Choctaw (people)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Former tribal area of Choctaw and the first reservation (1838), Trail of Tears ( paths of tears ) and skirmishes with Indian participation in the southeastern US from 1811 to 1847

The Choctaw or Chahta are a North American Indian people who originally lived in what is now the US states of Mississippi , Alabama and Louisiana and are part of the cultural area of ​​the southeastern woodlands of the United States .

The origin of today's tribal designation as “Choctaw” is controversial: the anthropologist John Swanton suspects that it is derived from the name of a former influential chief; the historian Henry Halbert, however, that the name is derived from the Choctaw or Chahta word Hacha hatak ("river people").

They are both linguistically and culturally closely related to the Chickasaw (Chikasha) , because both languages ​​- the Choctaw (Chahta Anumpa) and Chickasaw (Chikashshanompa ') - form what is known as the "West Maskoki" of the Muskogee (Maskoki) language family .

In the 19th century both - together with the Muskogee (Maskoki) , Seminoles and Cherokee (Tsalagi) - were known as one of the five civilized nations because they carried out a variety of cultural and technological "practices" through - often forced or self-defensive - Assimilation and acculturation had been adopted by Europeans. Like the other four peoples, this did not protect them from being forcibly expelled on the Trail of Tears into Indian territory (today's Oklahoma ) accompanied by the US Army during the era of Indian resettlement .

The Chahta are famous for their extreme generosity in the Great Famine in Ireland , as they raised money to aid the hungry Irish in 1847 .

history

Origins

The French researcher Antoine-Simon Le Page du Pratz writes in his Histoire de La Louisiane (Paris, 1758): “When I asked where the chat-ka came from, they replied that they came from 'underground', about the suddenness to explain their emergence. ”Despite the author's assumption that this story is only intended to describe the sudden appearance of the people and is not a literal story of creation, this is perhaps the first European writing to tell the story of the creation of the chat-ka.

Bernard Roman told the story in his (Natural History of East and West Florida, New York 1775) in 1771 as follows:

“These people are the only nation from whom I have learned something of a traditional lore of their origin: this is their emergence from a hole in the ground that they shared with the Chikasha (Chickasaw) . They told us that their neighbors were surprised when they saw people suddenly rise from the ground. "

As both these two and contemporary Mississippi Chahta storytellers tell, the Chahta either emerged from Nanih Waiya itself or from a nearby cave.

Another story that connects the Chahta with Nanih Waiya tells that the Chahta originally lived much further west:

“Many winters ago, a large number of Chahta migrated from the land where they previously lived. It was a long way from here to the west of the Great River and the Snow Mountains. It took them many years to make their way. A great medicine man guided them all the way, leading them with a red stick that he stuck in the ground every night they were building a camp. Every morning the stick tilted to the east. The medicine man told them that they had to continue on their way until the stick was upright in their bed. There, so the Great Spirit had determined, they should live from now on. "

According to this story, it was with Nanih Waiya when the stick was upright. Nanih Waiya means "leaning hill" in Chahta.

Nanih Waiya is located in Winston County, Mississippi, about ten miles southeast of Noxapater, Mississippi . Formerly a state park , it has now been returned to the Mississippi Chahta group.

Galloway argued from fragmentary archaeological and cartographic finds that the Chahta did not exist as a single tribe before the 17th century. It was only at this time that various southeastern peoples, the descendants of the Moundville culture , the Plaquemine culture and other Mississippi cultures , formed the self-conscious Chahta tribe. The homeland of the Chahta or the peoples that emerged from it is in the area around Nanih Waiya. The mound of earth and the surrounding area are sacred to the Chahta and a central connection point between the Chahta and their home.

The contact with the Europeans

The Chahta were without a doubt a part of Mississippi culture in the Mississippi River valley . By the time the Spaniards made their first forays into the Gulf Coast, the political centers of Mississippi residents were in decline or had already disappeared. The region is very well described as a collection of moderately large chieftain empires (like those on the Coosa River and the Alabama River ), punctuated by fully autonomous villages and tribal groups. This was what the first Spanish explorers found from 1519.

Pánfilo de Narváez

In 1528 Pánfilo de Narváez traveled through the area around the Mobile Bay area and described the Indians who fled and burned their houses in response to the Spanish advance. This answer was a prelude to Hernando de Soto's travels twelve years later.

Hernando de Soto

From 1540 to 1543, Hernando de Soto traveled up through Florida and then into the Alabama-Mississippi area that would later be inhabited by the Chahta. Reading between the lines of his accounts of the indigenous people, a region appears full of tribes of all sizes and degrees of control over their neighboring areas.

Hernando de Soto had the best-equipped army of its time. His successes were well known beyond Spain and many people, including women and children, from all walks of life, joined his troupe - in anticipation of the fabulous treasures in the New World . However, the brutalities of de Soto's expedition were also known among the Chahta and they decided to aggressively defend their country. Bob Ferguson notes:

“Hernando de Soto, who led his well-stocked Spanish soldiers of fortune, came into contact with the Chahta in 1540. He was part of a triumvirate that had already destroyed and plundered the Inca Empire and was therefore one of the wealthiest men of his time. His invading army was wanting for nothing. In true conquistadors style, he captured a chief named Tushkalusa (Black Warrior) and demanded porters and women from him. He received the porters immediately. The women, Tushkalusa said, would wait in Mabila (Mobile). The chief did not mention that all of his warriors had gathered in Mabila. On October 18, 1540, de Soto entered the city and received a warm welcome. The Chahta celebrated with him, danced for him and then attacked him. "

The Battle of Mauvilla was the turning point of de Soto's enterprise; the battle "broke the backbone" of the campaign that could never be fully restored. Within nine hours, 20 Spaniards died, another 20 were fatally wounded, none of the Chahta survived, the 2,000 to 6,000 warriors died in combat, were executed or committed suicide . The capital of the Chahta burned down.

Contagion with European diseases is not certain. Reports of De Soto's travels mention no illnesses among his people, although the pigs that were carried with the train often escaped and were excellent vectors for dangerous germs. The two subsequent brief forays into the southeast by Tristán de Luna y Arellano in 1559 and Juan Pardo from 1565 to 1567 received no evidence of rampant epidemics. After Pardo the historical picture ends. There was no longer any contact with the Europeans in this area for over a century. And during this time the group identities in this region changed completely.

Le Moyne d'Iberville

The next direct recorded contact between the Chahta and a European was with Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville in 1699. However, until then there was undoubtedly indirect contact between the Chahta and British settlers through other tribes, including the Muskogee and Chickasaw . Illegal fur trade may have led to further contacts. The archaeological finds from this period from 1567 to 1699 are incomplete or unexplored; However, there are similarities in the ceramic painting and burials that make the following scenario plausible for the sudden emergence of the Chahta culture: the Chahta region (between Natchez in the south and the Yazoo Basin in the north) was slowly being used by burial urn people from the Bottle- Creek - Occupied area in the Mobile River Delta . Simultaneously, descendants of the Moundville chief empire came along, which had collapsed a few years earlier. Faced with severe depopulation, they fled west, where they mated with the Plaquemine and a group of "prairie people" who lived nearby. When exactly this happened is not yet fully understood. Yet within a few generations, a new culture was born (albeit with a strong background in Mississippi culture).

Relations with the United States

During the American War of Independence , the Chahta split in their support of either Britain or Spain (which declared war on Britain in 1779), with most of the Chahta warriors who fought in the War of Independence supported British actions at Natchez , Mobile and Pensacola . The Chahta did not count as Americans until the Hopewell negotiations in 1786. John R. Swanton writes:

“The Chahta never waged war against the Americans. A few were instigated by Tecumseh to ally with the hostile Muskogee, but the nation as a whole was kept out of all anti-American alliances by the influence of Apushmataha ( Pushmataha ), the greatest of all Chahta chiefs. "

Some Chahta scouts served under US General Wayne in the Northwest Indian War . During the American Civil War , the Chahta sided with the Southerners.

The Chahta were known for their rapid incorporation into European modernity. John R. Swanton writes:

“It is commonly attested that the Muskogee and Seminoles, who had the most highly developed Indian institutions of their own, were the slowest to be assimilated into the new political and social organism that had been introduced from Europe. Then the Chickasaw follow . The Cherokee and Chahta adapted the quickest of all. "

George Washington's Indian police were used to "civilize" the Indians. He believed that the Indians themselves were equal, but their society was inferior. The 6-point plan included: 1) undivided justice to Indians, 2) regulated purchase of Indian lands, 3) increased trade, 4) increased experimentation to civilize Indians, 5) give the President authority to give them "gifts" and finally, 6) increased punishment for those who violate Indian rights.

Expulsion and contracts

Although many treaties were made with other European nations, only nine treaties were made between the Chahta and the United States (between 1786 and 1830). Ferguson writes: “Nine treaties were signed during a forty-four year period from 1786 to 1830. One has to consider the amount of Chahta land dealt with in these treaties, especially because they also contained agreements on other issues, because land was the Indians' most valuable resource. ”These treaties are:

Hopewell Treaty January 3, 1786
Treaty of Fort Adams December 17, 1801
Treaty of Fort Confederation October 17, 1802
Treaty of Hoe Buckintoopa August 31, 1803
Mount Dexter Treaty November 16, 1805
Treaty of Fort St. Stephens October 24, 1816
Contract from Doak's Stand October 18, 1820
Washington City Treaty January 20, 1825
Dancing Rabbit Creek contract  15-17 September 1830

The last contract, the most significant, was the Dancing Rabbit Creek Treaty (1830). The treaty transferred the remaining traditional homeland of the Chahta to the United States in exchange for financial compensation . Article 14 of this treaty allowed some chahta to remain in the state of Mississippi :

“Any Chahta head of the family who wishes to remain and become a citizen of the United States should be allowed to do so by notifying the Indian agent of his intention within six months of the ratification of this treaty. He or she will then be given a reservation section of 640 acres of land to ensure survival. Half of this amount should be allocated to every unmarried child over ten years of age who lives with him, and a quarter to every child under ten years of age. These areas should border the area of ​​the parents. If they live on this land and try to become citizens of the United States up to five years after ratification of this treaty, they should also receive a small contribution, ie the reservation should include the current addition to the head of the family or part of it. Persons who do not comply with the terms of the contract shall not lose the privilege of being a Chahta citizen, but should they ever return, they will not be entitled to any portion of the Chahta annuity. "

- Dancing Rabbit Creek Contract, ART. XIV.

In addition, a law was passed that made it illegal to speak out against resettlement to other Chahtas. Those Chahta who were expelled into Indian Territory between 1831 and 1838 were organized as the Chahta Nation of Oklahoma . Those who signed under Article 14 of the Dancing Rabbit Creek Treaty later formed the Mississippi group of Chahta Indians. In 1831 tens of thousands of chata walked half a mile to Oklahoma and many died. The expulsions continued into the early 20th century and came to be known as the Path of Tears .

Great famine in Ireland

In 1847, in the middle of the Great Famine in Ireland , a group of Chahta raised $ 170 and sent them to Ireland to help starving Irish men, women and children. "It has only been sixteen years since the Chahta walked the 'Path of Tears' and they were close to starvation themselves". - “It was a great gesture. That would be a million dollars by today's standards, ”said Judy Allen, editor of the Chahta Nation newspaper of Oklahoma. To celebrate the 150th anniversary, eight Irish hiked the "path of tears".

Code spokesman in World War I

During World War I , a group of Chahta who served in the US Army used their language as a code. They were the models for Indians from many nations; best known were the Diné , who were used as radio operators or code speakers during the Second World War .

Recent events

Gambling

The Mississippi Gang of the Chahta Indians (MBCI) own one of the largest casinos in Philadelphia, Mississippi . The Silver Star Casino opened its doors in 1994. The Golden Moon Casino opened in 2002. The casinos are known as the Pearl River Resort.

The Abramoff-Reed Scandal

" Jack Abramoff and his partner Michael Scanlon ( Abramoff Reed Indian Gambling Scandal ) artificially increased spending and shared the $ 15 million profit they received from payments from the Mississippi gang of Chahta Indians, referring to confirmation and emails obtained from a hearing of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. "

“Chahta chief Phillip Martin did not confirm but issued a statement [to the committee]. 'After we learned what had happened, we were amazed that a senior director of a major law firm could do something like this - and that he could get away with it for so long.' "

In an email dated January 29, 2002, Abramoff Scanlon said, "I have to meet the monkeys from the Chahta Tribal Council."

US Senator John McCain reported at a hearing on June 22, 2005 that some of the funds had been unknown to various people and organizations, including an Israeli sniper instructor.

The return of Nanih Waiya

After nearly 200 years, Nanih Waiya has returned. Nanih Waiya was a Mississippi state park until the 2006 Mississippi Legislature State Bill 2803 officially returned control to the Chahta.

Current situation of the different Chahta populations

If you add up all the tribal members of the Chahta, they form one of the largest Indian tribes in North America alongside the Cherokee and Navajo. Many Chahta live and work in urban and rural areas around the world.

Federally recognized tribes

Today there are three officially by the United States and the BIA at the federal level recognized Choctaw (or Chahta) strains (so-called. Federally Recognized tribes ):

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

The Mississippi Chahta Reservation has eight parishes: Bogue Chitto, Bogue Homa, Conehatta, Crystal Ridge, Pearl River, Red Water, Tucker, and Standing Pine. These communities are distributed across the state like an "island chain". The approximately 9,770 tribal members of the Chahta who still live in Mississippi today form the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians , led by the elected chief Phillip Martin. They are the only Chahta tribe that still largely speaks their own language, the Choctaw (Chahta Anumpa) .

Chahta regularly traveled hundreds of kilometers from their homes for long periods of time. Swanton writes: “They leave early in the fall and do not return to their reserved lands until spring to work their gardens. During this time they visit the whites in Columbus, Mississippi, Macon, Brookesville and Crawfordville, as well as the area that is now Yazoo City ... Fani Yakni about 9 miles east of Philadelphia was a great spot for squirrels. "

The oldest settlement is in Neshoba County. Swanton says, “On the banks of Cushtusha Creek, Neshoba County, Mississippi, is believed to be the nation's oldest settlement. The bones of great warriors rest here. "

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Most of the chahta were forcibly evicted from Mississippi to Oklahoma during the 1830s. Chahta contributed much to the early history of Oklahoma and gave the state its name. Former chief Allen Wright assumed the name was derived from a contraction of the Chahta words okla ('people') and humma ('red'). Today the approx. 223,279 registered tribal members, of which approx. 85,000 live in Oklahoma, form the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma or mostly Choctaw Nation and are located in the southeastern quadrant of the state, which consists of 10½ counties. The main building, which was built in 1884, is in Tushkahoma, Oklahoma . Their elected chief is Gregory E. Pyle and the nation's headquarters are in Durant, Oklahoma , the nation's second largest city. McAlester is currently the largest city in the Chahta Nation.

Jena Band of Choctaw Indians

The Jena Band of Choctaw Reservation , the federally recognized Jena Band of Choctaw Indians since 1995, is located in two separate parts of Grant Parish near the village of Creola, Louisiana, with the smaller part inside the village and the larger northwest. Today they count 241 tribal members and their administrative seat is in the eponymous small town of Jena in La Salle Parish in Louisiana , which was named after the famous double battle at Jena and Auerstedt . Since February 13, 2013 they have also been running the Jena Choctaw Pines Casino with around 700 one -armed bandits and a poker room. Her current chief elected tribal chief is Cheryl Jackson Smith.

State recognized tribes

In addition to these, there are also Choctaw (or Chahta) recognized as tribes by individual federal states (so-called state recognized tribes ), which are recognized as tribes at the federal level or by the BIA and therefore do not receive any federal funding:

Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb

The Choctaw-Apache Community of Ebarb or Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb is located in western Sabine Parish in northwest Louisiana on the Texas border and includes the parishes of Converse, Noble, Zwolle, Ebarb, Blue Lake, and Grady Hill in its traditional territory . Officially recognized by the state in 1978 ( state Recognized ), he is now the second largest tribe in the state of Louisiana. Historically, the tribe members are descendants of Lipan Apache slaves , who were sold in the Natchitoches and Los Adaes markets, as well as Choctaw (also Chahta) who settled here in search of better new hunting grounds around 1800, who joined in the 1820s this still Chahta, who fled from the Muskogee (also Creek) . The Chahta make up the majority in the tribe, but many of them also have ancestors among the Adais who previously lived here . Some survivors of the Bi`uhit Ndé / Buii gl un Ndé ('Many Necklaces People') of the Lipan Apache were resettled in the Choctaw-Apache community. Today they number around 2,000 tribal members.

MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians

In 1979 the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) was the first tribe to be recognized by the state of Alabama ( state recognized tribe ), the name MOWA refers to the names of the counties Mobile County and Washington , in which the current reservation areas are located . The approximately 1.2 km² MOWA Choctaw Reservation is located along the Mobile River and Tombigbee Rivers between the small communities of McIntosh , Mount Vernon and Citronelle in southwest Alabama, north of Mobile . They are descendants of Choctaw (also Chahta), Muskogee (also Creek) , Chickasaw , Cherokee and Chiricahua Apache (who were interned in Mt. Vernon Barracks as prisoners of war from 1887 to 1894). The majority have Choctaw ancestors from Mississippi and Alabama, who escaped forced relocation to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) at the time of the Dancing Rabbit Creek Treaty in 1830 ; although mostly referred to as Cajuns or mixed-raced, they now identify as Choctaw. In addition to the tribe members who live on the reservation, about 3,600 live in 10 small settlements near the reservation. According to the United States Census 2000 , the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians has around 5,000 tribal members.

Cher-O-Creek Intra Tribal Indians

The Cher-O-Creek Intra Tribal Indians consist of descendants of all five civilized tribes , but the majority of the Creek and Cherokee , as there were also many mixed marriages among these two dominant groups, many have Creek and Cherokee ancestors at the same time, hence the tribal name Cher -O-Creek .

Four Winds Tribe, Louisiana Cherokee Confederacy

The Four Winds Tribe, Louisiana Cherokee Confederacy was recognized by the state of Louisiana in 1997 as a so-called state recognized tribe at the state level, the majority are Cherokee, but there are also some Choctaw, Micmac , Muskogee (Creek) that were created during the Indian Removal in the 1830s is the original here settled Atakapa joined, for fear of taking away their country they hid and had their Indian identity denied , gave the race (race) often White, Free person of Color, Black or free person of. The majority of the tribe are located in Vernon Parish and Beauregard Parish .

Clifton Choctaw Tribe of Louisiana

The Clifton-Choctaw Indians or the Clifton Choctaw Tribe of Louisiana were recognized as a state-level tribe by the State of Louisiana in 1979. In the 19th century, several families scattered across the Rapides and Natchitoches Parishes came together in the pine forests of Rapides Parish . The administrative seat is in the eponymous place Clifton in central Louisiana; the tribe now has around 500 members.

Bayou Lacombe Choctaw

A few small groups of the Choctaw (Chahta) stayed to the east and settled along the Pearl River and above Lake Pontchartrain; later the Bayou Lacombe Choctaw arose from this in St. Tammany Parish in the far east of Louisiana and today there are about 300 tribal members.

Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogees

The Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogees split from the culturally and linguistically closely related United Houma Nation in 1995 and was recognized by the state of Louisiana in 2005 as a separate, independent tribe at the state level; in fact, it is believed that the Houma once formed a tribal group of the Choctaw / Chahta and later separated from them. The lands of the Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogees are in the Lafourche Parish and Terrebonne Parish of Louisiana; politically they represent the three historically and culturally related bands - the Grand Caillou / Dulac Band , the Isle de Jean Charles Band and the Bayou Lafourche Band , all of which live within a radius of about 10 to 15 miles . However, each of these bands is itself recognized as an independent tribe (so-called state recognized tribe) of Louisiana, with its own history, identity and its own tribal council or tribal or. Council of Elders. Some tribal members of the three bands simply refer to themselves as Biloxi-Chitimacha , but the tribe is an amalgamation of several historically different language-speaking tribes - mostly the Biloxi and Chitimacha as well as the Choctaw (Chahta), Acolapissa and Atakapa .

  • Bayou Lafourche Band
The ancestors of the Bayou Lafourche Band were concentrated along the Lower Bayou Lafourche - the largest bayou - in the 19th century. Repeated hurricanes during the last century have drastically changed and reshaped the former cultural landscape of the Bayou Lafourche Band . Today the tribal members mostly live in southern Lafourche Parish and Terrebonne Parish and remain connected to each other through strong family ties and tribal activities.
  • Grand Caillou / Dulac Band
The Grand Caillou / Dulac Band is now concentrated along the lower Bayou Terrebonne and Bayou Grand Caillou, where the ancestors of today's tribal community consisted of several small indigenous groups who married each other in the 19th century and later merged into one unit. Today's tribe members still make a living from fishing - either commercially or for food. The tribe or band is now based in Terrebonne Parish , Louisiana, with some families living along Shrimper's Row in Dulac, Louisiana.
  • Isle de Jean Charles Band

Louisiana Choctaw Tribe

The Louisiana Choctaw Tribe is recognized as a tribe by the state of Louisiana.

Unrecognized groups

In addition, there are several groups that are not recognized as tribes both at the federal level and by the individual states - they are usually also referred to by the recognized Choctaw (Chahta) as so-called heritage groups or so-called fake tribes.

Choctaw Nation of Florida

The Choctaw Nation of Florida (formerly Hunter Tsalagi-Choctaw Tribe ) claims to be descended from Choctaw, who fled North Carolina to Georgia in the 1830s, and then on to Florida, and Cherokee , who had already found refuge in Florida ; the Iroquoian-speaking Cherokee call themselves in their own language, the Cherokee (Tsalagi or Aniyunwiya) , even Tsalagi . The administrative headquarters of the approximately 80 tribal members is in Marianna , Florida . However, they are not recognized by the state of Florida, as this only accepts descendants of the state-recognized Seminoles , Mikasuki or descendants of the Muskogee (also: Creek) who have historically settled in Florida .

Culture

Punishment for crimes

Group of Choctaw Indians in the 19th century

Murder was usually punished with revenge. Swanton writes: "Murder, especially of tribal comrades, could only be atoned for by the death of the murderer himself or a substitute accepted by the injured family ... they provoke a desire for revenge for a generation".

Property stealing was usually punished by returning the stolen property or otherwise compensating for it. Says Swanton: “Thieves found in their possession with the stolen property will be forced to return it. If this is not possible, either they or their families have to return goods of the same value. ”Theft was later punished by the whip. Swanton writes of Cushman: "For minor offenses, the whip was the punishment: fifty lashes for the first offense, a hundred for the second, and shotgun death on the third offense ... (1899)."

Incest was viewed as a crime. Swanton states, "Incest ... was originally a major offense, but we have no memory of the punishment that was on it."

The earlier religion of the Chahta

The Chahta believed in a good and an evil spirit and they were sun or Hushtahli worshipers. Swaton writes: “The Chahta formerly worshiped the sun as a deity ... the sun was ascribed power over life and death. One imagined that she was looking down at the earth and as long as she kept her flaming eye on one, the person was safe ... Fire, the strongest representation of the sun, was considered to be possessive intelligence that worked in harmony with the sun ... with the sun is in constant exchange. "

The evil spirit Na-lusa-chi-to (black being / soul eater) hurts people. He can, so the stories tell, appear in the form of a shadow person.

The prayers may have been introduced by the missionaries. However, the Chahta prophets worship the sun. Swanton writes: “An old chahta informed Wright that they had no idea of ​​prayers until the missionaries arrived. 'However,' he added, 'I have indeed heard that the Hopaii (prophets) used to invoke the sun on some occasions.' "

language

Myths

The Chahta know many stories about the little people. Swanton reports on Halbert: “The Chahta in Mississippi say there is a little man about two feet tall who lives solitary in the thick forest. ... He often playfully throws sticks and stones at people ... The Indian healers say that Bohpoli (the 'thrower') helps them with the preparation of their medicine. "The little people should also kidnap small children in order to teach them the secrets of the forest .

Stories

Storytelling is a popular entertainment art in many Indian societies. This also applies to the chahta. The stories tell about their origins and the deeds of long-gone heroes. There are also stories of possums, raccoons, turtles, birds, chipmunks, and wolves. Randy Jimmie and Leonard Jimmie tell:

“The Chahta believed that their people came from the sacred hill Nanih Waiya. Related to this creation myth is the legend of the migration of the Chahta tribe under the leadership of Chata. There are several versions of their creation, and migration myths are widespread among Native Americans and are still very popular with today's Chahta, especially among the elders. The boys, however, are more interested in the deeds of various forest animals or in creation stories that take place in the primeval forests. "

One of these forest animal stories is about an opossum and a raccoon. Randy Jimmie and Leonard Jimmie tell:

“A long time ago, when the forest animals could still speak, there lived two brothers, the opossum and the raccoon. One day they were walking through the forest. Raccoon was jealous of Opossum's long beautiful tail with its many colors. Raccoon had already thought of many ways to destroy his brother's tail. That day he told Opossum that he knew a way to make his tail look even more beautiful and longer. Opossum asked Raccoon how that was possible. Raccoon told Opossum to go home and come back in a few moons. Then they would meet in this special place and discuss it further.
When a few moons had passed, Opossum returned to this place. After a friendly greeting, he brought the subject up on his lovely tail. Of course Raccoon remembered. He ordered Opossum to go into the woods with him, which they did. They walked a long path until they came to a huge hickory tree, the top of which had broken off. There was a hole in the trunk of the old gnarled tree. Raccoon told Opossum that this was the place where his tail would grow longer and more beautiful. He ordered Opossum to stick its tail into the hole in the trunk of the hickory tree. Opossum did as he was told and was soon tied to the tree. He got angry and tried to escape, but the raccoon convinced him that it was necessary to lengthen his tail.
Once the raccoon tied the opossum to the tree, he went to the other side of the tree. After a few moments, Opossum began to feel pain and heat on its tail. After a while, the pain and heat disappeared. Raccoon returned and told Opossum to wait a while longer. He would detach him on his return. Opossum waited and waited, but raccoon didn't come back. Opossum called for help and Squirrel appeared and freed him. When he pulled his tail out of the tree, he discovered that it was burned to the skin. Since then, the Chahta have believed that raccoon burned possum's tail because of envy and jealousy. "

Stick ball

Stickball equipment
An Indian Ball-Play by George Catlin

Indian stickball , the oldest field sport in America, was also known as “the little brother of war” due to its harshness and its function as a substitute for war. When quarrels broke out between two Chahta communities, stickball was a civilized way of solving problems. The earliest reference of stickball was from a Jesuit priest in 1729. The number of stickball players can be as little as twenty or three hundred players. John R. Swaton reports on George Catlin's comment about the game:

"It is not uncommon for six hundred, eight hundred or even a thousand (!) Young men to take part in the ball game, with five to six times as many spectators standing around the square and watching."

The gates can be only a hundred meters apart or a few kilometers. Sometimes the gates are posted in the village of the respective opponent.

“The nature of field play has never been strictly defined. The only rules were the two goals at each end of the pitch. The distance could be from 30 meters to ten kilometers, at least in the 19th century. "

The Chahta Mississippi gang still play stickball in the 21st century. Every year at the Choctaw Indian Fair near Philadelphia, Mississippi, you can watch stickball being played on a modern football field.

Warfare

There are many customs associated with warfare among the Chahta. A meeting was held to discuss the matter before a declaration of war. This could take up to eight days. Swanton writes to Bossu: “The Chahta love war and have good methods of carrying it out. They never fight standing up in one place, but dart around. They shower the enemy with contempt without being boastful. Then when it comes to battle, they fight coolly and deliberately. ”Superstition is part of the Chahta warfare. Swanton says, “The Chahta are extremely superstitious. When they go to war, they consult their manitu, which is worn on the chief's body. You always wear it on the side that faces the enemy. The warriors guard him. "

When the Chahta capture an enemy, he or she is traded as a war trophy. Swanton writes that Roman wrote: “They have never exercised so much cruelty on their captive enemies as other savages. They almost always brought her home to kill her. They were killed with a bullet or a hatchet. Then the corpse was cut into many small pieces - all the hairy parts of the skin were made into scalps. The remains were buried and the trophies brought home, where the women danced with them until they grew tired. Then they were displayed on the roofs of the houses until they broke up. "

In some societies, beheading was considered an honor. This seems to have been the case with the Chahta of Oskelagna. The head of a fallen Chahta warrior was brought back after the battle. Swanton says of De Lusser (1730): “There was someone who brought with him the head of one of their own who had been killed. He threw him at my feet and told me that he was a warrior who lost his life for the French and that it was good to weep for his death. "

Influential Chahta chiefs

Pushmataha

See also

bibliography

  • David I. Bushnell: Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 48: The Choctaw of Bayou Lacomb, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office , 1909.
  • Cyrus Byington: Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 46: A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1915.
  • James Taylor Carson: Searching for the Bright Path: The Mississippi Choctaws from Prehistory to Removal . Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1999.
  • Bob Ferguson: Choctaw Chronology ( October 10, 2007 memento on the Internet Archive ); 1997.
  • Patricia Galloway: Choctaw Genesis 1500-1700. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1995.
  • Marcia Haag, Henry Willis: Choctaw Language & Culture: Chahta Anumpa. Norman, Okla: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001.
  • Randy Jimmie, Leonard Jimmie: Nanihg Waiya Magazine , 1 (1974), No. 3
  • Gideon Lincecum: Pushmataha: A Choctaw Leader and His People. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2004.
  • Tom Mold: Choctaw Tales. Jackson, Miss: University Press of Mississippi, 2004.
  • Greg O'Brien: Choctaws in a Revolutionary Age, 1750-1830 . Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.
  • Greg O'Brien: Mushulatubbee and Choctaw Removal: Chiefs Confront a Changing World. ( Memento of August 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) 2001.
  • Greg O'Brien: Pushmatha: Choctaw Warrior, Diplomat, and Chief ; ( Memento of August 26, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) 2001.
  • Michelene E. Pesantubbee: Choctaw Women in a Chaotic World: The Clash of Cultures in the Colonial Southeast. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico, 2005.
  • John R. Swanton: Source Material for the Social and Ceremonial Life of the Choctaw Indians. Tuscaloosa and London: The University of Alabama Press, 2001.
  • Tim Tingle: Walking the Choctaw Road. El Paso, Tex: Cinco Puntos Press, 2003.

Web links

Commons : Choctaw  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Catlin's Smithsonian Report , 1885
  2. ↑ Choctaw Genesis 1500-1700 ; Lincoln, Neb .: University of Nebraska Press, 1995
  3. ^ Howard Zinn: A People's History of the United States ; Harper Perennial, 2005; ISBN 0-06-083865-5 ; P. 138.
  4. ↑ Mike Ward: Irish Repay Choctaw Famine Gift ( Memento of the original from May 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / pantherfile.uwm.edu
  5. ↑ Bloomberg website
  6. ↑ translation; see. Washington Post
  7. ↑ clarionledger.com (offline)  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.clarionledger.com  
  8. ^ Louisiana Indians in the 21st Century
  9. ↑ Homepage of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb
  10. ↑ Homepage of the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians
  11. ^ Matte, Jacqueline Anderson. They Say the Wind Is Red: The Alabama Choctaw — Lost in Their Own Land. Montgomery, Ala .: New South Books, 2002.
  12. ^ Homepage of the Four Winds Tribe, Louisiana Cherokee Confederacy
  13. ↑ Kendall Blanchard: The Mississippi Choctaws at Play: The Serious Side of Leisure