Choctaw (redirected from Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians)

Choctaw (chŏk`tô), Native North Americans whose language belongs to the Muskogean branch of the Hokan-Siouan linguistic stock (see Native American languages). They formerly occupied central and S Mississippi with some outlying groups in Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana. Choctaw culture was similar to that of the Creek and Chickasaw, who were their enemies in repeated wars. The Choctaw economy was based on agriculture, and the Choctaw were perhaps the most competent farmers in the Southeast. Friendly toward the French colonists, the Choctaw were their allies in wars against other tribes. After being forced to cede their lands in Alabama and Mississippi, they moved (1832) to the Indian Territory in Oklahoma, where they became one of the Five Civilized Tribes. In 1990 there were over 85,000 Choctaw in the United States, with more than half living in Oklahoma.

Bibliography

See A. Debo, The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic (3d ed. 1967); A. H. DeRosier, The Removal of the Choctaw Indians (1971); W. D. Baird, Peter Pitchlynn: Chief of the Choctaws (1972); C. K. Reeves, The Choctaw Before Removal (1985).

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Choctaw

North American Indian people living mainly in Oklahoma, U.S. They speak a Muskogean language that is closely related to that of the Chickasaw. Before colonization, the Choctaw lived in what is now southeastern Mississippi. They were among the most skillful of the southeastern farmers, usually having surplus produce to sell or trade. They also fished, gathered nuts and wild fruits, and hunted deer and bear. Their principal religious ceremony was the Busk (Green Corn Festival), a first-fruits and new-fires rite celebrated at midsummer. In the 19th century, pressure by colonial cotton growers forced them to cede five million acres, and most Choctaw were removed to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Choctaw descendants numbered more than 159,000 in the early 21st century.