There was a time when our Chickasaw ancestors needed to move from the West to find a new

home. Seeking guidance from the Creator, Aba'Binnil'li' and with much deliberation, our Hopayi'

(prophets) told our ancestors that they needed to seek a home in the direction of the rising sun

in the East. Itti' Fabassa' Holitto'pa, the sacred pole, was the ancestor's guide to find their

Homeland. The sun being one of the four "Beloved Things" in ancient Chickasaw beliefs, it

represents the Creator, Aba' Binnil'li' who brings forth light, warmth and was the creator of all

things. The colors shown in the design represent the directions that Chickasaw ancestors

started from and traveled to in their Great Migration to find their Homeland, going from dark

colors that represent the "place of the setting sun" to light colors that represent the direction of

the rising sun.

POEM:

Tall tree trunks’ stretching shadows point a path

The earthly messengers of a guiding light gifted from above

To a people united by a star that warms rather than burns