A former Choctaw Tribal Chief from Attala County will be inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
Allen Wright has been announced as one of nine inductees for the Class of 2019.
Wright was born in Attala County in 1826.
His family immigrated to Indian Territory in 1833 following the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.
Thirty-three years later, Wright, serving as Choctaw Tribal Chief, suggested that territory be called Oklahoma, a Choctaw word meaning “red people.”
In addition to naming the territory, and eventual state, Oklahoma, Wright translated several books of the Bible from Hebrew to Choctaw and is credited with creating a Choctaw dictionary to be used in tribal schools.
McAlester News Capital reports that Wright’s great great grandson, also named Allen Wright, will receive the Hall of Fame recognition during the annual banquet Thursday, November 21, in Oklahoma City.
Link: oklahomahof.com
