Irish repay Great Hunger kindness, give to Native Americans

Tek

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A large number of Irish people are donating money to Native American tribes affected by COVID-19 as a means of repaying the generosity of Native Americans toward Irish people during the Great Hunger.

At least 41 people in the Navajo Nation in Utah, New Mexico and Arizona have contracted the virus.

Irish people are supporting a GoFundMe providing relief to the Navajo and Hopi families which has raised more than $1.4 million.

The donations are directly related to the Famine in 1847 when the Choctaw Nation heard about Ireland's plight and generously donated $170 (around $5,000 today) to the cause.

Around 60,000 Native Americans, including the Choctaw people, had just suffered through the Trail of Tears which made them empathetic to Irish people suffering the worst effects of the Famine.

The Choctaw, who had just relocated to Oklahoma from their ancestral home in Mississippi, dug deep for people thousands of miles away who they had never heard of.

Now, Irish people are returning the favor.
Several of our recent donations for our GoFundMe campaign have been inspired by the Great Hunger Famine in Ireland which started in 1845.

During this difficult time, in 1847, the Choctaw Nation provided $170 of relief aid to the Irish to help them (today that is the equivalent of $5,000). Not long before the Great Hunger Famine in Ireland, 60,000 Native Americans, including the Choctaw people, had suffered through the experience of the Trail of Tears. The death of many people on the Trail of Tears sparked empathy for the Irish people in their time of need. Thus, the Choctaw extended $170 of relief aid.

173 years later to today, the favor is returned through generous donations from the Irish people to the Navajo Nation during our time of crisis. A message from Irish donor, Pat Hayes, sent from Ireland across the ocean: “From Ireland, 170 years later, the favour is returned! To our Native American brothers and sisters in your moment of hardship.”

The heartache is real. We have lost so many of our sacred Navajo elders and youth to COVID-19. It is truly devastating. And a dark time in history for our Nation. In moments like these, we are so grateful for the love and support we have received from all around the world. Acts of kindness from indigenous ancestors passed being reciprocated nearly 200 years later through blood memory and interconnectedness.Thank you, IRELAND, for showing solidarity and being here for us.

 

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