Shared Lands: Reconciliation, recognition and reciprocity

The Shared Lands team bring their research on the Choctaw Nation and it's little-known histories to Liverpool Irish Festival 2026. In 1847, at the height of the Great Hunger, members of the Choctaw Nation in present-day Oklahoma made a remarkable donation to help starving people in Ireland. Their gift came 16-years after the Choctaw had begun their own forced removal from ancestral homelands along the Trail of Tears. Thousands died from hunger, disease and exposure. Their gift remains one of history’s most powerful acts of international solidarity. What inspired such generosity between peoples separated by an ocean? This talk explores the shared histories of famine, displacement, food and survival that connect Ireland and the Choctaw Nation. Drawing on the collaborative Sharing Lands: Reconciliation, Recognition and Reciprocity project, our talk examines how the Choctaw concepts of ima (giving) and iyyikowa (serving those in need) continue to shape relationships between Indigenous and Irish communities today. The Festival theme I Am Here resonates deeply with this story. It’s relevant not only to survival after colonial violence, but also to recognising the presence, dignity, and humanity of others. Nearly 180 years after the Choctaw Gift, this extraordinary act of compassion continues to inspire new conversations about reciprocity, remembrance, and what it means to stand with one another across cultures, histories, and generations. * * * * * The remarkable story of the $172* sent by members of the Choctaw Nation, to the starving in Ireland, during the Great Famine in 1847 is well told. Even so, the details surrounding the connection between the Choctaw Nation, the people of Ireland and the gift’s legacy has been greatly understudied. * Equivalent to £3,313.73 using The Bank of England’s inflation calculator on 22 June 2026 The Sharing Lands project team consists of Dr Padraig Kirwan and Dr Shelley Angelie Saggar (Goldsmiths), Professor LeAnne Howe (University of Georgia) and Professor Gillian O’Brien (Liverpool John Moores University). The team are internationally recognised experts in the fields of indigenous studies, literary studies, Irish famine studies and public history. Care note: The Choctaw Nation’s history is a complex and sometimes contested one. Mindful discomfort can be a part of learning, but if the event becomes overly emotional for any attendee, we encourage you to move away quietly to put yourself where you feel safest. We don’t expect to use traumatising words, but we understand people’s levels are different. Though we don’t anticipate creating significant emotional discomfort, you are the expert in you, so please treat yourself carefully. Please note, this event will bt at the LJMU Student Life Building (on Copperas Hill), but we are yet to confirm which room. Bookers will be emailed in advance of the event confirming the details.