Culture of the Choctaw
They were known for their rapid incorporation of modernity, developing a written language, transitioning to yeoman farming methods, and having European-American and African-Americans lifestyles enforced in their society.
Swanton writes, "Murder, i.e., intratribal man-killing, could be atoned for ordinarily only by the death of the murderer himself or some substitute acceptable to the injured family… they cherish a desire for revenge for a generation…" Stolen property was usually punishable by returning the stolen goods or other compensation.
Swanton states, "incest ... was anciently a major crime, but we have no record of the punishments inflicted on account of it."
Anthropologists theorize that the Mississippian ancestors of the Choctaw placed the Sun at the center of their cosmological system.
If the day of a conference were cloudy or rainy, Choctaws delayed the meeting, usually on the pretext that they needed more time to discuss particulars, until the sun returned.
The Sun as a symbol of great power and reverence is a major component of southeastern Indian cultures.The evil spirit, or Na-lusa-chi-to ("black being" or "big black one") or Impashilup ("soul eater" or "ghost eater"), sought to harm people.
However, he adds, 'I have indeed heard it asserted by some, that anciently their hopaii, or prophets, on some occasions were accustomed to address the sun ...'" The Choctaw have many stories about little people.
Swanton states of Halbert, "the Choctaws in Mississippi say that there is a little man, about two feet high, that dwells in the thick woods and is solitary in his habits ... he often playfully throws sticks and stones at the people ... the Indian's doctors say that Bohpoli [thrower] assists them in the manufacture of their medicines ..." The little people are said to take young children to the forest to teach them how to be medicine men.
The will-o'-the-wisp was called "night-name" by the Indians and was believed to plait up the tails of horses during the night and to ride them about until they could hardly be used next day and many died from the effects.
Several versions of their creation and migration legends have been perpetuated by the Native Americans and remain very popular among contemporary Choctaws, especially the elderly.
Raccoon told Possum to go home and return in a few moons, and they would meet at that particular spot and discuss it further.
To this day the Choctaws believe that Raccoon burned Possum's tail because of envy and jealousy.Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium ssp.
Swanton writes on Bossu's account, "The Chactas love war and have some good methods of making it.
Swanton writes of what Roman wrote, "they never exercised so much cruelty upon their captive enemies as the other savages; they almost always brought them home to shew them, and then dispatched them with a bullet or hatchet; after which, the body being cut into many parts, and all the hairy pieces of skin converted into scalps, the remainder is buried and the above trophies carried home, where the women dance with them till tired; then they are exposed on the tops of the hot houses till they are annihilated ..." For some societies, the practice of decapitation was considered an honor.
He threw it at my feet telling me that he was a warrior who had lost his life for the French and that it was well to weep for his death ..." The Choctaw language is a member of the Muskogean family.
The language was well known among the frontiersmen, such as future U.S. President Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison, of the early 19th century.
The written Choctaw language is based upon English characters and was developed in conjunction with the civilization program of the United States in the early 19th century.
When disputes arouse between Choctaw communities, stickball provided a "civilized" way to settle the issue.
John R. Swanton states of George Catlin's remarks on the game, It is no uncommon occurrence for six or eight hundred or a thousand [!]
