Last Updated on October 13, 2014 by The Choctaw appear to have had rather few games of chance. Among those described to the writer is one that closely resembles the moccasin game of the Algonquian and other widely separated tribes in America. This is said to have been played by the “old people” and is […]
Last Updated on July 1, 2011 by A man away from his village on a hunting trip had killed many deer and bears. One night he made a large fire of oak and soon was sleeping soundly, but before long he was aroused by the cry of an owl, and, looking up, he saw a
Last Updated on April 20, 2014 by Dennis Cords Narrow strips of the bark of the cypress tree (cupressus disticha; Choctaw, shamgo’lo) serve as cords, which are employed for various purposes. Spanish moss was never used to make ropes. Hair Men wore their hair long enough to enable them to make two braids, one on
Last Updated on July 1, 2011 by Unfortunately, comparatively few of the articles of food used by the primitive Choctaw are known to the members of the tribe of whom this paper treats. They are able to give, however, the names of a few plants that are even now used. Ahe (Smilax laurifolia) The hard
Last Updated on July 1, 2011 by The marriage ceremony as performed until a few years ago, at a time when there were many Choctaw living in the region, was thus described by the women at Bayou Lacomb. When a man decided he wanted to marry a certain girl he confided in his mother, or
Last Updated on September 28, 2016 by Dennis Section of the Ross Map, 1765 which depicts the area settled by the Choctaw of Bayou Lacomb:
Last Updated on October 13, 2014 by The Choctaw have a strange superstitious belief in connection with the making of pottery. They say that no person except the one who is making the object should see it until after it has been removed from the fire. If another person chances to look on an object
Last Updated on October 13, 2014 by As before shown, certain names still in use were known and applied to the streams at the time of the earliest French exploration of the region. Therefore it is not unreasonable to suppose that many, if not all, of the names now employed by the Choctaw to designate
Last Updated on July 1, 2011 by It had been a dry season and there was very little food for Deer, consequently he had become thin and rather weak. One day Deer met ‘Possum and exclaimed: “Why! ‘Possum, how very fat you are. How do you keep so fat when I can not find enough
Last Updated on May 4, 2023 by Dennis It is asserted by the women at Bayou Lacomb that the Choctaw year was divided into twelve moons; but it is highly probable that thirteen not twelve is correct. The native method of reckoning the divisions of the year is no longer practiced, or do the present
Last Updated on October 23, 2013 by Dennis Thus the greater part of the southern country was claimed and occupied by tribes belonging to the Muskhogean group, who were first encountered by the Spanish explorers of the early sixteenth century, and who continued to occupy the region until removed during the first half of the
Last Updated on July 1, 2011 by Thunder and lightning are to the Choctaw two great birds Thunder (Heloha), the female; Lightning (Mcda’tha),the male. When they hear a great noise in the clouds, Heloha is laying an egg, “just like a bird,” in the cloud, which is her nest. When a tree is shattered the
Choctaw Beliefs Concerning Thunder and Lightning Read More »
Last Updated on May 1, 2013 by Dennis Louisiana Cemetery records are listed by parish then name of cemetery within the Louisiana parish. Most of these are complete indices at the time of transcription, however, in some cases we list the listing when it is only a partial listing. St. James Parish Oak Alley Plantation
Louisiana Cemetery Records St. James to St. Tammany Parish Read More »
Last Updated on December 8, 2014 by Dennis The Okwa naholo (“White People of the Water”) dwell in deep pools in rivers and bayous. There is said to be such a place in the Abita River; the pool is clear and cold and it is easy to see far down into the depths, but the
Last Updated on October 13, 2014 by Spoons are made by the Choctaw from cow horns (wak lape’she sti’mpa; literally, cow horn spoon). Two good examples are represented in the following image. In describing the manners and customs of the Choctaw, Adair alluded to “their wooden dishes, and spoons made of wood and buffalo horn;”
Last Updated on July 1, 2011 by Late one afternoon several children were playing near their house when suddenly they saw a woman approaching. She was very old and stooping, and her hair was white. The children were greatly frightened and ran into the house, but soon returned to the old woman, who said to
Last Updated on March 3, 2021 by Dennis Tashka and Walo were brothers who lived long ago. Every morning they saw the sun rise above the horizon, pass high overhead, and late in the day die in the west. When the boys were about four years old they conceived the idea of following the sun
Last Updated on September 6, 2012 by Interviewer: Esther de Sola Person Interviewed: Charlie Moses Location: Brookhaven, Mississippi Age: 84 Charlie Moses, 84 year old ex-slave, lives at Brookhaven. He possesses the eloquence and the abundant vocabulary of all Negro preachers. He is now confined to his bed because of the many ailments of old
Last Updated on October 13, 2014 by Creation Myth . Many generations ago Aba, the good spirit above, created many men, all Choctaw, who spoke the language of the Choctaw, and understood one another. These came from the bosom of the earth, being formed of yellow clay, and no men had ever lived before them.
