Liz Rachal holds the Choctaw flag with Rick Waters, the Executive Director of the Denver Indian Center. When Rachal was on a tour of the Indian Center she noticed there was no Choctaw flag among the flags of the other tribes, and returned with one for them to hang.
Living newly found Choctaw spirit in Colorado
Published November 1, 2024By Chris Jennings
Serving in her community has always been something Liz Rachal has done. While growing up, her identified community was Hispanic, but her grandfather’s desire to learn more about his father revealed a Choctaw heritage as well.
“Ever since then, we’ve been really hungry for information and looking into our lineage, our past and our history,” said Rachal.
Now, Rachal is taking her ingrained sense of servitude into the world as a Choctaw tribal member.
She recently volunteered with the Haseya Advocate Program in Colorado Springs. The Haseya Advocate Program is a Native woman-led organization that serves Indigenous survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Rachal worked to help rehab their healing garden, which had been affected by one of the worst grasshopper infestations Colorado has seen in recent history. “Their garden had been overrun by a grasshopper plague, which a lot of the Colorado Springs area had been this summer,” said Rachal.
The team of workers spent the day pulling weeds and squishing grasshoppers, but it was building a teepee that Rachal learned the most. “I learned that there are Native Americans that traditionally would live in teepees,” said Rachal. “And then there are some that don’t.”
To many, the fact that different tribes lived in different dwellings isn’t a new concept. However, it’s not always common knowledge.
After learning that not all tribes lived in teepees, Rachal researched what kinds of homes the Choctaw people lived in. Now, she knows about traditional Choctaw Chukkas and can pass that knowledge to her kids. Each time that happens, it’s a step in keeping the Choctaw culture alive.
Rachal says whenever she tells someone she’s Choctaw, she gets a sense that they are always looked on with high regard.
Hearing that Rachal says that’s a testament to the Choctaw core values and something for her and her kids to strive for. “That’s the feeling I get from other people when I tell them I’m Choctaw. They know that we’re known for being peaceful and helpful and friendly, so I feel like you have to live up to those expectations,” said Rachal.