Tribal Profile

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is the only federally recognized American Indian tribe in Mississippi. Residing primarily in east central Mississippi, the Tribe is organized under the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934, as amended. The Tribe’s constitution was ratified in April 1945. Tribal enrolled membership currently stands at 10,000 plus individuals, all of whom have at least a 50% quantum degree of Choctaw blood. Half of the Tribal population is under the age of 25.

The Tribe owns and operates a diverse portfolio of manufacturing, service, retail, hospitality, and tourism enterprises. They provided permanent, full-time jobs for Tribal members and area residents, while also generating tax-equivalent Tribal revenues to fund government services such as the construction of new schools, strengthened educational programs, full academic scholarships for Tribal members, health care clinics and medical services, police, security, and fire protection, land management and environmental resources protection, road improvements, youth recreation and employment opportunities, and many other basic services to the Choctaw people.

The success of Choctaw enterprises has enabled the Tribe to become more self-reliant and self-sufficient, while making a significant and very favorable economic impact on the surrounding non-Indian communities. The Tribe is now one of Mississippi’s top five largest private employers, with over 7,000 permanent, full-time employees. Employment opportunities are anticipated to expand with in the coming three years, with the growing Pearl River Resort and Lake Pushmataha Recreational Complex development. Economic impact studies are completed every five years by area universities. The latest, conducted in 2002, revealed that the Tribe’s economic impact on the State of Mississippi exceeded $1.2 billion that year. Future impact is anticipated to be even greater as the Tribe continues it successful diversification efforts.

Tribal governmental leaders work with a philosophy of building up Tribal financial security and self-sufficiency. Their goal is to make the Tribe capable of financing its own needs without the strings attached, as occurs with non-Tribal lending institutions. In the future, a Tribally-owned and operated bank may be established, which will include a lending agency within it.

The Government

The Choctaw Tribal government operates under the auspices of the Tribe’s constitution ratified in 1945, and revised in 1975. In 1945 a representative, democratic form of government was established, with representation provided for all eight Choctaw communities and all Tribal members. The Tribal Chief is elected every four years, and no term limits are imposed on this position. A 17-member Tribal Council, all of whom are elected for staggered four-year terms, governs the Tribe. The Tribe’s Constitution and Bylaws vests the Tribal Council with legislative and policy-making authority. The Tribal Chief is the principal executive officer of the Tribe and is in charge as the leader in carrying out the policies and regulations of Tribal government and for management of Tribal businesses.

The Choctaw Tribal government has been of key importance in making Tribal economic development possible, and it is through the Tribal government that major Choctaw goals are being accomplished.

The Government-To-Government Relationships

The good working relationships between the Tribal government and the local, state, and federal governments are long-standing and very strong. These relationships are based upon mutual respect and meaningful cooperation. In 1997, the State government entered into an Executive Accord with the Tribal government, and as a result, the two groups exercise an effective commitment to mutually beneficial goals and smooth government-to-government relationships among and between various departments in both the State and Tribal governments. In the Accord, the Tribe and State formally recognized each other’s sovereignty and the rights; at the same time they recognized each other’s need for cooperation in order to create greater understanding and efficiency between the two governments.