Chickasaw Cultural Grounds East of Ada
Ada, OK
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free for cultural events; camping RV hookups available at posted rates
Access
Limited Access
Open grounds with grass fields and traditional structures
Equipment
Photos OK
The land at Kullihoma carries a name that describes a natural phenomenon: the red-tinged water from local springs that, in Chickasaw oral tradition, signaled the approach of storms. That attentiveness to the land's signals runs throughout the site's history.
After Oklahoma statehood in 1906 closed the neighborhood school that had served local Chickasaw families, the area's communal function diminished for several decades. The Indian Welfare Act of 1936 provided the legal framework for the U.S. government to place land back in trust for tribal nations, and Kullihoma was established under that mechanism. The initial trust parcel grew substantially over the following decades, reaching more than 1,961 acres by 2011.
In the 1990s, the Chickasaw Nation deliberately selected Kullihoma to re-establish an area for stomp dancing and other cultural activities, citing the location's strong cultural ties to stomp dancing dating back to the 1800s. Replicated traditional structures were constructed on the grounds: a council house, raised corn crib, winter and summer houses. These reflect the Mississippian cultural period of Chickasaw ancestors, whose homeland encompassed parts of present-day Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee before removal to Indian Territory.
Today Kullihoma functions as a multi-use cultural and recreational center. It hosts the annual Chikasha Ittafama reunion — a gathering that brings Chickasaw people and their families together — as well as stickball games, softball, and camping. The stomp dance grounds remain a living ceremonial space, not a museum exhibit.
Sources
The Shadowlands account that brought Kullihoma to attention as a paranormal site describes bouncing balls of bright light seen on Chickasaw Nation land near Ada — lights identified in local tradition with the Iyaganasha, the Chickasaw 'little people.'
The tradition itself is documented in Chickasaw cultural records: the Iyaganasha (sometimes spelled Iyaganasha) were supernatural beings about two to three feet tall who lived in the forest and occasionally engaged with the human world, most commonly through children. A child chosen by the Iyaganasha might spend time among them and emerge with healing abilities or herbal knowledge. These interactions could be helpful or mischievous, depending on the disposition of the beings involved.
This tradition parallels the Choctaw Kowi Anukasha — forest-dwelling humanoids of similar description — and broader patterns of 'little people' figures found across many Native American nations. The Chickasaw and Choctaw share close cultural and linguistic origins, and their oral traditions often intersect.
The specific report of bouncing lights observed on or near the Kullihoma grounds fits a pattern common across Indigenous sacred sites in the region. Whether these represent the Iyaganasha, atmospheric phenomena, or something else entirely remains an open question. The account is offered here as an expression of living Chickasaw cultural tradition rather than a paranormal claim.
Notable Entities
Explore the Kullihoma Grounds, a 1,961-acre Chickasaw Nation cultural center east of Ada. The site features replicated traditional structures — a council house, raised corn crib, and winter and summer houses — alongside stomp dancing grounds with arbors oriented in four directions. Cultural events and the annual Chikasha Ittafama reunion are held here.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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