Chickasaw
| Chickasaw |
|---|
| Total population |
| 38,000 [1] |
| Regions with significant populations |
| United States (Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana) |
| Languages |
| English, Chickasaw |
| Religions |
| Protestantism, other |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Native American, Five Civilized Tribes, Choctaw |
Introduction
The Chickasaw are a Native American people of the United States, originally from present-day Tennessee and Mississippi, now mostly living in Oklahoma. They are related to the Choctaws, who speak a language very similar to the Chickasaw language, both forming the Western Group of the Muskogean languages. "Chickasaw" is the English spelling of Chikashsha (IPA: [tʃikaʃːa]), that means "rebel" or "comes from Chicsa." It also is a Muskogean name referring to the act of sitting. [1] The Chickasaw are divided in two groups: the "Impsaktea" and the "Intcutwalipa." The Chickasaws were one of the "Five Civilized Tribes" forcibly removed to the Indian Territory during the era of Indian Removal. The Chickasaw Nation is the thirteenth largest federally-recognized tribe in the United States.
History
The origin of the Chickasaws is uncertain. They did not originate in the South and probably were descendants of Indians of the pre-historic Mississippian culture. [2] They may have been included at one time with the Choctaw. When Europeans first encountered them, the Chickasaws were living in villages in what is now Mississippi and western Tennessee, with a smaller number in South Carolina.
The first European contact with the Chickasaws was in 1540, when Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto encountered them and stayed in their eponymous town, Chicasa, at present-day Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. After various disagreements, the Chickasaws attacked the De Soto expedition, and the Spanish moved on.
The Chickasaws began to trade with the British after the colony of Carolina was founded in 1670. With British-supplied guns, the Chickasaws raided their enemies the Choctaws, capturing Choctaws and selling them into slavery, a practice that stopped once the Choctaws acquired guns from the French. The Chickasaws were often at war with the French and the Choctaws in the eighteenth century, such as in the Battle of Ackia on May 26, 1736, until France gave up her claims to the region after the Seven Years' War.
Tribal allegiance during the Revolutionary War favored the English. In May 1779, the Chickasaws received a written threat from the State of Virginia regarding the need for their neutrality. Chickasaw leaders responded with a letter of retort. There was only one actual battle involving the Chickasaw.
Constant warfare during the eighteenth century created a need to bring in British traders to the tribe. Descendents of British men and Chickasaw women became tribal leaders. Some of them later became state politicians.
The majority of the tribe was deported to Indian Territory (now headquartered in Ada, Oklahoma) in the 1830s. All tribal lands were ceded east of the Mississippi in 1932. Approximately 3,000 Chickasaw were forcibly removed. During this time they suffered a large loss in population due to disease, starvation, and attacks from the Plains Indians. By 1855, much of their original culture was lost and the way of life became similar to the settlers of the South. Remnants of the South Carolina Chickasaws, known as the Chaloklowa Chickasaws have reorganized tribal government, and gained official recognition from the state in the summer of 2005, having their tribal headquarters at Indiantown, South Carolina.
During the American Civil War, the Chickasaw Nation allied with the South and it was the last Confederate community to surrender in the U.S. In the early to mid-nineteenth century cotton was harvested on expanding farmland. Over 1,000 African American slaves were owned at that time. Many Chickasaw merchants and farmers prospered during this time. [3]
The Chickasaw Nation Capital (1855-1907) was Tishomingo, Oklahoma. In 1907, all tribal governments in Oklahoma were dissolved by Congress. By 1920, Chickasaw land was reduced to a fraction of the original size. After the dissolution of tribal governements, the third capital building was used as the Johnston County Courthouse. It was reclaimed by the Chickasaw Nation in 2005.
Culture
The Chickasaw placed great emphasis on the prowess of their warriors. The population was small compared to neighboring tribes and the influx of Anglo settlers. At times they warred against the Choctows, the Creeks, the Cherokees and the French, among others. [4] The men painted their faces and shaved the sides of their heads when preparing for war. Boys were trained at an early age in martial arts and to control pain and discomfort without complaint. During war, the villagers moved into a fortified town for protection.
They were divided into two moieties (divisions) which were then divided into clans. Each tribal member inherited the clan of their mother and were not allowed to marry within the clan. There was a high chief and a council of advising chiefs. The suffix "-mingo" (Chickasaw: minko' ) is used to identify a chieftain. For example, "Tishomingo" was the name of a famous Chickasaw chief. The town of Tishomingo, Mississippi and Tishomingo County, Mississippi were named after him, as was the town of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. South Carolina's Black Mingo Creek was named after the colonial Chickasaw chief, who controlled the lands around it as a sort of hunting preserve. Sometimes it is spelled "minko," but this most generally occurs in older literary references.
Head priests, the hopaye, presided over ceremonies and provided spiritual guidance. [5] The supreme diety was Ababinili, a being uniting four celestial beings: Sun, Clouds, Clear Sky, and He That Lives in the Clear Sky. Fire was a manifestation of this being. There also were healers called alikice that combated evil spirits.
Dwellings were built of pole-frame construction with clapboard sides. They were white washed with powdered shell. The doorway usually faced east. Winter houses were semi-circular with a narrow door and were excavated three feet below the surface of the ground.
Their diet consisted of corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers. Hunting and fishing was also a source of protein. Tea was made from sassafras root. Pashofa, cracked white hominy boiled with pork, is a main dish which is still eaten. Hogs are not native to the Americas, but escaped and became feral from De Soto's expedition.
Recent History
The Chickasaw Nation recently hosted a pre-screening of Mel Gibson's new movie, Apocalypto. Gibson held two pre-screening for two Native American audiences, at the Riverwind Casino in Goldsby, owned by the Chickasaw Nation, and at Cameron University in Lawton.[6]
Notable Chickasaws
- Bill Anoatubby, Governor of the Chickasaw Nation since 1987
- Amanda Cobb, author and professor of American studies[7]
- Levi Colbert, Chickasaw language translator
- Tom Cole, Republican U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma
- Molly Culver, actress
- John Herrington, NASA Astronaut, first Native American in space
- Linda Hogan, author
- Wahoo McDaniel, professional football player and wrestler
- Rodd Redwing, actor
- Fred Waite, cowboy
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- ↑ Pritzker, H. 2000. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and People,NY:Oxford Press. ISBN 019513897x
- ↑ Perdue, T. and Green, M. 2001. The Columbia Guide to the American Indians of the Southeast, NY: Columbia Univ. Press.
- ↑ Prizker, 2000
- ↑ http://mshistory.K12.ms.us/features/feature40/chickasaw.html
- ↑ http://www.utm.edu/departments/acadpro/library/departments/special_collections/ws_hist/chksaw.htm
- ↑ "Gibson takes 'Apocalypto' to Oklahoma", Associated Press, 2006-09-23. Retrieved 2006-09-24. (written in English)
- ↑ Public Affairs Department, University of New Mexico. "UNM ASSISTANT PROFESSOR WINS AMERICAN BOOK AWARD", September 7 2001. Accessed June 27 2007.
- Calloway, Colin G. The American Revolution in Indian Country. Cambridge University Press, 1995.
External links
- The Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma (official site)
- Chickasaw Nation Industires (government contracting arm of the Chickasaw Nation)
- "Chickasaws: The Unconquerable People," a brief history by Greg O’Brien, Ph.D.
- Encyclopedia of North American Indians
- "Chickasaw History" by Lee Sultzman
- John Bennett Herrington is First Native American Astronaut (on chickasaw.net)
- Tishomingo
- Pashofa recipe
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