Native American Origins of an American Delicacy

Chicken has become the most commonly eaten meat consumed in America.  Most people have forgotten the important native American contribution to this fundamental part of the American diet.

Prior to the European arrival in North America, many native tribes subsisted on birds for food.  Geese and turkey were commonly eaten during migration season in the fall, but day to day meals often focused on smaller birds.  The snipe was a common native source of food.  The small flightless bird, native to America, was a staple among many tribes.  After the snipe was driven to extinction following the arrival of the Europeans, many tribes adopted the chicken as a replacement.

Traditional Native
Chicken Dance

The Chickasaw Tribes in what is today part of Kentucky, were one of the early adopters of chickens, which they called the birds “kievsea” which essentially means “food bird.” Unlike snipe which had been hunted, the kevsea were generally maintained in flocks, much as the European settlers raised the birds.

The Chickesaw developed a ceremony around the preparation and eating of the chicken.  It included a special chicken dance, as well as a cooking formula that involved the use of 11 herbs and spices to cook with the chicken in an iron dutch oven, usually filled with oil made from deer fat.  Both men and women played a role in preparing the special meal.

The Chickasaw tribe became so associated with the bird, that settlers began referring to the birds as “chickens.” Prior to that time, the birds were known in Europe as “fowl” “cockerell” or “banty.”  The term “chicken” caught on quickly in the early 18th century and soon came into common usage.

In the early 19th century the Chickasaw were forced to move from their native lands in Kentucky to a new location in what is today Oklahoma.  They carried their traditions with them and continued to follow their traditional recipe for generations.

Native Girl Raising Kievsea

In 1915 a young officer, also from Kentucky, took command of a post overseeing the Chickasaw in Oklahoma.  Most US officers did not interact with their native charges, beyond what was required by their duties.  This officer, bucked that trend, learning native customs and including himself in their ceremonies.

Lieutenant Harlan Sanders spent a great deal of time with the tribe, learning how its members prepared the special dish.  When he returned to Kentucky with the recipe, he began to market it as his own, taking the Chickasaw name kievsea, and changing it to KFC so that he could market the dish to a mainstream American market.

Following WWII, Sanders, who was by this time Colonel Sanders, retired from service and began to franchise his chicken dish in fast food restaurants.  KFC grew into a major restaurant chain that is enjoyed by millions today.

The role of the Chickasaw in bringing this delicacy to Americans has been largely forgotten.  But the tribe still celebrates with an annual chicken festival held each April 1.