Choctaw
Pushmataha was the most famous Choctaw leader
Total population:
Significant populations in:	United States (Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana)
Language:	English, Choctaw
Religion:	Protestantism, other
Related ethnic groups:	Five Civilized Tribes

The Choctaws are a Native American people originally from the southeast United States (Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana). In the nineteenth century, they were known as one of the "Five Civilized Tribes," so-called because they had integrated a number of cultural and technological "practices" of Europeans. The Choctaws are famous for their extreme generosity in providing famine relief during the Irish Potato Famine. Chief Pushmataha File links The following pages link to this file: Choctaw ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 20th 181,196 km² 355 km 645 km 1. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last official government census, but probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 31st 134,382 km² 210 km 610 km 16 29°N to 33°N 89°W to... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Choctaw language, traditionally spoken by the Native American Choctaw people of the southeastern United States, is a member of the Muskogean family. ... Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing a split from within the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europe —a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ... The Five Civilized Tribes is the term applied to five Aboriginal American nations which lived in the Southeastern United States before their removal to other parts of country, especially the future Oklahoma. ... Assiniboin Boy, an Atsina Native Americans in the United States (also Indians, American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Peoples, Aboriginal Peoples, Aboriginal Americans, Amerindians, Amerinds, or Original Americans) are those indigenous peoples within the territory that is now encompassed by the continental United States, and their descendants in modern times. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 30th 52,423 mi²/135,775 km² 190 mi/306 km 330 mi/531 km 3. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last official government census, but probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 31st 134,382 km² 210 km 610 km 16 29°N to 33°N 89°W to... The Five Civilized Tribes is the term applied to five Aboriginal American nations which lived in the Southeastern United States before their removal to other parts of country, especially the future Oklahoma. ... Starvation during the famine The Irish Potato Famine, also called The Great Famine or The Great Hunger (Irish: An Gorta Mór), is the name given to a famine which struck Ireland between 1846 and 1849. ...

Pre-history

Du Pratz, in his Hist. de La Louisiane (Paris, 1758) recounted that "...when I asked them from whence the Chat-kas came, to express the suddenness of their appearance they replied that they had come out from under the earth." Despite the author's assumption that this story was intended to "express the suddenness of their appearance," and not a literal creation story, this is perhaps the first European writing to contain the seed of the story. Romans' 1771 account (Natural History of East and West Florida, New York, 1775) reiterated the story:

"These people are the only nation from whom I could learn any idea of a traditional account of a first origin; and that is their coming out of a hole in the ground, which they shew between their nation and the Chickasaws; they tell us also that their neighbours were surprised at seeing a people rise at once out of the earth."

As told by both early 19th century as well as contemporary Mississippi Choctaw storytellers, it was either Nanih Waiya or a cave nearby from which the Choctaw people emerged.

Another story (Catlin's Smithsonian Report, 1885) linking the Choctaw people to Nanih Waiya explains that the Choctaw were originally inhabitants of a place far to the west:

"The Choctaws a great many winters ago commenced moving from the country where they then lived, which was a great distance to the west of the great river and the mountains of snow, and they were a great many years on their way. A great medicine man led them the whole way, by going before with a red pole, which he stuck in the ground every night where they encamped. This pole was every morning found leaning to the east, and he told them that they must continue to travel to the east until the pole would stand upright in their encampment, and that there the Great Spirit had directed that they should live."

According to the story, it was at Nanih Waiya that the pole finally stood straight. (Nanih Waiya means "leaning hill" in Choctaw.)

Nanih Waiya is in Winston County, Mississippi about ten miles southeast of Noxapater. As a State Park it is now in the protection of the State of Mississippi. Winston County is a county located in the state of Mississippi. ... Noxapater is a town located in Winston County, Mississippi. ...

Galloway (Choctaw Genesis 1500-1700, Lincoln, Neb.: University of Nebraska Press, 1995) argues from fragmentary archaeological and cartographic evidence that the Choctaw did not exist as a unified people before the seventeenth century, and only at that time did various southeastern peoples (remnants of Moundville, Plaquemine, and other Mississippian cultures) coalesce to form a self-consciously Choctaw people. Regardless of the time frame, however, the homeland of the Choctaw or of the peoples from whom the Choctaw nation arose includes Nanih Waiya. The mound and the surrounding area are sacred ground to Choctaws, and are a central point of connection between the Choctaws and their homeland.

Early history

The Choctaw were no doubt a part of the Mississippian culture in the Mississippi river valley. At the time that the Spanish made their first forays into the gulf shores, the political centers of the Missisppians were already in decline or gone. The region is best described as a collection of moderately-sized Native chiefdoms (such as those on the Coosa and Alabama rivers) interspersed with completely autonomous villages and tribal groups. This is what the earliest Spanish explorers encountered, beginning in 1519. The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States States]] from approximately 900 to 1500 A.D., varying a bit regionally. ...

In 1528, Pánfilo de Narváez travelled through what was likely the Mobile Bay area, encountering American Indians who fled and burned their towns in response to the Spaniard’s approach. This response was a prelude to Hernando de Soto’s extensive journeys in 1540 to 1543. De Soto travelled up through Florida, and then down into the Alabama-Mississippi area that later was inhabited by the Choctaw. Reading between the lines of his accounts of Native interactions provides a region full of tribes of various sizes and with various degrees of control over neighboring areas. Pánfilo de Narváez (1470 – 1528) was a Spanish conqueror and soldier in the Americas. ... Mobile Bay - Landsat photo Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. ... Hernando de Soto Hernando de Sotò (born 1496? in Spain, died 21 May 1542, probably on a branch of the Mississippi river near present-day Lake City, Arkansas) was a Spanish navigator and conquistador. ...

The impact of European diseases is unclear. Reports of De Soto’s journeys do not describe illness among his men, although pigs traveling with them often escaped and may have been excellent vectors for dangerous microbes. The two subsequent brief forays into the Southeast by Tristán de Luna y Aellano in 1559 and Juan Pardo in 1565-1567 do not provide any evidence for widespread epidemics. After Pardo, the historical picture ends. There would be no official European contact in the area at all for more than a century, and during that time the group identities of the region completely transformed.

The first direct contact recorded between the Choctaw and a European was with Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville in 1699; however, indirect contact no doubt occurred between the Choctaw and British settlers through other tribes, including the Creek and Chickasaw. Illegal fur trading may have led to further unofficial contact. Unfortunately, the archaeological record for this period between 1567 and 1699 is not complete or well-studied, but there are similarities in pottery coloring and burials that suggest the following scenario for the emergence of the distinctive Choctaw culture: the Choctaw region (generally located between the Natchez bluffs to the south and the Yazoo basin to the north) was slowly occupied by Burial Urn people from the Bottle Creek area in the Mobile delta, along with remnants of the Moundville chiefdom that had collapsed some years before. Facing severe depopulation, they fled westward, where they combined with the Plaquemine and a group of “prairie people” living near the area. When precisely this occurred is not entirely clear, but in the space of several generations, a new culture had been born (albeit with a strong Mississippian background). Pierre Le Moyne dIberville. ... The Creeks are an American Indian people originally from the southeastern United States, also known by their original name Muscogee (or Muskogee), the name they use to identify themselves today. ... Young Chickasaw warrior The Chickasaws are a Native American people of the United States, originally from present-day Mississippi, now mostly living in Oklahoma. ...

During the American Revolutionary War, Choctaws divided over whether to support Britain or Spain (who declared war on Britain in 1779) with most Choctaws supporting Britain. Some Choctaw scouts served with U.S. General Wayne in the Northwest Indian War. During the American Civil War, the Choctaws sided with the southern states. Combatants American Revolutionaries, France, allies British Empire, allies Commanders George Washington Comte de Rochambeau Nathanael Greene William Howe Henry Clinton Charles Cornwallis Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties {{{casualties1}}} {{{casualties2}}} The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War for Independence, was the military side of the American Revolution. ... The Northwest Indian War (1785-1795), often known as Little Turtles War in older reference works, was a war fought between the United States and a large confederation of Native Americans (Indians) for control of the Old Northwest, which ended with a decisive U.S. victory at the Battle... The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America between the United States of America, called the Union and the Confederate States of America, a new nation formed by 11 seceding states. ...

George Washington’s Indian Policy was used to “civilize” Indians. He believed that Indians were equals, but believed their society was inferior. The 6 points plan includes: 1) impartial justice toward Indians, 2) regulated buying Indian lands, 3) promoted commerce, 4) promoted experiments to civilize Indians, 5) give the president authority to give them “presents”, and finally 6) provided punishments to those who violate Indian rights.

Treaties

Nine treaties were signed between the Choctaws and the United States between the years of 1786 and 1830.

The last treaty, the most significant, was the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek (1830). The treaty signed away the remaining traditional homeland of the Choctaw to the United States. Article 14 of that treaty allowed for some Choctaws to remain in the state of Mississippi: The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was a treaty signed on September 27, 1830 (and proclaimed on 24 February 1831) between the Choctaws (an American Indian tribe) and the United States. ...

"ART. XIV. Each Choctaw head of a family being desirous to remain and become a citizen of the States, shall be permitted to do so, by signifying his intention to the Agent within six months from the ratification of this Treaty, and he or she shall thereupon be entitled to a reservation of one section of six hundred and forty acres of land, to be bounded by sectional lines of survey; in like manner shall be entitled to one half that quantity for each unmarried child which is living with him over ten years of age; and a quarter section to such child as may be under 10 years of age, to adjoin the location of the parent. If they reside upon said lands intending to become citizens of the States for five years after the ratification of this Treaty, in that case a grant in fee simple shall issue; said reservation shall include the present improvement of the head of the family, or a portion of it. Persons who claim under this article shall not lose the privilege of a Choctaw citizen, but if they ever remove are not to be entitled to any portion of the Choctaw annuity."

Those Choctaws who were "forcibly removed" to the Indian territory in the 1830s were organized as the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Those who signed under article 14 of the Treaty of Dancing Rabit Creek later formed the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. In 1831, tens of thousands of Choctaw walked the 800km journey to Oklahoma and more than half died. They later called this journey the "Trail of Tears." Indian Removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States that sought to relocate American Indian (or Native American) tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river. ... Indian Territory in 1836 Indian Territory in 1891 Indian Territory, also known as Indian Country, Indian territory or the Indian territories, was the land set aside within the United States for the use of American Indians (Native Americans). The general borders were set by the Indian Intercourse Act of 1834. ... // Events and Trends Electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday Dutch-speaking farmers known as Voortrekkers emigrate northwards from the Cape Colony Croquet invented in Ireland Railroad construction begins in earnest in the United States Egba refugees fleeing the Yoruba civil wars found the city of Abeokuta in south-west Nigeria... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 20th 181,196 km² 355 km 645 km 1. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Irish famine aid

In 1847, midway through the Irish famine, a group of Choctaws collected $710 and sent it to help starving Irish men, women and children. "It had been just 16 years since the Choctaw people had experienced the Trail of Tears, and they had faced starvation . . . . It was an amazing gesture. By today's standards, it might be a million dollars." according to Judy Allen, editor of the Choctaw Nation's newspaper, Bishinik, based at the tribal headquarters in Durant, Okla. To mark the 150th anniversary, eight Irish people retraced the Trail of Tears [1]. Starvation during the famine The Irish Potato Famine, also called The Great Famine or The Great Hunger (Irish: An Gorta Mór), is the name given to a famine which struck Ireland between 1846 and 1849. ...

Original Code Talkers

In World War I, a group of Choctaws serving in the U.S. Army used their native language as a code. They were the forerunner to Native Americans from various nations, most notably the Navajo, who were used as radio operators, or code talkers, during World War II. Combatants Entente Powers Central Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties > 5 million military deaths > 3 million military deaths World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars was a world conflict... Navajo blanket Navajo Nation (Navajo: Naabeehó Dineé) is the name of a sovereign Native American nation established by the Diné. The Navajo Indian Reservation covers about 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometres) of land, occupying all of northeastern Arizona, and extending into Utah and New Mexico, and is... Page one of Navajo recommendation letter, 1942. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as...

Recent history

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) has one of the largest casinos located near Philadelphia, Mississippi. The Silver Star Casino opened its doors in 1994. The Golden Moon Casino opened in 2002. The casinos are collectivelly known as the Pearl River Resort.

"Jack Abramoff and partner Michael Scanlon Abramoff-Reed Indian Gambling Scandal inflated expenses and divided the profits from $15 million in payments from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, according to testimony and e- mails released at a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing." (Bloomberg Website) This article needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... The Abramoff-Reed Indian Gambling Scandal (a. ...

"Choctaw Chief Phillip Martin did not testify, but released a prepared statement to the committee. 'After we learned what happened, we were astounded that a senior director at a major law firm would or could engage in misconduct of this sort -- whether as regards [to] billing fabrication or as regards [to] the more egregious "gimme five" scheme -- and that he was able to get away with it for so long.'" (Washington Post Website)

U.S. Senator John McCain stated during a June 22, 2005 hearing that some of the money contributed by the tribe was unknowingly "funneled" to various people and organizations, like an Israeli sniper school instructor.

In e-mails to Scanlon, Abramoff also refered to the Choctaw as "monkeys". For the TV show Monkey see Monkey (TV series) Cynomolgus Monkey at Batu Caves, Malaysia A monkey is any member of two of the three groupings of simian primates. ...

Famous Americans who reportedly claim Choctaw ancestry include Brett Favre (NFL quarterback), James Meredith (the first person of African American heritage to attend the University of Mississippi), and Jessica Biel (actress). Brett Lorenzo Favre (pronounced Färv) (born October 10, 1969 in Gulfport, Mississippi) has been the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers American football team in the National Football League since 1992. ... NFL logo For other uses of the abbreviation NFL, see NFL (disambiguation). ... James Howard Meredith (born June 25, 1933) is an American civil rights movement figure, although he vocally prefers not to be regarded as such. ... An African-American (also Afro-American, Black American, or black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... The University of Mississippi (also known as Ole Miss) is a public, coeducational research university located near Oxford, Mississippi. ... Jessica Biel at the release of her movie Stealth on July 19, 2005 Jessica Claire Biel (born March 3, 1982 in Ely, Minnesota), is an American actress, best known as Mary Camden on the television drama 7th Heaven from 1996 to 2002. ...

Location

The Choctaw Reservation in Mississippi has 8 communities: Bogue Chitto, Bogue Homa, Conehatta, Crystal Ridge, Pearl River, Red Water, Tucker, and Standing Pine. These communities are located throughout the state like a chain of "islands." Collectively, the Choctaws still living in Mississippi constitute the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, led by elected Chief Phillip Martin.

Most Choctaws were forcibly removed from Mississippi to Oklahoma during the 1830s. The Choctaw Nation was established in the southeastern quadrant of the state, where the majority of Oklahoma Choctaws still live. Choctaws contributed much to the early history of Oklahoma, even giving the state its name. Former Principal Chief Allen Wright suggested the name Oklahoma, from a contraction of the Choctaw words okla ("people") and humma ("red"). Oklahoma Choctaws comprise the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Their elected executive is Chief Gregory E. Pyle, and the Nation's headquarters are located in Durant, Oklahoma.

Together, the Choctaws are one of the most populous American Indian groups in North America, and many Choctaws live and work in both urban and rural areas around the United States.

Culture

Stickball

Image:Stickball.jpg George Catlins 1800s painting of Choctaws playing the little brother of war. ...

Native American stickball, the oldest field sport in America, was also know as the "little brother of war" because of its roughness and substitution for war. When disputes arouse between Choctaw communities, stickball provided a peaceful way to settle the issue. The earliest reference to stickball was in 1729 by a Jesuit priest. The stickball games would involve as few as twenty or as many as 300 players. With the goal posts any way from a few hundred feet apart to a few miles.

"The nature of the playing field was never strictly defined. The only boundaries were the two goalposts at either end of the playing area and these could be anywhere from 100 feet to five miles apart, as was the case in one game in the 19th century" (Kendall Blanchard, The Mississippi Choctaws at Play: The Serious Side of Leisure)

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians still play stickball. Every year at the Choctaw Indian Fair near Philadelphia, Mississippi it can be seen.

Great Choctaws

• Pushmataha was a leader during the removal era.
  

Chief Pushmataha File links The following pages link to this file: Choctaw ...

• Mosholatubbee was also a leader during the removal era.
  
• Tulli was one of the greatest Choctaw stickball players.

Image:Tulli.jpg Image:Tulli2.jpg Mosholatubbee (meaning, He Who Puts Out and Kills), was the principal chief of the Choctaw Native American tribe during their forcible removal to Oklahoma. ... Choctaw Stickball Player File links The following pages link to this file: Choctaw ... Tulli File links The following pages link to this file: Choctaw ...

• Phillip Martin, chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians since 1979. Encouraged outside investment and reduced unemployment to nearly 0% on the reservation.

Image:Chief martin.jpg Phillip Martin is the democratically elected Tribal Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a federally-recognized American Indian tribe of 8,300 enrolled members living on or near 30,000 acres of reservation land in east central Mississippi. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Chief Phillip Martin File links The following pages link to this file: Choctaw ...

Bibliography

• Bushnell, David I. Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 48: The Choctaw of Bayou Lacomb, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1909.
• Byington, Cyrus. Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 46: A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1915.
• Carson, James Taylor. Searching for the Bright Path: The Mississippi Choctaws from Prehistory to Removal. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1999.
• Galloway, Patricia. Choctaw Genesis 1500-1700. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1995.
• Haag, Marcia and Henry Willis. Choctaw Language & Culture: Chahta Anumpa. Norman, Okla: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001.
• Mould, Tom. Choctaw Tales. Jackson, Miss: University Press of Mississippi, 2004.
• O'Brien, Greg. Choctaws in a Revolutionary Age, 1750-1830. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.
• Pesantubbee, Michelene E. Choctaw Women in a Chaotic World: The Clash of Cultures in the Colonial Southeast. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico, 2005.
• Swanton, John R. Source Material for the Social and Ceremonial Life of the Choctaw Indians. Tuscaloosa and London: The University of Alabama Press, 2001.
• Tingle, Tim. Walking the Choctaw Road. El Paso, Tex: Cinco Puntos Press, 2003.

See also

• Choctaw mythology
• Choctaw language
• Battle of Ackia
• Irish Potato Famine

The Choctaw are a tribe of United States, mostly near the Mississippi River. ... The Choctaw language, traditionally spoken by the Native American Choctaw people of the southeastern United States, is a member of the Muskogean family. ... The Battle of Ackia (uh-KEE-uh) took place on May 26, 1736 near present-day Tupelo, Mississippi, part of a struggle for control of the Mississippi River. ... Bridget ODonnell and her two children during the famine The Great Famine or the Great Hunger (Irish: An Gorta Mór or An Drochshaol), known more commonly outside of Ireland as the Irish Potato Famine, is the name given to a famine in Ireland between 1845 and 1849. ...

External links

• Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (official site)
• Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (official site)
• "Choctaw" entry at Encyclopedia of North American Indians
• Pearl River Resort
• Choctaw Indian Fair
• Mushulatubbee and Choctaw Removal
• Pushmataha:Choctaw Warrior, Diplomat, and Chief