Using a community-based participatory research framework, we created a CAB with stakeholders from the Chickasaw Nation because they are well situated to inform a research agenda about PPD in Indigenous women. We developed CAB roles, goals, and responsibilities; established processes for compensation and recognition; identified and recruited potential members; and conducted meetings to build rapport, brainstorm, receive feedback, and invite discussion of topics related to PPD that have been deemed important by the tribe (October 2021 through June 2022). The CAB defined specific roles, goals, and responsibilities for the academic–community partnership, including assumptions, expectations, and confidentiality. We used a standing agenda item to recognize member achievements. Members of the CAB represented many tribal departments and professional disciplines. We use a CAB framework to evaluate our process and to provide recommendations for future research and policymaking.

The role of state breastfeeding laws and programs on exclusive breastfeeding practice among mothers in the special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

BackgroundIt is unclear if state laws supporting breastfeeding are associated with exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practice among low-income mothers participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The main objectives of our study were to assess the relationship between such laws and EBF among WIC-participating mothers and to assess whether this association varied by employment status. We also assessed how mother’s exposure to WIC breastfeeding consultation was associated with EBF.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted across seven WIC program locations (i.e., Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Chickasaw Nation) between July–August 2020. Data were collected using convenient sampling from each program location and surveys were administered electronically or on paper to WIC-participating mothers. We restricted our analysis to data from 1161 WIC-participating mothers with infants aged zero to five months old. Multivariable mixed models were used to estimate the relationship between our exposures of interest (i.e., number of laws supporting breastfeeding, employment-related breastfeeding laws, WIC breastfeeding consultation) and EBF, while controlling for potential confounders and accounting for clustering by program location. Effect modification by employment status was assessed on the additive and multiplicative scales.ResultsAmong WIC-participating mothers living in program locations with no employment-related breastfeeding laws, EBF was 26% less prevalent for employed mothers compared to unemployed mothers (adjusted prevalence ratios [aPR]: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.67,0.83). Among all mothers, a one-unit increase in laws supporting breastfeeding was not associated with EBF (aPR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.71,1.10). However, among employed mothers, living in areas with more employment-related laws was associated with a higher prevalence of EBF (aPR: 1.43, 95% CI: 0.83, 2.44). Infants whose mothers received a WIC breastfeeding consultation had 33% higher prevalence of being exclusively breastfed compared to infants whose mothers did not receive a WIC breastfeeding consultation (aPR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.05,1.70).ConclusionsInfants whose WIC-participating mothers were employed, were less likely to be exclusively breastfed, but our effect modification analyses showed that laws supporting breastfeeding at the workplace may promote EBF among employed women. EBF was more prevalent among mothers who received a WIC breastfeeding consultation compared to those who did not receive such a consultation.

Archaeological investigations at the Charity Hall mission site (22MO733)

ABSTRACT The Charity Hall mission school was one of dozens of Protestant missions established during the 1820s using federal funding provided by the Civilization Fund Act of 1819. These missions have received little attention from archaeologists due to their short lifespans and limited number. The archaeological investigations at Charity Hall, which was established within the Mississippi territory of the Chickasaw Nation, provide key insights into the materiality of evangelization in southeastern North America, particularly among various Southeastern Indigenous groups just prior to Removal in the 1830s. This research provides important insights into the efforts of nineteenth-century missionaries to impose “civilizing” practices on Southeastern Indians and what the Indigenous responses to those efforts were. The Charity Hall research project has involved a collaboration between archaeologists and the Chickasaw Nation, which enabled several Chickasaw college students to visit and work at the site where their ancestors were first introduced to Western-style education. This reconnecting experience helped in a small way to undo the damage inflicted on Native people by Removal.

A Food Box Intervention to Reduce Blood Pressure in Native American Adults With Hypertension: The CHEERS Study

People join a customer-driven organization with motivations that may not be static over time, an important issue for long-term organizational viability. In this study, we examined motivations among members of ShareCare, the first Village for older adults in the U.S. Using qualitative data from a random sample of 91 members, we compared motivations for becoming a member and for continuing membership. Motivations to join and continue membership are not necessarily the same. Motivations were categorized as: instrumental, social, and altruistic motivation. We categorized length of membership as short-term: 8-years or less (51.63%) and long-term: 9-years and more (49.37%). While 36% of members joined only for instrumental motivation, 59% continued membership only for instrumental motivation. While about 52% joined with multiple motivations, only 35% of members mentioned multiple motivations when continuing their membership. Finally, 18% of short-term members mentioned altruistic motivation when continuing their membership, while 28% of long-term members mentioned altruistic motivation when continuing their membership. While people’s motivation might change over time, altruistic motivation may be the greatest motivating factor for long-term memberships. Long-term members may identify themselves as supporters rather than users of the organization and cultivate stronger connections with other members over time. Our findings inform how to recruit and retain members in Villages, and customer-driven organizations for older adults more broadly.

Chikashshaat Asilhlhat Holissochi (Chickasaws Are Asking and Writing): Enacting Indigenous Protocols in Academic Research and Writing

As Chikashsha (Chickasaw) scholars and Chikashshanompa' shaali' (Chickasaw language learners/carriers), we utilize a dialogic and autoethnographic approach to explore the continuance between ancestral and community protocols for research. An account of the Chickasaw Nation's language revitalization efforts is followed by a discussion of how Indigenous scholars engage in the writing of Indigenous research, with an emphasis on writing about language and culture revitalization. Focusing on our experiences writing our master's theses and doctoral dissertations, we discuss how we enacted Chikashsha asilhlha (asking in a Chickasaw way) and Chikashsha holissochi (writing in a Chikashsha way). Arguing that Indigenous research methodologies should account for all stages of the research process, including writing for dissemination, we contribute to a growing body of scholarship that centers Indigenous protocols for sharing knowledge and has important implications for researchers who work at the nexus of academic institutions and communities.

The Charity Hall Mission: An 1820s Boarding School for Native American Children in the Chickasaw Nation

This study focuses primarily on the historical and archaeological investigations of Charity Hall, a Christian mission school that operated within the Chickasaw Nation in northeastern Mississippi between 1820 and 1830. This school and others during this time were funded by the United States government through the 1819 Civilization Fund Act, so I argue that these stations served as outposts for American colonialism before the federal government shifted its Indian policy to one of removal. Additionally, I argue that it is impossible to adequately understand the operation of individual mission schools apart from their networks, which I theorize here as “missionscapes.” The historic component also, therefore, focuses on a broader missionscape that encompassed both the Chickasaw Nation and the neighboring Choctaw Nation during the 1820s and 1830s. More precisely, the historical and archaeological data marshalled here are presented to answer my primary research question: what material tools and practices did missionaries use to “civilize” Native American children and their families prior to Indian removal?
 One of the chief ways that Chickasaw and Choctaw children were being “civilized” by the missionaries at Charity Hall was through the use of material culture. Their lives were regimented around an alien work schedule, they were clothed in materials procured by charitable societies, and they sat around a dinner table with ceramic and metal implements produced in faraway places, some coming all the way from east Asia. The pastors used practical mastery of both educational and mechanical “arts” to civilize the children in accordance with the wishes of the United States government. Here processes of practice and materiality took on a colonial character due to their being encouraged and enforced in a context where the balance of power was shifting from the Indians to the Americans. The American elites found the Christian missionaries to be ready-made agents to “civilize” Indians and spread political influence internally within both the Chickasaw Nation and the Choctaw Nation. The mission experience, however, ultimately proved to be too costly and slow and therefore paved the way for the removal policies of the 1830s and the abandonment of the “civilization” project altogether.

Wearable Technology and Cultural Narrative: At the Intersection of Health And History

Abstract Wearable technology has become a daily part of our lives. This technology is used to monitor such things as our heart rates, our sleeping patterns, and the number of steps we take. In fact, tracking steps is one of the most popular uses of wearable technology. But what motivates people to walk? In 2015, the Chickasaw Nation began working on a first-of-its-kind interactive walking application through our department of health, our department of culture and humanities, and our department of communications. The goal of this application was to encourage Chickasaw citizens to increase their walking habits through narrative motivation. As users walk, they unlock stories that are based on the history of the Chickasaw people. AYA is an intervention in health promotion and disease prevention. Our goal is to improve the lives of our citizens, and the app is one method we use for health promotion and disease prevention.

About the Contributors

About the Contributors

When Black Lives Matter Meets Indian Country: Using the Cherokee and Chickasaw Nations as Case Studies for Understanding the Evolution of Public History and Interracial Coalition

When Black Lives Matter Meets Indian Country: Using the Cherokee and Chickasaw Nations as Case Studies for Understanding the Evolution of Public History and Interracial Coalition

The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Innovative Strategies to Reduce Food Insecurity among Children in the United States

The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Innovative Strategies to Reduce Food Insecurity among Children in the United States

The Need for Investment in Rigorous Interventions to Improve Child Food Security

The Need for Investment in Rigorous Interventions to Improve Child Food Security

A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of a Home-Delivered Food Box on Food Security in Chickasaw Nation

BackgroundThe 2010 Child Nutrition reauthorization called for the independent evaluation of innovative strategies to reduce the risk of childhood hunger or improve the food security status of households with children. ObjectiveThe research question was whether the Packed Promise intervention reduces child food insecurity (FI-C) among low-income households with children. DesignThis study was a cluster randomized controlled trial of 40 school districts and 4,750 eligible, consented households within treatment and control schools. Participants/settingData were collected at baseline (n = 2,859) and 2 follow-ups (n = 2,852; n = 2,790) from households with children eligible for free school meals in participating schools in 12 rural counties within the Chickasaw Nation territory in south central Oklahoma in 2016 to 2018. InterventionEach month of the 25-month intervention, for each eligible child, enrolled households could choose from 5 types of food boxes that contained shelf-stable, nutritious foods ($38 food value) and a $15 check for purchasing fruits and vegetables. Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was FI-C. Other outcomes included household and adult food security, very low food security among children, and food expenditures. Statistical analyses performedDifferences between the treatment and control groups were estimated by a regression model controlling for baseline characteristics. ResultsThe Packed Promise project did not significantly reduce FI-C at 12 months (29.3% prevalence in the treatment group compared with 30.1% in the control group; P = 0.123) or at 18 months (28.2% vs 28.7%; P = 0.276), but reduced food insecurity for adults by 3 percentage points at 12 months (P = 0.002) but not at 18 months (P = 0.354). The intervention led to a $27 and a $16 decline in median household monthly out-of-pocket food expenditures at 12 and 18 months, respectively. ConclusionsAn innovative intervention successfully delivered nutritious food boxes to low-income households with children in rural Oklahoma, but did not significantly reduce FI-C. Improving economic conditions in the demonstration area and participation in other nutrition assistance programs among treatment and control groups might explain the lack of impact.ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04316819 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov). Funding/SupportThis article is published as part of a supplement supported by the US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of a Home-Delivered Food Box on Children’s Diet Quality in the Chickasaw Nation Packed Promise Project

BackgroundPoor diet quality among children can lead to poor health, development, and academic achievement. Child nutrition assistance programs aim to improve diet quality among children. ObjectiveThis study tested the impact of the Packed Promise intervention on diet quality among low-income children in Chickasaw Nation territory. DesignThis study was a cluster randomized controlled trial of 40 school districts and 4,750 eligible, consented households within treatment and control districts. Participants/settingHousehold data were collected at baseline (n = 2,859) and follow-up (n = 2,852) in 12 rural Oklahoma counties. InterventionPacked Promise treatment households chose from 5 types of home-delivered food boxes that contained nutritious foods ($38 food value) and a $15 check for purchasing fruits and vegetables. Main outcome measuresKey outcomes included children’s daily consumed amounts of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and added sugars collected by a dietary screener questionnaire. Other outcomes included food shopping frequency, type of grocery store used, distance traveled from home to grocery stores, and the number of weekly family dinners. All outcomes in this article are secondary to the study’s primary outcome—food insecurity among children. Statistical analyses performedDifferences between the treatment and control groups were estimated by a regression model controlling for baseline characteristics and population-based average portion sizes. ResultsChildren’s mean daily consumption of fruits and vegetables combined was about 2.35-cup equivalents in the treatment group and 2.25-cup equivalents in the control group (P < 0.001). Mean consumption of whole grains was 0.73-ounce equivalents in the treatment group compared with 0.67-ounce equivalents in the control group (P < 0.001). Other outcomes were not statistically significant. ConclusionPacked Promise led to significant but small improvements in children’s daily consumption of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Several factors, including household participation levels in Packed Promise, may have moderated the size of impacts. Funding/SupportThis article is published as part of a supplement supported by the US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

THE CHEROKEE NATION, THE CHICKASAW NATION, AND THE CHOCTAW NATION, Plaintiffs, and THE CITIZEN POTAWATOMI NATION, THE MUSCOGEE (CREEK) NATION, THE QUAPAW NATION, THE DELAWARE NATION, THE SEMINOLE NATION, THE WICHITA AND AFFILIATED TRIBES, Plaintiffs/Intervenors, v. J. KEVIN STITT, in his official capacity as the Governor of the State of Oklahoma, Defendant. Case No. CIV-19-1198-D United States District Court for

Gaming Law ReviewVol. 24, No. 8 CasesTHE CHEROKEE NATION, THE CHICKASAW NATION, AND THE CHOCTAW NATION, Plaintiffs, and THE CITIZEN POTAWATOMI NATION, THE MUSCOGEE (CREEK) NATION, THE QUAPAW NATION, THE DELAWARE NATION, THE SEMINOLE NATION, THE WICHITA AND AFFILIATED TRIBES, Plaintiffs/Intervenors, v. J. KEVIN STITT, in his official capacity as the Governor of the State of Oklahoma, Defendant. Case No. CIV-19-1198-D United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma Signed July 28, 2020Published Online:19 Oct 2020https://doi.org/10.1089/glr2.2020.2489AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View articleFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 24Issue 8Oct 2020 InformationCopyright 2020, 2020 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:THE CHEROKEE NATION, THE CHICKASAW NATION, AND THE CHOCTAW NATION, Plaintiffs, and THE CITIZEN POTAWATOMI NATION, THE MUSCOGEE (CREEK) NATION, THE QUAPAW NATION, THE DELAWARE NATION, THE SEMINOLE NATION, THE WICHITA AND AFFILIATED TRIBES, Plaintiffs/Intervenors, v. J. KEVIN STITT, in his official capacity as the Governor of the State of Oklahoma, Defendant. Case No. CIV-19-1198-D United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma Signed July 28, 2020.Gaming Law Review.Oct 2020.570-574.http://doi.org/10.1089/glr2.2020.2489Published in Volume: 24 Issue 8: October 19, 2020Online Ahead of Print:October 5, 2020PDF download

THE CHEROKEE NATION, THE CHICKASAW NATION, AND THE CHOCTAW NATION, Plaintiffs, THE CITIZEN POTAWATOMI NATION, THE MUSCOGEE (CREEK) NATION, THE QUAPAW NATION, THE DELAWARE NATION, THE SEMINOLE NATION, THE WICHITA AND AFFILIATED TRIBES, Plaintiffs-in-Intervention, v. J. KEVIN STITT, in his official capacity as the Governor of the State of Oklahoma, Defendant/Counterclaimant. No. CIV-19-1198-D United States District Court for the Western

THE CHEROKEE NATION, THE CHICKASAW NATION, AND THE CHOCTAW NATION, Plaintiffs, THE CITIZEN POTAWATOMI NATION, THE MUSCOGEE (CREEK) NATION, THE QUAPAW NATION, THE DELAWARE NATION, THE SEMINOLE NATION, THE WICHITA AND AFFILIATED TRIBES, Plaintiffs-in-Intervention, v. J. KEVIN STITT, in his official capacity as the Governor of the State of Oklahoma, Defendant/Counterclaimant. No. CIV-19-1198-D United States District Court for the Western

Deliberations About Genomic Research and Biobanks With Citizens of the Chickasaw Nation.

Amid the rapid growth of precision medicine and biobanking initiatives, there have been few efforts at cataloging the implications of these initiatives for Indigenous communities. A consortium involving a university and three American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) community partners is working to promote deliberation and dialog in AIAN communities about the potential benefits and risks of genomic research for those communities. The first of the consortium’s three planned deliberations was held in September 2018 with citizens of the Chickasaw Nation, a federally recognized tribe in south-central Oklahoma with a full-service medical center and growing research capacity and oversight. Consortium members and the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health Administration designed a deliberative forum for Chickasaw citizens to consider the potential benefits and risks of participating in genomic research and biobanks. In this manuscript, we describe the deliberative method used in this event and report on the ideas discussed during the tribal citizens’ deliberations. Chickasaw citizens identified many risks and benefits associated with genomic research and biobanks, including the potential for medical advancements that might benefit the Chickasaw community as well as the possibility of discrimination against the Chickasaw people. Although participants thought the potential benefits outweighed the potential risks, that moral calculation was contingent on whether control of the research and biobanks rested with Chickasaw leadership, researchers, and citizens.

State Responsibility under the Indian Child Welfare Act: The People of the State of Colorado, in the Interest of K.C. and L.C., Children, and Concerning D.C. (2020)

In The People of the State of Colorado, Appellee, In the Interest OF K.C. and L.C., Children, and Concerning D.C., Appellants (2020), the Colorado Court of Appeals issued a ruling to vacate and remand with directions a previous judgment that determined that children who are eligible to enroll in the Chickasaw Nation are not “Indian” pursuant to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). As a termination of parental right case, the court elevates ICWA requirements of state responsibility from “reasonable efforts” to “active efforts” to ensure that enrollment-eligible children are assisted with the completion of Tribal citizenship and enrollment forms as well as the timely notification of Tribal interests to the courts.