The area in and around Sardis Project is within the boundary of the old Choctaw Nation. The Indians of the Great Choctaw Nation arrived here in the early 1830's. Today the Choctaw influence remains strong in the area and there are many reminders of the residency of these first Americans. The name of our state is a Choctaw word meaning "Home of the Red Man". Other names like Tuskahoma, Talihina, Yanush, Honobia, Pushmataha, Broken Bow, and Eagletown cause the imagination to wander back to the time when this was "Indian Territory". The Choctaw Nation Capitol building is located 2 miles north of the town of Tuskahoma or 2.5 miles east of the Sardis Project Office. This building was erected in 1884 during the term of Principal Chief Jackson McCurtain. It is now the Choctaw National Museum.