The Chaloklowa Chickasaws are a remnant of the Chickasaw tribe of the eastern United States that avoided the forced Indian removal during the 1830s to what is now Oklahoma.
Some members of the tribe avoided the transfer and subsequent legal discrimination by concealing their Native American status, and managed to live as "The Shadow People" for several generations until legal discrimination ended. In 2005, the tribe gained official recognition from the State of South Carolina. They have their tribal headquarters at Indiantown, South Carolina, which was their historic eastern homeland.
Chalaklowa means "dancing turkey," in reference to the ritualized mating dances of the wild turkey. The tribe, officially known as the Chaloklowa Chickasaw Indian People, is governed by mingoes (chiefs) Vernon Tanner and Uly Joe Tanner. The group has started reconstructing a small traditional village as a living history and teaching center for the public.
The group has been able to preserve many of the old customs and traditions by oral history and pow wows (pau waus), long held secretly as family reunions. According to Chief Vernon Tanner, many of the eastern tribes have lost their traditions and have borrowed from the western tribes.[1]