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| A Choctaw Belle in Mobile 1850 1 |
The ancient ones had come to this land, bringing the bones
of their ancestors with them, and buried them in the sacred mound of Nanih Waiya. They built many other great mounds, and their
civilization grew up around them. This was long ago, in times past, and their
civilization faded away. But that is who the people came from.
Many things had not changed since the beginning. The forests
and fields still covered the earth. There was an abundance of wildlife-
fearsome wolves and bears, herds of deer, a variety of small animals and game
birds. The skies were filled with the songs of small birds and the people knew those
songs. Honey bees swarmed and provided sweet nectar. The rivers provided clean
water for drinking and were crowded with many varieties of fish.
The land sustained the people. The men followed the animal
paths through the land as they went on hunting parties together, and brought
back plenty of meat for the village to feast on. The women tanned deerskins to
make clothing, and sewed furs into warm blankets. The women and children
ventured out near the villages to gather fruits, and nuts, and foraged for
edible greens and medicinal herbs. It was the job of the women to raise small family
plots of corn, beans, pumpkins, and melons. They also gathered cane from the
riverside with which they wove beautiful baskets. The people loved the land. It
belonged to all of them. From their birth, until the time of their death, the
land nurtured them.
The people loved to celebrate with feasts and dancing. There
were dances for all occasions, from courtship to war. They were most famous,
however, for their competitive ball games, played with long sticks with a net
to catch the small ball. Both men and
women played these games, sometimes in great numbers.
Choctaw Ball Play Dance 1834-1835 by George Catlin 2
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| Ball Play of the Choctaw-Ball up 1834-35 by George Catlin |
Marriages were an
occasion for celebration. It was a matrilineal society, and children belonged
to the mother’s family- the girls raised by their mother, and the boys raised
by their maternal uncles. The woman’s clan held great power and privilege.
Their clothes were simple. The women wore short skirts, a blouse
or shawl, and moccasins. The men wore
breach clouts in hot weather, and in cool weather leggings and shirts. Both
wore their dark hair long and free. They both enjoyed adornments made of
shells, beads, and feathers. They were a handsome people. They lived in simple
cabins made of posts, with walls made of wood or mud and bark. Inside was
simple furniture and a fire for cooking.
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| Choctaw Village by Francois Bernard 4 |
In evenings, when the air turned cool, and the stars spread
across the night sky above them, the people gathered around the fires wrapped
in their blankets and furs, and listened as the grandparents told stories.
There were tales of the ancient ones, and the creator, and how all of the
animals and people had come to the earth in the beginning of time, and even
tales of the stars themselves. There were legends of great warriors, and great
battles. There was no written language then, and all knowledge was passed down
from one generation to the next by speaking, and by listening.
They knew only of what they heard from their own people, and
occasional travelers. Travel was by foot. The paths had become worn and
knowledge of them was passed down by generations of hunters and travelers. The
most heavily used was The Choctaw Trail.
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| 1733 French Colonial Map showing Indian trails in red in the Tombigbee, Alabama and Mobile river regions |
The trails connected the people and provided them with trade
routes to other tribes. The people lived in three areas and were
governed by their village mingos and chiefs, as well as the division great
chief. The division chiefs met together
in a great council to solve the political issues within the tribe. In the southeast,
along the Tombigbee, were the Okla Hannali or Six Towns people, led by the
great chief Pushmataha. The Okla Falaya (tall people), in the west by the Pearl
River, were led by Apukshunnubbee. The Okla Tannip, or upper towns people were
lead by first by Homastubbee, and then by Mushulatubbee. These were the division chiefs in 1800, when
my story begins.
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| Mushulatubbee by George Catlin 6 |
This they knew- the sun rose in the east and set in the
west. In the east, the great rivers- the Tombigbee, the Alabama, and the Mobile
ran southward until the land ended and endless water began. Beyond the Mobile
lived their traditional enemies- the Creeks, and many days east of their lands
lived the Seminoles. To the west were other rivers- the Bogue Falaya, the Bogue
Chitto, the Tchefuncte, and finally the Mississippi. Beyond this broad river was a vast land whom
few had traveled to, populated with many different tribes of peoples. Just to their north lay the lands of the
Chickasaw, closely related neighbors who had also sometimes been enemies. And
many days walk to the north and east lay the lands of the Cherokee. The people were not quick to go to war, and preferred peace. But when attacked, they
defended themselves fiercely.
This was the world of my ancestors-the Choctaw. But I know
little of their world, for two hundred years ago, it disappeared.
Bibliography and Sources for text
Choctaw history, life and culture by Mike Boucher- http://mike-boucher.com/wordpress.com
Illustrations:
1-
A Choctaw Belle 1850 by P. Romer (http://www.frenchcreoles.com/ChoctawBelle.jpg
2-
Choctaw Ball-Play Dance 1834-1835 by George
Catlin Data Source: Smithsonian American Art
Museum”
3-
Ball play of the Choctaw- Ball up 1834-1835 by George Catlin Data Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum”
4-
Choctaw Village near the Tchefuncte 1869 by Francois
Bernard (public domain-wikimedia commons)
5- The Trail
System of the Southeastern United States in the Early Colonial Period by W.E.
Myer 1923 http://bplonline.cdmhost.com/cdm/ref/collection/p15099coll3/id/643
6-
Mushulatubbee by George Catlin (wikimedia commons)
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