There are 547 Federally recognized tribes in the United States and Canada.
There are still some that are fighting to gain that recognition or no longer exist at all.
Each of these tribes have their own language, their own culture, their own stories, and their own houses.
The two boys in this story come from very different times in the Chickasaw History. Itti Okchamali from Mississippi, the original homeland of the Chickasaw, lived in a time before history was even recorded. Tasahli Greenwood from Oklahoma, where the Chickasaw Nation resides today, lives outside the Chickasaw Jurisdiction which is common with many Chickasaw families.
The stories and culture are still very much alive, however.