Sharing Lands

Join us for a moving and unifying experience with Padraig Kirwan, LeAnne Howe (enrolled citizen of the Choctaw Nation), and Gillian O’Brien, as they discuss their project, Sharing Lands. Let’s come together to celebrate shared humanity through the power of storytelling!

Our Sharing Lands project is inspired by the remarkable story of the $172 sent by members of the Choctaw tribe to the starving in Ireland during the Great Famine in 1847. The donation came soon after the Choctaw’s forced relocation in the 1830s, which caused immense suffering. At the same time, Ireland faced its own hardships from colonial expansion. Ironically, some Irish migrants and Irish American settlers, including President Andrew Jackson, later contributed to expansionist U.S. policies that had a terrible impact on American Indians.

The Sharing Lands project is deeply rooted in the Choctaw concept of ima – the powerful tradition of giving. The project raises important questions about immigration, belonging and generosity in times of crisis.