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Choctaw Facts & Worksheets

The Choctaw are an Indigenous people of North America originating from Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana before land-ceding treaties were enacted.

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The Choctaws were renowned for being ferocious warriors, skilled traders, and excellent farmers, and their culture has drastically changed through the years, incorporating mainly European-American influences.

See the fact file below for more information on the Choctaw people, or you can download our 33-page Choctaw worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY HISTORY

  • Historically, the Choctaw are an Indigenous people of North America who lived in the Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana regions before the initial land-ceding treaties were made.
  • In the early 1700s, the Choctaw frequently allied with European forces in conflicts with other Native American tribes. 
  • The Natchez Indians were decimated by the French and Choctaw forces, with the majority being killed and the remainder being forced to flee their homes and join other tribes. The French were among the first European nations to join forces with the Choctaw.
  • In 1776, after the American Revolution, many Native American tribes supported the American government through trade and warfare.
  • In 1783, by signing the Treaty of Hopewell, the Choctaw joined the United States, putting the tribe under the protection of the new government.
  • In 1816, a portion of the Choctaw chiefs’ ancestral lands east of the Tombigbee River was traded.
  • By 1820, more of their lands were demanded from them. With this trade, many Choctaw people relocated to Oklahoma and Arkansas.
  • In May 1829, the Indian Removal Act was introduced to Congress by a congressman from the South. 
  • The Act mandated the removal of all tribes east of the Mississippi River and their relocation to Indian Territory. It included Indigenous peoples such as the Choctaw, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole tribes. 
  • In May 1830, the Act was approved by the House. This Act, passed by President Andrew Jackson, was supposed to be voluntary and peaceful; however, the southeastern nations protested, and Jackson had to force them to leave.
  • In September 1830, the Choctaw tribe became the first to sign the removal agreement “Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek”, the first to be signed after the Indian Removal Act. Some decided to remain in Mississippi following the conditions of Removal. But soon, due to poor treatment, the majority of the surviving Choctaw sold their land and moved west.

REMOVAL

  • The removal of the Choctaw from the west of Mississippi began in 1831.
  • The Choctaw traveled on foot from Mississippi to Oklahoma, a more than 500-mile journey that claimed many lives along the way and was named “The Trail of Tears” to honor this forced journey. 
  • More than 2,500 of the 20,000 (or more) Choctaw who were forced to leave perished on the trek because they endured some of the coldest winters ever documented and lacked clothing, food, and shelter.
  • A few Choctaw Indians stayed in Mississippi. The present-day home of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is in Choctaw, Mississippi, not far from Philadelphia.

CHOCTAW NATION OF OKLAHOMA

  • Today, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma comprises the ancestors of those who made it through the journey.
  • When the Choctaws arrived in Indian territory, they immediately began trying to restore a sense of order after the tragedy they had experienced.
  • Their new beginning included the creation of a new constitution similar to that of the United States and the design of a national court system.
  • The Choctaw also took control and funded more schools in Oklahoma, giving more importance to education and missionaries. Some people still adhere to historical traditions like customary marriages or proper courtship. 
  • Tuskahoma served as the Choctaw nation’s capital.
  • The Lighthorse, a system of Choctaw law enforcement (military force), was also developed.
  • Oklahoma, derived from the Choctaw words “okla” and “humma”, means “Red People”. 
  • It was the name given to the new territory in 1866 by Choctaw Chief Allen Wright- Kilihote at birth.
  • Allen Wright was chosen as principal chief in 1866, re-elected in 1868, then deposed by the then-incumbent Coleman Cole in 1876.

TRADITIONS

  • A well-known practice among the Choctaw was flattening children’s heads with boards and sandbags.
  • Historically, the Choctaw people has been a matriarchal society. Men practiced gender equality daily and joined their wives’ households after marriage.
  • The Choctaw valued agriculture. In their homeland and along the Natchez Trace, they frequently produced large surpluses of corn, beans, and pumpkins where women were responsible for farming. They also collected nuts and wild fruits, went fishing, and engaged in bear and deer hunting.
  • In Choctaw culture, sports have always been significant. Choctaw stickball, called Ishtaboli, was used to simulate battles and, in some cases, served as a substitute for actual combat. 
  • Stickball was a violent, competitive game played among tribes to refine defensive prowess, improve hand-eye coordination for hunting, and keep warriors fit for battle. Children learn how to cooperate through sport and traditional family values, and societal structures. 
  • Between various tribes and families, these games were frequently used to resolve rivalries and conflicts. Stickball also sparked friendly competition between different tribes and clans.
  • The Green Corn Ceremony or Busk Ceremony is the most important ritual of the Choctaw. The word “busk” comes from the Creek word “poskita” which means “to fast”.
  • The ritual is held to express gratitude for a successful corn crop, and takes place from mid-June to August during the first harvest and lasts for 4-8 days. 
  • Fasting and washing are part of the ceremony for a sense of purification and renewal, followed by a feast that includes dancing, singing, stickball, and other ceremonial events such as lectures, thanksgiving, and new-fire rites.
  • The Choctaw were known for their river cane baskets, pottery, and wood carvings. However, the supplies they had previously used for their traditional crafts were no longer accessible once they were compelled to relocate from their homes to Oklahoma. To make up for this, they started crafting beads and producing belts and other such goods.
  • A critical burial practice comprised the ritual removal of a dead person’s bones from their body and placement in an ossuary. 
  • The deceased person’s family members were there while spiritually strong men and women, known as “bone-pickers” or “bone-gatherers”, performed this ceremony. 
  • The Choctaw believed in both a tremendous good spirit and a great evil spirit, according to certain early writers and later writers, Cushman and Bushnell.

LANGUAGE

  • The Choctaw language spoken in Oklahoma is a Western Muskogean language similar to that of the Chickasaw, North American people formerly resident in Mississippi and Alabama and now in Oklahoma.
  • The tribe places a high priority on language preservation, and both online and offline resources and classes are made available to the general public. 
  • The Mississippi Band advises parents to speak Choctaw to their children as a first language.
  • Early in the nineteenth century, Cyrus Byington translated the Bible into Choctaw phonetics, resulting in the development of the written language of Choctaw of Oklahoma. 
  • In 1909, his first Choctaw Dictionary was released.

TRADITIONAL HOUSE

  • The Choctaw traditional home is called a chukka. A combination of clay, straw, and grass forms the body of the house.
  • The roof is shaped like a cone covered in thatch or straw.
  • The Choctaw people inhabited towns with dwellings and tiny cornfields.
  • There are seats around the interior wall of the building, about two feet above the room’s floor. Additionally, these seats can serve as beds.
  • The center of the home is typically where families have their fireplace.
  • Occasionally, the construction of a chukka might take one day, with the Choctaw helping each other construct other family’s homes.

CLOTHING

  • Choctaw men wore breechcloths and wraparound skirts made of woven fabric or deerskin for women.
  • Shirts were not required, but in cold weather, the Choctaw wore capes in a poncho style.
  • The Choctaw didn’t have long headdresses, but they did have long hair. Some men had their hair cut in a Mohawk style, with feathers added to the fringe.
  • The Choctaws wore moccasins on their feet. During fights, lacrosse matches, and festivities, Choctaws painted their faces and bodies with vivid colors. Additionally, some Choctaw men had tattoos on their arms and legs.
  • The vibrant clothing worn by Choctaw people today is handcrafted. It is based on designs created by their ancestors, who tailored European and American fashions from the 19th century.

FOOD

  • The Choctaw people had an agriculturally based way of life. They grew beans, squash, pumpkins, and sunflowers in addition to corn, their main crop. 
  • They gathered various wild plants, fruits, and vegetables from the forests and relied on fishing and hunting for survival.

FUN FACTS

  • Choctaw comes from their tribal name Chahta, the name of a legendary Choctaw leader.
  • The Choctaw people utilized axes, war clubs, maces, knives, bows, and arrows, among other things. The Europeans introduced muskets and later guns.
  • The Choctaw was among the so-called “Five Civilized Tribes”, along with Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole Indians.
  • These tribes were so-called because of their non-violent strategies of resistance against ceding their remaining territory to the United States.
  • They employed large-scale farming, Western education, slave ownership, selling livestock and horses, harvesting cotton, and marketing food products and baskets as their strategies. These strategies were also said to be a way for the Americans to give the remaining people of the tribes more time to stay in their homeland.
  • To maintain harmony with their new neighbors, the Choctaw were drawn into Christianity as they grew closer to European colonists.
  • Native American languages were first used as military codes during World War I by a group of Choctaw Indians from Oklahoma known as the Choctaw code talkers.
  • The Choctaw code talkers are credited with being the first native Americans to serve as code talkers in the US military.
  • This was because the German Army frequently succeeded in intercepting phone calls from the American Army during the war, giving the Germans access to information about the whereabouts of both troops and supplies.
  • The Choctaw Nation was split into three districts before Oklahoma’s admission as a state in 1907: Mushulatubbee, Pushmataha, and Apukshunnubbee.
  • Moshulatubbee (Choctaw name Amoshuli Tabi) represented the north-eastern district known as Okla Tannap (People on the Other Side) of Choctaw.
  • Moshulatubbee was the Choctaw chief during the Trail of Tears.
  • He had distinguished himself by becoming a skilled warrior and war chief, especially in the battles with the Osage and Caddo people west of the Mississippi.
  • Pushmataha (also known as Pushmatahaw) was a warrior and spiritual leader and was called the chief of chiefs.
  • During the Creek War (1813–1814), Pushmataha convinced the Choctaw to join the Americans, and on December 23, 1813, he distinguished himself in the Battle of Holy Ground (Econochaca).
  • Pushmataha represented the southern district, known as Okla Hannali (Six Towns) of Choctaw. Apukshunnubbee led the western district, known as Okla Falaya (Tall People) of Choctaw.
  • All who knew Chief Apukshunnubbee respected his judgment and intelligence as he interacted with the English to negotiate treaties that benefited his tribe.
  • The Choctaw chiefs traveled to Washington City (now Washington, D.C.) to discuss European Americans’ growing encroachment on their territories. They demanded that the government expel the settlers or pay them money.
  • Unfortunately, during the negotiation, Apukshunnubbee died from a broken neck caused by a fall, and Pushmataha died of illness. Moshulatubbee was the only chief who was able to return home, but eventually died due to smallpox.
  • Today, the Choctaw Indians who remained in Mississippi are called the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, while Choctaw people who live in Louisiana are the Jena Band. Together with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, they are the three federally recognized bands of Choctaw.

Choctaw Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Choctaw people across 33 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about the Choctaw, who are an Indigenous people in North America originating from Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana before land-ceding treaties were enacted.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Choctaw Facts 
  2. Identify
  3. My Chief of Chiefs
  4. Word Battle
  5. History Repeats Itself
  6. Characteristic Acrostic
  7. If You Lived With Us
  8. Choctaw Story
  9. We Are Still One
  10. Trail of Evolution
  11. Culture’s Future

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Choctaw known for? 

The Choctaw people were renowned for their fighting prowess, agricultural proficiency, and trading aptitude. Consequently, farming was of great significance to them, frequently cultivating massive amounts of corn and other products to barter with other tribes and Europeans alike.

What did the Choctaw believe in?

The Choctaws believed in spiritual entities, yet they did not venerate a supreme being. For them, the sun was a potent force and had significant reverence. Some members of their society were thought to have extraordinary capabilities; hence people frequently consulted rainmakers, healers, prophets, or other enchanters for guidance.

How did Choctaw get its name?

The origin of the word “Choctaw” is ultimately unknown, though some theories abound. For example, anthropologist John R. Swanton posits that it originated from an early leader, while Henry Halbert suggests it comes from the Choctaw phrase Hacha hatak (river people). No matter its source, we know that the term was anglicized to become ‘Chahta’ and later a part of our history as ‘Choctaw.’

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Link will appear as Choctaw Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 30, 2022

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