MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians
| Named after | Mobile and Washington Counties, Choctaw |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1980 |
| Founded at | Mount Vernon, Alabama |
| Type | state-recognized tribe, nonprofit organizations |
| EIN 63-0820577 (MOWA Band of Choctaw Indian Commission), EIN 01-0766792 (MOWA Choctaw Cultural Center | |
| Legal status | civic/social organization, human service organization, ethnic center, charity |
| Purpose | P84: Ethnic, Immigrant Center |
| Headquarters | Mount Vernon, Alabama |
| Location | |
Official language | English |
CEO | Lebaron Byrd |
| Subsidiaries | MOWA Choctaw Cultural Center |
| Revenue | $2,050,083 (2022) |
| Expenses | $1,869,347 (2022) |
| Funding | grants, program services |
| Staff | 0 (Commission) 3 (Cultural Center) (2022) |
| Website | mowachoctawindians |
Formerly called | Mobile-Washington County Band of Choctaw Indians of South Alabama |
| Part of a series on ethnic |
| African Americans |
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The MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians is a mixed-race state-recognized tribe located in southwest Alabama, with a population largely based in southern Washington County and some membership in northern Mobile County.
The term MOWA is a portmanteau of Mobile and Washington Counties. They were formerly named the Mobile-Washington County Band of Choctaw Indians of South Alabama.
Via undocumented oral tradition, the Band traces its tribal lineage to Choctaw people who evaded Indian Removal in the 1830s and remained in Alabama. The Bureau of Indian Affairs declined to federally recognize the group, citing unreliable oral history, and no evidence of Native lineage in their progenitors, whom they noted possessed substantial documentation. Both parties agree the Band descends from 19th century progenitors who settled in the counties of Washington and Mobile.