As the end of 2025 draws near, the Biskinik would like to express our gratitude to our readers for their continued support and readership. We look forward to sharing the good news of the Choctaw Nation with you in 2026.
In this story, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on some of our top stories from the past year.
The early months of 2025 brought many historic moments, including the introduction of Night Court. The Choctaw Nation District Court announced it would offer Night Court on the first Thursday of each month, allowing individuals with nonviolent warrants to resolve them after hours without fear of arrest or additional penalties.
The Choctaw Nation also celebrated the grand opening of the Ahni House – Children’s Advocacy Center in Hugo, Oklahoma, on Feb. 5.
The Ahni House offers a safe and supportive environment for children affected by abuse. It provides forensic interviews, advocacy services, medical examinations, mental health services and referrals, minimizing the need for visits to multiple agencies.
“This important project, funded through a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, will serve as a tribal children’s advocacy center to support both tribal and nontribal child victims across our reservation,” Chief Gary Batton said. “This is a big step forward in protecting and supporting our most vulnerable community members.”
In April, the Biskinik published a special Earth Day edition that informed readers of ways to be more environmentally conscious in their daily lives.
This edition highlighted some of the Choctaw Nation’s contributions to environmental protection. These programs include public school spill prevention and education, recycling, wildlife conservation, partnering with the EPA to establish CNO Environmental Protection Service staff, completing the Broken Bow water project, air quality awareness and the creation of pollinator gardens.
It was announced in October that Choctaw Nation Recycling had reached a major milestone, processing more than 50 million pounds of materials.
In the spring, the Choctaw Nation released its first board game, CHOCTOPOLY, a Monopoly-inspired game that takes players on a journey celebrating the Choctaw Nation’s culture, history, landscape and people.
In May, the Choctaw Trail of Tears Bike Team took its annual seven-day journey from Philadelphia, Mississippi, to Durant, Oklahoma. The Biskinik brought readers a firsthand perspective of what it is like to take part in this yearly ride.
This summer, elections were held in the Choctaw Nation. Jennifer Turner of District 5 and Regina Mabray of District 12 were elected to their first terms on the Choctaw Tribal Council, while Jess Henry was reelected in District 4.
Voters also cast ballots on five propositions to amend the Choctaw Constitution, all of which failed to receive enough votes to pass.
In July, the Chahta Foundation awarded more than $1.8 million in scholarships, helping Choctaw students reach their higher educational goals.
Also in July, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma made history, by sending its first youth stickball team, Tvshka Homma Himitta, to the World Series in Mississippi. The team, made up of Choctaw and Chickasaw youth, won their first game against Tiak Hikíya 3-1. They went on to play Beaver Dam in a nail-biting 2-3 game.
“Congratulations to our first Choctaw Nation Youth Team, Tvshka Homma Himitta,” said the Assistant Chief in a social media post. “It was a joy to witness our youth making history and advancing in the tournament.”
The 2025 Choctaw Labor Day Festival was held Aug. 29–31. Thousands gathered at the Choctaw Capitol Grounds for one of the biggest celebrations of Choctaw culture, community and tradition.
In September, the Choctaw Nation Tribal Council unanimously approved a comprehensive expense budget of $2.6 billion for fiscal year 2026, representing a 10.5% increase over the previous year.
This year, the Choctaw Nation collaborated with various state and local governments to make history, including signing the first official land acknowledgment by the City of McAlester during its City Council meeting on Sept. 23, and being part of the historic moment when Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed Senate Bill 510 into law in April.
Choctaw Nation hosted its annual Outstanding Elders Banquet on Oct. 30 at the Choctaw Casino & Resort–Durant. You can learn more about the banquet on Page 12 of this month’s issue of the Biskinik.
On Oct. 31, the Choctaw Nation announced it would offer a special one-time Temporary Food Assistance Program, providing a $150 payment to assist eligible tribal members whose SNAP benefits are being affected by the federal government shutdown.
“Many of our members around the Nation rely on SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families,” Batton said. “With the federal government temporarily unable to meet its obligations, we will look for ways to help tribal members in need.”
The Annual Choctaw Powwow and Choctaw Heritage Festival took place in Durant, from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, and was a weekend filled with song, dance and celebration of Indigenous culture and tradition. You can find photos and more information from the weekend on page 11 of this month’s issue of the Biskinik.
During November and December, the Choctaw Nation organized several programs and drives to provide food, toys and warm coats to those in need.
These initiatives included Thanksgiving and Christmas food vouchers, Wellness Center food and toy drives, Head Start food and coat drives, the Angel Tree program, and Choctaw Environmental Protection’s annual Used Toy Drive, to name a few.
The year isn’t over yet, and many more events are scheduled to take place. Join the Choctaw Nation for a Christmas dinner or take a ride through the Christmas in the Park light display.
From our time reflecting and researching for this story, one thing became clear: The Choctaw Nation will continue to support its people and communities not only through the rest of this year but for generations to come.
There were far too many successes to fit into one story. For more 2025 highlights and articles, visit biskinik.com or choctawnation.com/news.
Find more photos and exclusive content in the online version of this story.