By By William F. West / community editor
July 11, 2002
CHOCTAW The chief of the Mississippi Choctaw Indians wants the remains of a famous Choctaw chief removed from a Washington cemetery and returned home for burial on native soil.
Martin made his comments during the dedication of a water theme park on Tuesday next to an uncompleted lake named in honor of Pushmataha, who lived from about 1764 to 1824.
Pushmataha negotiated many treaties with the United States and also led Choctaws in support of the United States during the War of 1812. He is buried in the Congressional Cemetery.
In April 2001, a portrait of Pushmataha was unveiled in the state's
Hall of Fame in the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson.
In addition to establishing a memorial for Pushmataha on the Choctaw reservation, Martin said, plans call for recognition of Choctaws who participated in wars since the American Revolution.