Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American tribe originally located in parts of present-day Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama. They were recognized as one of the Five Civilized Tribes in the early 19th century due to their swift adaptation to European customs. However, by the 1830s, the Choctaw were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands and relocated to Indian Territory, now known as Oklahoma, amid significant hardship and loss. Historically, the Choctaw were adept agriculturalists and hunters, known for their diverse diet and extensive farming practices.
Today, the Choctaw Nation has grown to number over 200,000, making it one of the largest tribes in the United States. They are divided into several groups, predominantly located in southeastern Oklahoma and Mississippi, and are recognized for their successful engagement in various business and cultural development endeavors. The Choctaw have also preserved their rich cultural heritage, including regaining sacred sites like the Nanih Waiya mound in Mississippi. Their contemporary community reflects resilience and a commitment to fostering economic growth while honoring their history.
Choctaw
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Southeast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Muskogean
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama
- POPULATION SIZE: over 248,000 (2024 est.)
The Choctaw, a subgroup of the Muskogean language family, first occupied portions of present-day Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama. By 1820, the Choctaw were considered part of the so-called Five Civilized Tribes because of their rapid adaptation to European culture. By 1830, the Choctaw were forced to cede all lands east of the Mississippi; their removal to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) took place between 1831 and 1833. In the twenty-first century, tribal lands and businesses of the Choctaw are textbook examples of progressive farming, ranching, and industrial development. The Choctaw have grown from a few thousand to more than 225,000 registered tribal members and over 12,000 associates in Oklahoma (according to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, 2024) and 11,000 tribal members in Missisippi and Tennessee (according to the Mississippi Choctaw), making them one of the largest tribes in the United States.
Prehistory and Traditional Life
The prehistory of the Choctaws centered on farming communities in the modern state of Mississippi. Their culture was an integral part of a large ethnolinguistic area stretching from the Atlantic Coast to the Mississippi Valley. A portion of this region was also occupied by other tribes of the Muskogean branch of the Gulf language stock, the Seminole, Chickasaw, and Chitimacha. Sixteenth century Spanish arrivals found the Choctaw in the last stages of mound building. They were preeminent agriculturalists and hunters, having an abundance of food, including sunflowers, corn, beans, and melons, as well as tobacco. Favored dietary items included bear ribs, turkey, venison, root jelly, hominy, corn cakes, and soup. In 1729, the Choctaw aided the French in a war against the Natchez Indians. Later they signed a treaty with the British, although they continued to support the French until defeat by Britain in 1763. During the American Revolution, Choctaw warriors served under the command of four American generals. The Naniaba (fish eaters) were a riverine Choctaw tribe; in the early 1700s, they were located in close proximity to the Mobile and Tohome tribes in southern Alabama. Their earlier home was on a bluff (Nanna Hubba) near the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers.
Removal
The Naniaba had provided fierce opposition to Hernando de Soto’s advance in 1540, but by 1761, both the Naniaba and Mobile were lost to history as tribes. The Indian Removal Act of 1830, urged on Congress by President Andrew Jackson, provided for forcing southeastern Native Americans to give up their ancestral homelands. The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, signed later that same year, officially legalized the deportation of the Choctaws. A small amount of land was reserved for Choctaw chiefs and other individuals; this land formed the basis of the present-day Mississippi Band of Choctaws. Although the Choctaw had never fought against the United States, they were forced to cede their lands in a series of treaties starting in 1801 and culminating in 1830. The forced deportation of the Choctaw, under army escort, to Indian Territory was cruel and involved bitter hardship and death from exposure and starvation. The road they and other tribes followed to Indian Territory has forever since been known as the Trail of Tears.
Contemporary Life
The Choctaw are divided into three areas: southeastern Oklahoma, with tribal headquarters located at Durant; Mississippi, with the band administrative center at Philadelphia; and the Apache, Jena, and Clifton bands of Louisiana and the Mowa band of Alabama. The Choctaw also reflect the geographic mobility of Americans in general. Most Choctaws live outside tribal enumerated census areas.
Rich in cultural heritage and spirit, modern Choctaw are successful developers and managers of an array of cultural and business activities in Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Choctaw leaders have particularly focused their development efforts on a valuable commodity, the intellect and drive of the Choctaw people. In 2006, the Choctaw regained possession of the sacred mound known as Nanih Waiya (in Mississippi).
Bibliography
"About the Choctaw Nation." Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, 2024, www.choctawnation.com/about/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Debo, Angie. The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic. 2nd ed. U of Oklahoma P, 2004.
De Rosier, Arthur H., Jr. The Removal of the Choctaw Indians. UP of Tennessee, 1970.
Dyson, John P. The Early Chickasaw Homeland: Origins, Boundaries, and Society. Chickasaw Press, 2014.
Kappler, Charles. Indian Affairs, Laws, and Treaties. 4 vols. Government Printing Office, 1929.
Mississippi Choctaw, 2024, www.choctaw.org/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Morrison, James D. The Social History of the Choctaw Nation, 1865-1907. Creative Informatics, 1987.
Nelson, Will T., ed. English Choctaw Dictionary. 7th ed. Rpt. of A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language, by Cyrus Byington. Council of Choctaws, 1981.
Osburn, Katherine M. B. Choctaw Resurgence in Mississippi: Race, Class, and Nation Building in the Jim Crow South, 1830–1977. U of Nebraska P, 2014.