<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > preface</h1>
There is an old Chinese saying - "When you receive the grace of a person's dripping water, you should repay it with a gushing spring." This means that if someone else helps you in your time of distress, even if it is a small favor, you should repay it doubly in the future. This sentence is vividly reflected in the Irish people on the other side of the ocean. It all started with the great human famine, which was rare in history.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >01 In 1845, the Irish were in deep famine</h1>
In 1845, the potatoes grown by the Irish suddenly all fell ill. By the time of harvest, farmers found that the potatoes were already rotten in the field. The disease was actually caused by a "late blight fungus" that soon swept across Ireland, leaving farmers helpless. The potato was the main food ration for the Irish at the time, and its poor harvest, combined with the deliberate disregard of the rulers of the British government and other socio-economic factors, eventually led to an outbreak of famine rarely seen in human history.
[Fig. 1] In 1847, a painting by the Irish artist Daniel Macdonald: an Irish peasant family is inspecting the potatoes they grow in the field, the man is staring blankly into the distance, the hostess is lying on the sack and crying, and a desperate breath jumps on the paper.
The famine lasted from 1845 until 1849, known as the "Irish Famine", commonly known as the "Potato Famine". During this period, the life of the Irish people was miserable, and it could really be said that they were "hungry and dead, and the people were not happy". Eventually, Ireland's total population plummeted by nearly a quarter, with 1 million people starving to death and another 1 million moving overseas, away from home ever since.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >02 In 1847, the Indians gave generously</h1>
The year 1847 was the worst and most arduous year of the Great Famine in Ireland, and historians called it "Black 1847". It was during such a difficult year that desperate Irishmen received a donation from the far north American continent. The donors are a branch of the North American Native Americans called the Choctaws. After learning of the tragic fate of the Irish, they had a strong resonance in their hearts, deep sadness and sympathy.
[Figure 2] The film "Black 1847", released in 2018, although it is a revenge story, is set against the backdrop of the Irish potato famine in 1847, which profoundly shows the real social face of that historical period.
The Choctaws originally lived in southeastern Mississippi, with a total population of about 20,000 people, scattered among sixty or seventy tribes. But in 1830, then-U.S. President Andrew Jackson signed an Indian Migration Act. The bill authorized the federal government to negotiate with Indian tribes to purchase their existing land and place them in newly planned Indian territory west of the Mississippi River.
[Fig. 3] In 1846, the representative work of the American painter Alfred Boisso: The Indians of Louisiana walking along the estuary depicted a Choctaw family moving west on foot.
In the winter of 1831, the Choctaws became the first Indian people forced to migrate. Far from their ancestral lands, enduring blizzards, cold, hunger, and disease, they made a difficult journey west for about 500 miles (805 kilometers) to reach what is now Oklahoma. More than 2,500 people died along the way, and about 17,000 eventually settled in new places of residence. Therefore, the Choctaw people called their own migration road "the road of blood and tears".
Artwork: In 1847, the Indians provided friendly assistance to the Irish, who were in the midst of a great famine.
It is because of his own tragic experience that Choctaw will feel the deep suffering of the Irish people. It was only 16 years before they settled in their new place of residence. It can be said that they themselves have not fully recovered and are still living in poverty and hardship. Nevertheless, they raised $170 and generously donated it to the Irish.
That's right, $170 indeed. To us moderns, this number seems pitiful, even a little ridiculous. But don't forget, there is an old Chinese saying called - etiquette is light and affectionate is heavy! What's more, this gift is not necessarily light. Because, that's 1847! According to American historians, $170 at the time was roughly equivalent to more than $20,000 today. In fact, what matters is not how much money there is, but the piece of heart behind it. And this heart, the Irish "heart".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >03 In 2017, the Irish built sculptures</h1>
In the blink of an eye, the time is frozen in 2017. At this time, the world is exactly 170 years after the great famine that made the Irish unforgettable. The Famine had such a profound impact on all aspects of Ireland's society, economy and culture that many historians, when studying Irish history, divide it into two parts: "pre-famine" and "post-famine". The Irish cannot forget the Great Famine, and they have not forgotten the people who helped them in the Great Famine and sent charcoal in the snow.
Fig. 5: A sculpture created by the Irish to commemorate the history of the Choctaw donations: Kindred Spirits.
On June 19, 2017, Gary Barton, chief of the Choctaw tribe in Oklahoma, usa, traveled to Bailik Park in Middleton, County Cork, Ireland, to unveil a sculpture with special significance. The unveiling was joined by Cork Mayor Sylm McGrath, local government officials, and a delegation of about 20 members of the Choctaw ethnic group.
This unusual sculpture was named "Kindred Spirits", which literally means "like-minded" and "heart-to-heart". It was specially built by the present Irish to thank the gectors for their kindness.
[Figure 6] Kindred Spirits in the twilight, exceptionally beautiful.
This sculpture is not only exquisite in shape, but also has a profound meaning. The entire sculpture consists of nine eagle feathers made of 20 feet (about 6.1 meters) tall stainless steel, each with a difference. They form a circle and form a bowl, representing a bowl full of food, symbolizing that in the most difficult years of the year, the Choctaws extended a hand of fraternity to the Irish, solving their urgent needs.
[Figure 7] The Irish hope that future generations will always remember the kindness of the Choctaws.
Back in 2013, Alex Pentec, a sculptor from the Cork Sculpture Factory in Ireland, accepted a commission from Middleton Town Council to design this historic sculpture. With the help of students at Crawford College of Art and Design, Pentec completed the design of the sculpture and installed it in Belik Park in 2015. In 2017, on the 170th anniversary of the Choctaws' donation to the Irish, they specially invited Chief Gary Barton to officially unveil the sculpture.
Joe McCarthy, from County Cork Council, has said that the Choctaw donation was brought to Ireland by members of the Quakers and distributed. The town of Middleton may not have been a direct beneficiary of that year's donation. But from another perspective, this story has to do with every Irishman born after the Great Famine. This historical story of the Choctaws and the Irish has become known to more and more people through written records and word of mouth. Now, the completion of this sculpture will allow future generations to remember this history and cherish their friendship.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >04 2020, Irish People Know Grace Chart</h1>
A great famine ties the fates of the Irish and Chowktos together. This connection did not end with the completion of the feather sculpture, but rather became a new beginning. The year after the sculpture was completed, the newly elected Irish Prime Minister Leo Valadekar traveled to Oklahoma to visit the Choctaw reservation to continue the friendship between the two peoples.
[Figure 8] Successive Irish leaders have had a sincere respect and deep gratitude for the Choctaws, and they have also tried to deepen the relationship between the two.
Back in 1992, several Irish leaders took part in a Choctaw walking commemoration of the "retracement of the migration route" from Oklahoma to Mississippi. Afterwards, the Choctaws also reciprocated, and they specifically hired the Irish female president Mary Robinson as the honorary chief of their people, which the latter gladly accepted. To paraphrase a common saying, the relationship between the two "takes to a new level".
[Picture 9] An Irish citizen handwritten this note thanking the organizers for planning and implementing the donation campaign for the Indians.
By 2019, a new coronavirus had swept the globe, and many Indian reservations had become one of the hardest hit areas in the United States. On GoFundMe, the world's largest crowdfunding site, a project to donate to Indian Navajo and Hopi reservations has raised more than $3.7 million. The money will provide much-needed drinking water, food and improved sanitation for the people there. In the list of donors, many Irish people appear.
An Irishman who donated $30 wrote in a message: "On behalf of our ancestors, Jin repays an overdue debt to your ancestors. Stay strong! An Irishman who donated $10 wrote: "I'm unemployed now, so I'm sorry I didn't donate more, but I hope that this small donation will have some positive effects, just as your ancestors did 173 years ago, and it also gave hope to my ancestors." ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Summary:</h1>
It is clear that the Irish people have regarded the good deeds done by the Choctaws as the actions of the entire Indian people. They already wanted to repay not only the Choctaws, but all the Indians. This is also a manifestation of "Love House and Wu". The Choctaws of 1847 might not have imagined that the good deeds they had done would have such a significant and far-reaching impact on future generations, and even on the two peoples. These two peoples, one with affection and the other with righteousness, together composed a good story in human history.
[Figure 10] Portraits of outstanding representatives of the Choctaw people in the United States in various historical periods.
There is an old Chinese saying that merit lies in the contemporary era, and profit lies in the thousand autumns. If every nation in this world can sow the seeds of kindness and fraternity like the Choctaws, then our children and grandchildren will be bathed in a world of love and friendship, and this world will be a better place. (Text/World History)