Below are a number of interesting facts about the Chickasaw Nation.

• The Chickasaws have a belief that has been handed down many generations that they migrated to their homelands in the southeastern United States from somewhere in the "west." The exact time of this journey is unknown.
• The Chickasaw were known as valiant warriors in historic times. "Spartans of the lower Mississippi Valley."
• The Chickasaw are known to never have lost a war in their homelands. This is where the saying, "The Great Unconquered and Unconquerable Chickasaw Nation" comes from.
• The Chickasaw are credited for the U.S. being an English speaking country.
• The first European to come into contact with the Chickasaw was Hernando de Soto who sailed from Spain. He introduced horses, guns, metal and clothing made out of cotton and wool to the Chickasaws. This was the beginning of modern world economic trade.
• The Chickasaw have their own language, dances and cultural beliefs. These activities are still practiced.
• Women came to help defend the village during the Battle of Hikeah (Ackia) when the French attacked the Chickasaw.
• The Chickasaws, along with other Southeastern Indians, are believed to be descendents of the great mound builders civilization. Mound builders are people who built large earthen mounds throughout the southeastern U.S. during ancient times.
• The Chickasaws main form of transportation in early times was canoe.
• Throughout most of history, the Chickasaw's kinship system was based on matrilineality. The children traced their kin through the mother instead of the father as opposed to European lineage.
• Chickasaw leaders of old were known as Mikos and were considered kings. Today's executive leader is known as Governor rather than Chief.
• The Chickasaw Nation is a three-branch system of government (executive, legislative and judicial). Its modern Constitution was ratified in 1983. The Chickasaw people have always had some form of political organization.
• The Chickasaw had a huge trade networks established during early times. These networks reached from the Great Lakes to the Gulf shores.
• In the 1700s, to compete with other tribes in economic endeavors and trade, the Chickasaw established villages in South Carolina and Pennsylvania.
• Three Chickasaw women traveled extensively in the early part of the twentieth century to sing, tell stories and represent Indian people. They were TeAta, Lushanya and Ataloa.
• The homelands of the Chickasaw were located in western Kentucky, western Tennessee, northwestern Alabama and northern Mississippi.
• The Chickasaws stopped the flow of traffic down the Mississippi River in the latter part of the 1700s bringing commerce in New Orleans to a standstill.
• Many place names in Alabama, Mississippi ad Kentucky are derived from Chickasaw words.
• Douglas Johnston served the Chickasaw people as governor for 40 years. No other leader has served native people for as long.
• The Chickasaw people were expert horsemen in the homelands. They developed their own breed of horse, the Chickasaw horse, renown for its speed and endurance. This horse was brought with them across the "Trail of Tears" to Indian Territory.