Choctaw

A little cloud was once seen in the northern sky. It came before a rushing wind, and covered the Choctaw country with darkness. Out of it few an angry fire. It struck a large oak, and scattered its limbs and its trunk all along the ground, and from that spot sprung forth a warrior fully armed for war. And that man was.......*

Chief Pushmataha ca1765-1824 Portrait By Charles Byrd.  Original as part of the Gulf States Paper Collection AKA  Apushmataha "The Scalp is ready to take" A push matahaubi "One whose tomahawk is fatal in war"

Pushmataha was born in June 1764 on the east bank of Noxuba Creek (in present-day Noxubee County, Mississippi) in one of the villages of the Six Towns people, a division of the Choctaw Nation. He belonged to the Iksa or Kin-sah-a-hi clan ["Potato-Eating People"]. The names of his parents are unknown because Choctaw tradition was never to never of the dead; however, Pushmataha, who was a great orator and storyteller, liked to say of himself, "I had no father. I had no mother. The lightning rent the living oak, and Pushmataha sprang forth." He also said he "was raised in blood," a reference to the belief that the Creeks killed his parents in a massacre. At five feet ten inches tall, Pushmataha had a full chest, square, broad shoulders, a fine forehead, a large mouth with rather thick lips, and keen eyes with a look of kindness and understanding. His fine forehead was probably the result of head deformation. The Choctaws used a hinged piece of wood to apply pressure over a period of time to the foreheads of male infants. They believed head-flattening made men more handsome. Pushmataha grew stouter with age. He was not always called Pushmataha, since in accordance with Choctaw tradition, he had to do something worthy to get a name. During his teens he was called Hochifoiksho ["I Have No Name"], often shortened to Hoh, until one night he told a good story at a hunting camp and became Ishtilawata ["The Bragger"]. He was more than a good talker, though. He killed more game and preserved a greater number of skins than any other hunter in the camp, giving his excess to those less successful. Pushmataha led many raids on enemy Osage and Caddo villages across the Mississippi River. On one expedition he was captured. When he escaped he lived among the Spanish, an experience which gave him the firsthand knowledge of the territory he later used during treating. An another occasion he singlehandedly killed five men. The incident earned him the name "Eagle" and probably led to his having the name Pushmataha bestowed on him, which is derived from a combination of words meaning "The Scalp Is Ready to Take." Some historians believe his name originally was A push matahaubi, meaning a messenger of death, or more literally "One Whose Tomahawk Is Fatal in War or Hunting." Still others think the name derives from Apushim-altitaha ["The Sapling Is Ready to Bend"] and refers to the oak tree, as Pushmataha claimed. Yet another definition, given by an early historian of Alabama, was "He Has Won All the Honors of His Race." CONTRIBUTIONS AS A SOLDIER AND STATESMAN Pushmataha was one of the few prominent Indian leaders who, though intensely loyal to his people and race, acknowledged the growing power of the United States. He advocated a policy of conciliation with the United States, yet warned his people not to let anyone with a drop of white blood participate in the Choctaw Nation, since whites did not love the land. Nevertheless, he felt honored to represent the United States as an army officer and believed the Choctaws need not lose independence or racial identity if they cooperated. The Choctaws believed Americans would protect them and give in return the same honor and loyalty. However, this reciprocity never proved to be the case. In 1804 Pushmataha was part of a delegation that went to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Thomas Jefferson. The delegation signed a treaty ceding a large tribal area in Alabama and Mississippi in exchange for the forgiveness of debts individual Choctaws had with the Spanish trading posts, as well as cash and annuities for the signers. Pushmataha made a speech in Washington and impressed the audience with his earnestness. Later, his oratory abilities would become a hallmark. When the delegation returned to Mississippi, he helped present the proposed treaty to the whole Choctaw Nation. In 1805 Pushmataha was selected principal chief of the Choctaw Nation after Tuscana Hopaia died. Although he only had authority over his own Six Towns district, he held the highest position of honor and good opinion of all Choctaws and used his influence to promote friendly relations with whites. He never surrendered or disguised his convictions, and he was always proud of his race, stating often, "Chaeta sia hoke" ["I am a Choctaw"]. The Shawnee chief Tecumseh visited the Choctaws in 1811 to propose they join an all-Indian Confederacy to oppose the Americans. The alliance would have extended the length of the frontier from Canada to Florida. Pushmataha went to many of the meetings Tecumseh held and, though he agreed with some of the things Tecumseh said, he spoke out against his methods. Pushmataha persuaded his people not to join the Indian Confederacy and prevented an all-out Indian war against the United States as well as a civil war within the Choctaw Nation. When the Creeks decided to join the Indian Confederacy, Pushmataha offered Choctaw assistance to the Americans. Pushmataha, who served under General Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, served under the general again during the Creek War of 1813-1814. Pushmataha's rigid discipline succeeded in converting his warriors into efficient soldiers and earned him the name "The Indian General." During the Creek War, Pushmataha led about 500 of his warriors to defeat the Creeks in the Battle of Holy Ground. He received full military honors for his participation, including the rank of brigadier general and a resplendent $300 uniform with regimentals, gold epaulets, sword, silver spurs, and hat with ostrich feathers. He never put his uniform on again after the Creek War, because he wanted his people to remember him as the chief of the Choctaws, not as a former general in the U.S. Army.

The Lord's Prayer in Choctaw Piki vba ish binili ma! Chi hohchifo hvt holitopashke. Ish apehlichika yvt vlashke. Nana ish ai ahni ka yakni Pakna ya a yohmi kvt, Vba yakni a yohmi mak o chiyuhmashke. Himak nitak ilhpak pim ai vlhpesa kako ish pi ipetashke. Mikmvt nana il aheka puta ish pi kashofi kvt, Pishno vt nana pim aheka puta ili kashofi chatuk a ish chiyuhmichashke. Mikmvt anukpvlika yoka ik ia chik pim aiahno hosh, amba nanokpulo a ish pi a hlakofihinchashke: Apehlichika, mikmvt nan-isht-aiahli, micha isht aholitopa aiena kvt chimmi a bilia yoke. Amen

"Halito"

"Greetings"

Choctaw Links

At Home in the Choctaw Nation - Genealogical links and Message Board

MOWA band of Choctaw Indians

The Choctaw of this page are a participating member of the Colonial Campaigns Club, which is a club that plays historical computer games of the American Revolution and the War of 1812. The Choctaw particpate as part of the Indian Alliance. We use the John Tiller games of HPS Simulations "1776 and "1812", and "The French and Indian War".  If you are interested in learning more about the Colonial Campaigns Club, please click on the "CCC" link below. If you are interested in things Choctaw, I have numerous links at the bottom of this page.               - Yakoke