🏈 Choctaw People

Who Are the Choctaw?

The Choctaw (Chahta) are a Muskogean-speaking people originally from the southeastern United States, primarily Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Today numbering approximately 200,000 enrolled members—the third-largest Native American tribe—they are divided between the **Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma** (the largest, with 200,000+ members), the **Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians** (11,000 members who avoided removal), and smaller groups. The Choctaw were among the "Five Civilized Tribes" who adopted European customs, yet were still forcibly removed on the Trail of Tears. They invented **stickball** (the ancestor of lacrosse), developed a written constitution before removal, and their code talkers served in both World Wars.

Trail of Tears and Removal

The Choctaw were the first tribe removed under the Indian Removal Act of 1830, beginning the **Trail of Tears** in 1831. Despite having adopted American farming practices, written laws, schools, and Christianity—meeting every "civilization" benchmark demanded by the US—they were forced from their homeland. Approximately 17,000 Choctaw were marched to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) between 1831-1833; an estimated 2,500-6,000 died from exposure, disease, and starvation during the brutal winter marches. A Choctaw leader reportedly described the removal as a "trail of tears and death," giving the tragedy its name. Remarkably, even while suffering this genocide, the Choctaw donated $170 to Irish Famine relief in 1847—a gesture commemorated by Ireland's gift sculpture "Kindred Spirits" in 2017, and reciprocated when the Navajo and Hopi received $4+ million from Irish donors during COVID-19.

Stickball: The Little Brother of War

The Choctaw invented **stickball** (kapucha toli or ishtaboli), which Europeans adapted into lacrosse. Called "the little brother of war," stickball traditionally settled disputes between villages without bloodshed, though games were violent, with broken bones common and occasional deaths. Teams of 100-1,000 players competed on fields up to a mile long, with games lasting sunrise to sunset for multiple days. Players wielded two sticks with webbed cups to catch and throw a leather ball. Elaborate ceremonies preceded games: fasting, ritual scratching, all-night dancing, and medicine men's incantations. Women and elders gambled heavily on outcomes. Today, stickball remains central to Choctaw identity, played at the annual Choctaw Indian Fair in Mississippi and cultural events in Oklahoma, connecting modern Choctaw to centuries of tradition.

Code Talkers and Military Service

Choctaw soldiers became the **first Native American code talkers** during World War I. In 1918, when German forces were intercepting American communications, Choctaw soldiers in the 36th Infantry Division transmitted messages in their native language—a code the Germans never broke. This innovation helped win key battles in the final weeks of the war. Choctaw and other Native code talkers served again in World War II, though the Navajo code talkers received more publicity. The irony was bitter: children were being beaten in boarding schools for speaking Choctaw while adults were using the language to save American lives. The Choctaw Code Talkers received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2008, and their contribution highlighted both Native American patriotism and the value of languages the government had tried to destroy.

Contemporary Choctaw Nations

The **Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma**, headquartered in Durant, is one of the largest and most economically successful tribes in America. With 200,000+ members and a $2+ billion annual economic impact, the Nation operates casinos, manufacturing plants, and diverse businesses while providing healthcare, education, and housing to members. Chief Gary Batton leads a government providing services across 10.5 counties. The **Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians**, descendants of those who avoided removal, operates the Pearl River Resort and has achieved economic success while maintaining stronger cultural continuity—more Mississippi Choctaw speak the language than Oklahoma Choctaw. Language revitalization is crucial: perhaps 10,000 speakers remain, mostly elderly, though immersion schools and apps are teaching new generations. The annual Choctaw Indian Fair in Mississippi, featuring stickball, traditional dance, and crafts, draws thousands celebrating a culture that survived genocide to thrive in the 21st century.

References

• Carson, J. T. (1999). Searching for the Bright Path: The Mississippi Choctaws from Prehistory to Removal. University of Nebraska Press.
• DeRosier, A. H. (1970). The Removal of the Choctaw Indians. University of Tennessee Press.
• Kidwell, C. S. (1995). Choctaws and Missionaries in Mississippi, 1818-1918. University of Oklahoma Press.
• Meadows, W. C. (2002). The Comanche Code Talkers of World War II. University of Texas Press.