How did the Chickasaw and Choctaw make a profit when the Osage and Atoka mining companies first created larger coal mines in the Indian Territory?

The Chickasaw and Choctaw profited by allowing mining companies to extract coal from their lands and collecting royalties from the mining operations. A royalty is a payment tied to the resources taken or the profits earned, so the correct choice is “by taking royalties on mine profits.”

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.