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Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory - Native American history
LIVING IN THE LAND OF DEATH - The Choctaw Nation, 1830-1860 by Donna L. Akers. Michigan State U. Press, 1405 South Harrison Road, Manly Miles Building - Suite 25, East Lansing, MI 48823-5202; www.msupress.msu.edu; reaumej@msu.edu. 202+xxvii pp. $24.95 trade paper, ISBN 0-87013-684-4. photographs, notes, bibliography, index.
Twenty percent of the Choctow Native Americans died in the forced relocation from their ancestral lands in Mississippi to Indian Territory (in present-day Oklahoma) as a result of the U. S. government's Indian Removal Act of 1830. But this was only the beginning of their travails. In Indian Territory, they faced hostility from tribes already settled there, along with diseases, natural disasters, and starvation. Akers, a professor of history at Purdue and a Choctaw Nation tribal member, follows how the Choctaws managed to overcome such hardships by intermixing with other groups and developing their own micro-economy based on cotton plantations linked to the world market for this commodidity. Like other tribes, the Choctows also had to deal with betrayals of agreements with them by the U. S. government. At best, they worked out an ambivalent mode of survival involving adaptations to regional economic and social conditions and measures to preserve their identity and heritage even though they had been transplanted. Akers sets out the historical account with a multicultural sensitivity to the Choctow's perduring, though at times frayed, desire to hold on to to their traditonal ways. ... Read more

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Provides an overview of the past and present lives of the Choctaw Native Americans, covering their daily activities, customs, family life, religion, history, and government. ... Read more

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Choctaw are the largest tribe belonging to the branch of the Muskogean family that includes the Chickasaw, Creek (Muscogee), and Seminole. According to oral history, the tribe originated from Nanih Waya, a sacred hill near present-day Noxapater, Mississippi. Nanih Waya means "productive or fruitful hill, or mountain." During one of their migrations, they carried a tree that would lean, and every day the people would travel in the direction the tree was leaning. They traveled east and south for sometime until the tree quit leaning, and the people stopped to make their home at this location, in present-day Mississippi. The people have made difficult transitions throughout their history. In 1830, the Choctaw who were removed by the United States from their southeastern U.S. homeland to Indian Territory became known as the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great pictures, makes a great gift
There are lots of great old black and white photos here, most dated and their subjects identified. This would be a great gift for the amateur genealogist or anyone interested in Oklahoma or Choctaw history. It's a thin volume, not intended for serious research or scholarship. I liked the modern photos, including poet Leanne Howe but not sure why the author felt compelled to include pictures of Reba McIntire and Lane Frost, neither of whom is Choctaw.

The only complaint I have is the author did not expand his search beyond Choctaw territory and left out Choctaws in urban areas and other parts of the state. A casual reader might think all Choctaw people live only in this small area of the state.

Recommended. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Trail of Tears was the relocation and movement of Native Americans, including many members of the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole,and Choctaw nations among others in the United States, from their homelands to Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) in the Western United States. The phrase originated from a description of the removal of the Choctaw Nation in 1831. Many Native Americans suffered from exposure, disease, and starvation while en route to their destinations, and many died, including 4,000 of the 15,000 relocated Cherokee. In 1831, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee-Creek, and Seminole (sometimes collectively referred to as the Five Civilized Tribes) were living as autonomous nations in what would be called the American Deep South. The process of cultural transformation (proposed by George Washington and Henry Knox) was gaining momentum, especially among the Cherokee and Choctaw. ... Read more

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Upon their arrival in Oklahoma, the Choctaw Indian people set up a constitutional form of government with three separate branches: legislative, judicial, and executive. They operated in this manner until statehood in 1907. The Choctaw Nation dissolved after statehood, tribal government ceased to exist, and all people were brought under the jurisdiction of the Oklahoma state government. --- excerpt from book's Preface ... Read more

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Maybe you think you know the story of the big race between Rabbit and Turtle. Think again! In this story from the Choctaw People, Tim Tingle shows that it was not being slow and steady that won Turtle the big race, it was those feathers!!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

When Turtle Grew Feathers
I bought this for my 5-yr old grandson and he instantly liked this book and the story it was telling. Plus the pictures are very original and interesting.

A great Native American version of the Turtle and the Hare
Basically this is the story of the Turtle and the Hare as told by the Native American Choctaw nation.In this version we learn the value of friends and helping one another.As expected Turtle wins this race but there is something very unusual about this particular turtle.A delightful read and well-illustrated When Turtle Grew Feathers is a highly recommended children's book. ... Read more