Leader of Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians joins state history board

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Cyrus Ben. Photo courtesy Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Indianz.Com

The leader of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is making history as the first Native person elected to the board of trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH).

Chief Cyrus Ben, who is serving his second term in tribal office, won election to the MDAH board at a meeting on July 12. His nomination is now being sent to the Mississippi State Senate for official confirmation.

“Chief Ben brings an excellent background of public service and leadership experience,” MDAH Board President Spence Flatgard said in a news release this month. “MDAH will benefit greatly from his expertise and dedication. We are thrilled to have him on our board.”

Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben, the fifth democratically elected chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, has been elected to the MDAH Board of Trustees. Read more at https://t.co/1GE0vZkbeO. pic.twitter.com/PnaPwoxUT3
— MS Depart. of Archives & History (@MDAH_Official) July 12, 2024

The MDAH is the second oldest state department of archives and history. The agency’s duties include repatriating tribal ancestors and artifacts to their rightful owners under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

Under NAGPRA, a federal law, the state agency recently repatriated 95 ancestors and 1,500 lots of funerary objects to the Chickasaw Nation, whose territory includes northern Mississippi. The new action follows the return of 403 ancestors and 83 lots of burial objects to the tribe in 2021.

“We continue to work closely with tribal representatives and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in our commitment to the repatriation of Native American Ancestors and cultural objects currently held in the care of MDAH,” Director Katie Blount said in a news release on Monday. “We are grateful to the Chickasaw Nation for their partnership and consultation during this important process.”

MDAH has transferred the remains of 403 Native Americans and eighty-three lots of burial objects to the Chickasaw…
Posted by Mississippi Department of Archives & History on Thursday, March 18, 2021

Amber Hood, Director of Historic Preservation and Repatriation for the Chickasaw Nation, welcomed the return of the ancestral remains and cultural objects to the tribe, headquartered in Oklahoma following removal from its homelands in the southeastern United States. The 2021 action marked the largest return of human remains in Mississippi history — and the first ever for MDAH, coinciding with the launch of the Repatriate Mississippi Initiative.

“These ancestors are not just numbers or statistics; they are family members who were loved and grieved at the time of their death,” Hood said in the release. “We maintain a spiritual connection to the people that came before us. Working on NAGPRA cases takes an emotional toll, but it is up to us to advocate on their behalf.”

“The Chickasaw Nation remains committed in our pursuit to repatriate and respectfully rebury our ancestors’ earthly remains,” Hood added. “We appreciate that MDAH shares that same goal and has committed to their Repatriate Mississippi Initiative.”

Upon confirmation, members of the MDAH board of trustees serve for a term of six years.