Labor Day Festival and Annual Iksa Meeting, Part II

Iti Fabvssa is currently running a series on the 1938 reconstruction of the Choctaw Capitol Building and the yearly celebration connected to it called the “Annual Iksa Meeting.” This series examines the detailed and complex history of the Annual Iksa Meeting and its relation to today’s Labor Day Festival. This month, we will cover how the Capitol Building’s rededication was turned into the Annual Iksa Meeting, as well as some of the exciting events for the 1939 and 1940 meetings.

After the rededication event in 1938, newspapers published that some members of the Nation hoped to make the celebration an annual occasion. These members of the Nation were part of the Choctaw Advisory Council, which had determined that the event and the area surrounding the Capitol should be developed and utilized for economic growth opportunities. In July of that year, several papers announced plans to further develop the grounds and a Museum Department of the Council House. Plans included the creation of worker houses along with a farm and livestock occupancy to make the site self-sustaining. There were also plans for a canning factory, public park, and water features. These plans were part of the economic development initiatives that the Choctaw Advisory Council prioritized to help with the growing poverty and inequity that was seen within the Choctaw Nation.

Tragedy would strike only four months after the rededication. Choctaw elder Peter Hudson, the Capitol Museum’s first curator and an important member of the Advisory Council, was laid to rest. Nevertheless, plans to make the event annual had already been put into action, and they continued to evolve. The meeting became known as the “Annual Iksa Meeting” or “Choctaw Educational Iksa.” Variations of both names can be found in local papers. The event was supported by the Choctaw Advisory Council and the newly formed “Iksa Organization,” a sub-committee dedicated to planning and organizing the annual meeting. ‘iksa’ is the Choctaw word for clan, which is also attributed to society or organization. In more recent time periods, iksa has also been referred to as church communities.

Officers of the Iksa Organization in 1939 included James Culberson (chairman), Edgar Moore (member), and Thomas Hunter (member and manager). All were former members of the pre-statehood Choctaw government. The 1939 meeting was held on May 20th and also featured speeches on Choctaw history, music, and plays performed by students from Goodland and Wheelock Academies. Choctaw Advisory Council member Muriel H. Wright organized and introduced an Ishtaboli (stickball) exhibition played by fourteen players from Jones Academy to the annual meeting. It was recognized as their second season of the game.

While the 1938 meeting alluded to Choctaw language singing, the 1939 meeting specifically advertised it. In his special address delivered under the brush arbor, Chief Durant spoke on the efforts toward more work-relief projects. The Ohoyo Humma Club of McAlester presented a “Pageant of Human Interests.”

Thomas Hunter characterized the purpose of the annual meeting as “educational, social and recreational.” He further said that:
“We are trying to educate our young people on modern requirements. Even health and domestic affairs are not to be overlooked. We will attempt to teach them in detail what the government is doing for the young people, such as the work of the CCC and NYA.” (The Civilian Conservation Corps and National Youth Association were both Great Depression initiatives that helped create millions of jobs and vocational opportunities for people across America.)

In 1940, the third annual meeting began on May 31. Durant sent out a special invitation stating:
“All Choctaw Indians especially invited to attend; and all others in sympathy with their efforts to advance themselves educationally, and in creating a spirit of loyalty, of tolerance and brotherly love among them and thereby make them better citizens of this state and the nation, are invited to attend. The Oklahoma United States Senators and the Members of Congress and government officials in the Indian Service are invited and some of them will be on the program.”

The third annual meeting held the same events and customs as the earlier celebrations and hosted the 1940 winner of the Mrs. Oklahoma Pageant, Martyne Woods. Woods was the first Choctaw to attain a degree in nursing (Johns Hopkins University) and the first Choctaw to enter the Mrs. Oklahoma Pageant – which she won that same year. Sixty-seven years later, Chief Gregory Pyle recognized her lifetime of work and awarded her special honors (Biskinik, Dec 2007). Woods was also instrumental in the 1970s restoration of the Capitol Building and the formation of the present version of the Capitol Museum. During the 1970s, she served as the Secretary of the Choctaw Historical Society and assisted with a large portion of the decision-making process for reviving the Capitol again.

This meeting coincided with a Choctaw Advisory Council special resolution requesting the sale of unused lands so money could be freed to further efforts for the Nation. The 1940 meeting introduced the official advertisement of a program titled “Value of the Hospital to the Choctaws” which introduced health-service exhibitions being connected to the event.

Other events included a display of the Choctaw Tick Dance by Yvonne Lyons and a “memory hour,” a block of the programming dedicated to elders in attendance to share their stories in the Choctaw language. The officers of the Iksa Organization that year were reported to be James Culberson (Chairman), Thomas Hunter (Member and Manager), and members Edgar Moore, Ben Dwight, Muriel Wright, and Hampton Tucker.

Next month, we will conclude this series with Part III, which will cover the 1941 and 1942 Annual Iksa Meetings and discuss the transition to today’s Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival.

Works Cited

• May 11, 1939, page 1 – The Antlers American at Newspapers.com (1939 celebration)
• May 18, 1939, page 1 – The Antlers American at Newspapers.com (1939 celebration announced as Iksa Meeting)
• May 25, 1939, page 1 – The Antlers American at Newspapers.com (1939 celebration)
• Mar 21, 1940, page 8 – The Antlers American at Newspapers.com (Durant’s statement for 1940 meeting)
• Jun 06, 1940, page 4 – The Antlers American at Newspapers.com (1940 Meeting, Mrs. Oklahoma; Names of culinary dept.)
• Article From May 26, 1940, page 2 – The Paris News at Newspapers.com (Further details of the 1940 meeting including “memory hour” and tick dance etc.
• Dec 2007, page 1 – Bishinik (Special presentation made to Ada Martyne Caudell)