Choctaw Topics – Page 26 of 26

Transportation of the Louisiana Choctaw

Dugouts were employed on the creeks and bayous, but evidently only to a small extent. The Creoles make dugouts at the present time which they use on the streams of St. Tammany parish. These are hollowed from single pieces of black gum; most of them measure from 8 to 12 feet in length. Many of the roads now used probably follow the courses of Indian trails. A road leading from just west of Chinchuba to Lake Pontchartrain is known as the “Indian road;” this passes within a few feet of the Chinchuba Creek mound, and evidently follows the trail that … Read more

Choctaw Games

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 probably one of the oldest Choctaw games. It was described thus: Lake’lomi Twelve men were required in playing this game. They knelt or sat on the ground in two rows, or sides,” facing each other, six players in each row. Seven hats were placed on the ground in a line between the … Read more

Hunting and Fishing Among the Bayou Lacomb Choctaws

The primitive blowgun was used until recently in hunting squirrels, rabbits, and various birds. Only one specimen was found at Bayou Lacomb; this was said to have been made some ten years ago. The man Toshkachîto (Joe Silestine) is shown holding the blowgun in position for shooting in the image below. The blowgun (kaklu’mpa) is about 7 feet in length; it is made of a single piece of cane (Arundinaria macrosperma; Choctaw, uske),formed into a tube by perforation of the joints, which was given a smooth bore of uniform diameter throughout. The darts (shurma’nte) are made of either small, slender … Read more

The Choctaw of Bayou Lacomb

Toshkachîto Demonstrating Usage of a Blowgun

This collection depicts the specific culture and history of the Choctaw tribe residing within Bayou Lacomb, Louisiana. Included are the geography, history, society, language, ethnology, and myths, legends and religion of the Choctaws who resided within the area of Bayou Lacomb. By the people of the tribe, or, more correctly, that portion of the tribe now under consideration, they themselves are called the Chata’ogla or the Chata’ people or family. According to them, the first word can not be translated as it is merely a proper name.

Choctaw Indian Bands, Gens and Clans

The Choctaws were divided into various clans called Iksa, established and regulated upon principles of unity, fidelity and charity. They held this to be a necessary and important custom to be sacredly kept and inviolably observed by them at all times and under all circumstances, and never to be forgotten. If one should be found in a strange place far from home, and should be placed in a situation to need assistance, all he had to do was to give the necessary intimation of his membership of one of those Iksas, and upon the mention of the name of that clan he would never fail to meet one or more, who would immediately extend to him the hand of friendship.

George Rogers Clarke’s Campaign

It was evident that these attacks were inspired, and munitions supplied, by the British stationed at Kaskaskia and Vincennes. George Rogers Clarke, who had visited Kentucky in 1775, had taken in the situation from a military standpoint, and had conceived a plan by which the infant settlements of Kentucky might be freed from this additional source of danger. He communicated it to Gov. Henry of Virginia, and had no difficulty in impressing him with the advantages of its successful prosecution. But the colony was then in common with the other twelve engaged in the stirring scenes of the Revolution. This … Read more

Choctaw Citizenship Litigation, Names A -Z

List of Mississippi Choctaw Indians in whose behalf scrip was issued under the provisions of the act of Congress of August 23, 1842 (5 Stat. L., 513), in lieu of land to which they were entitled under article 14 of the treaty of September 27, 1830 (Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek) (7 Stat. L., 333-335). A Names A-be-ha-ya A-bon-wa-te-mah A-cha-i-a-tubbe A-cha-la A-che-ho-ka A-hath-la A-he-ah-tubbee A-hu-ta A-low-a-ho-nah A-mah A-num-brilla A-o-nah-ha-mah A-po-la-tubbee A-to-ni-cubbee A-ya-to-na Ab-a-wa-la Ab-be-bo-ka Ab-be-coo-chah Ab-be-ish-ti-yah Ab-cha-kab-hoo-nah Ab-cha-pa-ho-nah Ab-che-ah-so-nah Ab-che-tubbe Ab-chuk-ma-tubbe Ab-chunk-ma-ho-ka Ab-he-ho-nah Ab-ho-tu-nah Ab-it-ti-yah Ab-man-to-lah Ab-moon-pis-ah-cha (or He-tuck-loo-ab) Ab-no-la-che-mah Ab-no-la-tubbe Ab-noo-tom-be Ab-pa-la-ho-nah Ab-pa-sa-tam-he Ab-pa-sam-la (or Pa-samlee) Ab-pa-san-tubbe Ab-take-ah-ho-nah Ab-to-be-tubbe … Read more

Day Schools Choctaw Nation – A-B

Alamo Day School, Choctaw Nation, September 1904 Male Indian Pupils Name Age Frank McKinney 14 Lige McKinney 12 Ed McKinney 6 August Zanola 9 Female Indian Pupils Annie Zanola 9 Lily McKinney 8 Ada Sorrells 16 Dora Sorrells 13 Irma Sorrells 11 Minnie Sorrells 8 Male White Pupils Thomas Wallace 11 Carl Tate 8 Baxter Hayes 6 Cleveland Hayes 9 James March 10 Willie Cottier 11 Berl Cogburn 6 Hiram Franklin 11 Guy Dority 13 Archie Williams 9 Mack Carr 6 Bram Conley 6 Charlie Yeager 8 Roy Dodd 12 James Wallace 6 John Winsleet 13 Alex Wallace 6 Jim … Read more