Choctaw

Choctaw

Vinay Shanbhag Lea Slauch Anna Kanfer

=Group Cosmology:=

Brainstorming
= = This is Vinay: I wont be here on Friday to work on this wiki, and I don't know if we're supposed to combine all the different cosmologies into one. If we are, we should have the story about how the two brothers lead the villagers with the leaning pole, but we should also include Nanih Waiya, and Anna's cosmology on the underworlds or world wombs. I think we should do that by writing the two brothers' journey, then saying that from then on, humans were created from Nanih Waiya, were prepared to be birthed by female deities, and how they rebuilt the mound many times. That's just only if we have to combine all cosmologies into one new one. Lea: We do and I think before we actually write the story (we can quote directly from sources, by the way, I asked in class), it might be a good idea to make an outline so that we have a better idea of what pieces of the story come from which source so internal sites will be easier. Other than that, I like who Vinay's combination of the stories and I think we can start an outline. Perhaps 'outline' is bad word choice. I'm thinking something like a time line so we can put stuff in the order we want them to be in the actual finished text.

Outline:
Topic: The Choctaw creation story adapted from multiple versions. I. Universe Creation II. Origin of animals and plants III. Origin of humans IV.The structure of the universe V. The process of the universe (time)
 * Nanih Waiya always exists
 * Goddesses birth humans
 * Humans were trampling grasshoppers on their way up from Nanih Waiya to the sunlight. The grasshoppers complained to Aba and Aba sealed off the tunnel, allowing only a few humans to leave the mound. He then turned the remaining humans trapped underground into ants, and that is why ants make mounds (Mould)
 * Nanih Waiya was the mound where all tribes emerged from (Earth-driver myth (Leeming and Page), first Muscogees, Cherokees, and Chickasaws. Each had a different reason to flee, but when the Choctaw emerged, they stayed (Mould)
 * All we know is that the society was matriarchical
 * Few gods and goddesses, mainly ancestral tribes
 * Nanih Waiya was existing at the beginning of time (Felihkatubbe), so the Choctaws believed in cyclical time.
 * Influence from English. Later story is linear.

By: Anna Kanfer, Vinay Shanbhag, and Lea Slauch
There was a mound called Nanih Waiya, and it existed before everything else (Felihkatubbe). Under this mound existed an underworld with goddesses who birthed creatures and men and were then responsible for getting them ready to emerge from the mound and live a new life. Here in the underworld, women's work of birthing and preparing is important and continues emergence, and therefore they must be respected. These men were curious about the sky, so they decided to build a mound that would reach up to the sky. The first day, they built it halfway, but when the men were sleeping at night, the wind blew it over. This was the same for the second night, and on the third night, the mound was blown over on top of them but nobody was killed. There they created a village. Soon, two brothers, Chatah and Chickasaw came over with many villagers and a pole. The brothers stuck the pole inside the ground, and it stood upright. The tribe then split into two and one brother led the way. The other half stayed with the Choctaw men. The new villagers brought many bones and they said that it was from their family members and they would like to bury it. The Choctaw men lead them to Nanih Waiya and allowed them to bury the bones underneath, creating a bigger mound (Mariott & Rachlin). It was titled Nanih Waiya because it became the mother mound of all people, and birthed all creatures of the universe (Marriot and Rachlin). From then on, Nanih Waiya was the "world womb" and birthed the Choctaws. All animals were also created in the "world womb" and were prepared for living in the world by goddesses(Leeming and Page).

And there they were made. And there they came forth.The Muscogees first came out of Nanih Waiya, and the Seminoles came first out of Nanih Waiya (Felikatubbe), and they sunned themselves on Nanih Waiya's earthen rampart. And when they got dry, they went to the east. On this side of Tombigbee, there they rested. And as they were smoking tobacco, they dropped some fire.The Cherokees next came out of Nanih Waiya. And they sunned themselves on the earthen rampart. And when they got dry they went and followed the trail of the elder tribe. And at the place where the Muscogees had stopped and rested, and where they had smoked tobacco, there was fire and the woods were burnt. And the Cherokees could not find the Muscogees' trail, so they got lost and turned aside and went towards the north and they settled and made a people.And the Chickasaws third came out of Nanih Waiya. And then they sunned themselves on the earthen rampart. And when they got dry they went and followed the Cherokee's trail. And when they got to where the Cherokees had got lost, they turned aside and went on and followed the Cherokee's trail. And when they got to where the Cherokee had settled and made a people, they settled and made a people close to the Cherokees.And the Choctaws fourth came out of Nanih Waiya. And they sunned themselves on the earthen rampart and when they got dry, they did not go anywhere but settled down in this very land and it is the Choctaw's home (Mould 64-65).

However, as humans crawled through the tunnel and into the daylight, they trampled upon grasshoppers, who were also trying to reach the sunlight. The grasshoppers complained to the god Aba, who created the humans in the first place, and Aba sealed off the tunnel so that nobody could reach the light. He then turned the humans who were stuck inside the mound into ants, and that is why ants live in mounds (Mould).

**Bibliography:**
Bushnell, David Ives. "Creation Myth." //Choctaw of Bayou Lacomb...Louisiana//. 30. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2010.

Felihkatubbe, J. Myles, Ron Henson, and Bobbi Dunn. "Nanih Waiya: Aiamona (the beginning)." //Choctaw Nation//. N.p., 13 Feb. 2010. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. []

Leeming, David, and Jake Page. "Emergence Creation." The Mythology of Native North America. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. 88-90. Print.

Marriott, Alice, and Carol K. Rachlin. //American Indian Mytholody//. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Comapny, 1968. Print.

Potential Sections and Edits:
Origin of Humans Section: Choctaw Indian tribe's emergence cosmologies fit into the general theory of an earth-driver, which generally include a tribe emerging from a "world womb," or sacred opening from an underworld of some sort (Leeming and Page). It is said that creatures of all sorts are raised in the underworld, being prepared for a new life under the sun through many processes. This can be percieved as the origin of many religious rituals in earth-driver myth-based tribes which reenact an opening or some sort--representing the birth of creatures from these wombs when they are opened (Leeming and Page). The decision of making a hill called Nanih Waiya the mother mound, or world womb of the Choctaw people is explained by a story of twin brothers, who were elected leaders to bring their people on a journey to find a new home from where they were living. Chatah and Chikasaw were the sons of the town medicine man, and led the Choctaw people through forests and rivers to find a new place to live. Along the journey, many people would die, and their bones would be stripped and carried along. When a creek was finally reached and the community decided to make it a permanent residance, a mound was constructed with the pile of bones. It was titled Nanih Waiya, and ever since was regarded as the mother mound of all people (Marriot and Rachlin). It is a debated topic, which people the Choctaws believed emerged first from Nanih Waiya, but there were either 4 or 5 tribes which were thought to have emerged, and then fled the mound, before their emergence and settlement. Some say that first was the Seminole tribe (Felihkatubbe), others say it was the Muscogees (Mould). The Cherokees were said to have emerged second out of the four tribes, and followed the trail of the first tribe to move (whether it be Seminole or Muscogee)--but got lost at the place where the last tribe had rested, so the Cherokee people migrated north to form a community. Then came the Chickasaws, who followed the trail of the Cherokee tribe, until settling in close to them. Finally came the Choctaw tribe, fourth out of Nanih Waiya. They were the first and final tribe to emerge and settle at the mother mound (Mould).

DELETED/REWRITTEN:

A world womb, was a sacred opening from an underworld of some sort (Leeming and Page). It is said that creatures of all sorts are raised in the underworld, being prepared for a new life under the sun through many processes. Because of this opening of the womb which was the beginning of creation, rituals performed in the Choctaw tribe are usually reenactments of this (Leeming and Page). It is a debated topic, which people the Choctaws believed emerged first from Nanih Waiya, but there were either 4 or 5 tribes which were thought to have emerged, and then fled the mound, before their emergence and settlement. Some say that first was the Seminole tribe (Felihkatubbe), others say it was the Muscogees (Mould). The Cherokees were said to have emerged second out of the four tribes, and followed the trail of the first tribe to move (whether it be Seminole or Muscogee)--but got lost at the place where the last tribe had rested, so the Cherokee people migrated north to form a community. Then came the Chickasaws, who followed the trail of the Cherokee tribe, until settling in close to them. Finally came the Choctaw tribe, fourth out of Nanih Waiya. They were the first and final tribe to emerge from the mound, dry themselves, and settle at the mother mound (Mould).

A very important aspect of religion in Choctaw society is these world wombs, and the birthing processes of emerging ouot of them. When humans and other creatures are prepared in the underworlds for their life under the sun, it was usually credited to females, so the deities of the underworlds/world wombs/mother mounds, were usually women. This led to a more matriarchical society, since most all rituals were repetitious birthings or womb-openings being symbolized (Leeming and Page).

It is possible to argue many different sides to what kind of time the Choctaw people thought of their world in. Because, in the source from Felihkatubbe, we see that Nanih Waiya was existing at the beginning of time, we are lead to believe that this is a cyclical way of thinking. However, it is probably more clausable that the tribe was more of a linear-style of thinking people, because in multiple sources, the idea of tribe emergence in a specific order is enforced, meaning they could not all exist at once--putting an end to a cyclical belief theory.

Structure of the Universe Section: Choctaw cosmology is based on this previously explained emergence theory, or earth-driver myth type. This means that a very important aspect to their religion was the way creatures were born in world wombs and prepared for their life outside of them. Birthing and raising was usually credited to females, so the deities of the underworlds/world wombs/mother mounds, were usually women. This led to a more matriarchical society, since most all rituals were repetitious birthings or womb-openings being symbolized (Leeming and Page). Though chiefs, or olgas, were always male, we are told that Choctaw culture is more centered around the female figures preset in it (Choctaw).

The process of the universe (time) Section: It is possible to argue many different sides to what kind of time the Choctaw people thought of their world in. Because, in the source from Felihkatubbe, we see that Nanih Waiya was existing at the beginning of time, we are lead to believe that this is a cyclical way of thinking. However, it is probably more clausable that the tribe was more of a linear-style of thinking people, because in multiple sources, the idea of tribe emergence in a specific order is enforced, meaning they could not all exist at once--putting an end to a cyclical belief theory.

Research:
Vinay Shanbhag I got the Noodlebib version of the same book Lea has: "Choctaw". //The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes.// Ed. Sharon Malinowski, et al. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 400-406. Print. Vol 1 of //Northeast, Southeast, Caribbean.// Lea Slauch Oh, thanks. I did that citation from memory, so I think we should trust NoodleBib a bit more. Anna Kanfer I have some notes from a book I looked at on Thursday, and I have scouted out some other sources to use, but I haven't looked at them in depth.


 * Anna:**

This isn't much but it gave me at least some basic information on their idea of creation. Leeming, David, and Jake Page. "Emergence Creation." The Mythology of Native North America. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. 88-90. Print. Notes : -Earth-driver myth -(emergence creation): involves groups being created through one or more underworlds, or world wombs, where all creatures are conceived and then grow up to go through a sacred opening of the womb. In the underworlds where they come from, people are prepared during a process to live their new life under the sun. (Agricultural impact very strong). Because of this sacred opening, many rituals involved sacred rebirthing. Supreme beings in the underworlds are usually the ones teaching newly born creatures. This being is usually a woman, because male deities rarely had to do with any birthing processes.

I organized the wiki a little more so we can clearly see entries, and know where to write. Hope this works? Here is some info from The Columbia Encyclopedia (found at http://www.xreferplus.com.proxy2.library.uiuc.edu/entry/columency/choctaw): It's doesn't give much info about specific cosmologies, but more a background of Choctaw culture.

-Spoke language in the "Muskogean branch of the Hokan-Siouan linguistic stock" -Creek and Chicksaw people similar to Choctaw, and frequently battled -Choctaw people economy firmly based on agriculture -Allies to French colonists in battles with other tribes -Forced out of Alabama and Mississippi land to Oklahoma, where many still live in 1990

**Lea**:
I did (now) finish reading this source, so here's the notes I have so far __Notes__ History "The Girl and the Devil" Religion
 * called themselves Chata'ogla or Chata'
 * Prior to European contact 20,000 people in 100 agriculture centers were Choctaw
 * 23 million acres in Choctaw territory
 * territory located in modern-day Mississippi, some of Alabama and Louisiana
 * 1831-1834 Choctaw were moved to Oklahoma
 * 82,299 Choctaw were recorded in the 1990 U.S. census
 * Western Muskogan language family
 * Language related to Creek
 * Oral literature preserved through songs passed down
 * Girl persuaded to go to the home of a stranger
 * Animals tied up at the house
 * stranger is actually the devil
 * girl locked in small cave
 * Frog jumps in cave telling her the Devil and his men will kill her
 * gives directions to escape
 * Girl escapes and tricks Devil into falling in the Bayou
 * Explains what the gravel on the bottom of the Bayou is
 * Sun god most important
 * Dead put on elevated platforms so their souls return to the sun
 * people have two souls surviving death
 * Shilombish- shadow/ghost that haunts living
 * Shilup- spirit/shadow that goes to the afterworld
 * Afterworld has 1 good and 1 bad section
 * Sections separated by mountainous barrier
 * houses circular thatch lodges
 * hunters/gatherers/planters
 * used blowguns, bows and arrows, replaced by firearms
 * men wear hair long in braids w/ bangs
 * women wear hair long, wrapped in a roll
 * feathers, face paint common, less important
 * Oldest male ogla or cheif
 * Matriarchal society

I found a book on Google Books that is a compiled selection of Choctaw stories. One is titled The Choctaw Creation Legend. Here's the citation: Mould, Tom. "The Choctaw Creation Legend." //Choctaw Tales//. Comp. Tom Mould. N.p.: University Press of Mississippi, 2004. 64-65. //Google Books//. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. < [|http://books.google.com/] books?id=HTpSpt5PJQsC&pg=PA252&lpg=PA252&dq=Choctaw+cosmologies&source=bl&ots=AYw DAP_A8g&sig=8TAeNAoPOy_4X2APsGlUTSbnH34&hl=en&ei=utjITK29CsiYnAe_xImoAw&sa=X&oi=b ook_result&ct=result&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false>.

This is very similar to Vinay's source 'Nanih Waiya', but this is so short I've just copied it. This is the __actual text__ so it's in quotes.

"A very long time ago the first creation of men was in Nanih Waiya. And there they were made. And there they came forth.

The Muscogees first came out of Nanih Waiya, and they sunned themselves on Nanih Waiya's earthen rampart. And when they got dry, they went to the east. On this side of Tombigbee, there they rested. And as they were smoking tobacco, they dropped some fire.

The Cherokees next came out of Nanih Waiya. And they sunned themselves on the earthen rampart. And when they got dry they went and followed the trail of the elder tribe. And at the place where the Muscogees had stopped and rested, and where they had smoked tobacco, there was fire and the woods were burnt. And the Cherokees could not find the Muscogees' trail, so they got lost and turned aside and went towards the north and they settled and made a people.

And the Chickasaws third came out of Nanih Waiya. And then they sunned themselves on the earthen rampart. And when they got dry they went and followed the Cherokee's trail. And when they got to where the Cherokees had got lost, they turned aside and went on and followed the Cherokee's trail. And when they got to where the Cherokee had settled and made a people, they settled and made a people close to the Cherokees.

And the Choctaws fourth came out of Nanih Waiya. And they sunned themselves on the earthen rampart and when they got dry, they did not go anywhere but settled down in this very land and it is the Choctaw's home."

 I'd also like to say that although I found a source that says the Choctaw did worship gods, the gods don't seem to be very important to the Choctaw because they are not mentioned in any of the stories we found. It seems like where the different peoples come from and how they are related is more important. The story above has an emphasis on the relationship between the tribes, which also share similar languages, which is a possible reason for the creation story to note many tribes coming from the same place. I got some more sources with variation in the story: "Nanih Waya: The Sacred Bluff" //American Indian Mythology//. Ed. Alice Marriott and Carol K. Rachin. Thomas Y. Crowell Company: New York, 1968. 73-77. print. Intro Story
 * Choctaw were noted as good traders
 * The guide pole has been newly integrated (see story)
 * They came from northwestern country to Mississippi
 * Ancestral land was to the northwest
 * The unnamed group needed a new place to live
 * They needed 2 leaders to guide them to this place so that if one should die

**Vinay:**
1. [] This link is on the third encyclopedia from the home page list. It describes how the Choctaw arrived to their present location and how the Naniah Waiya Mound was created.

2. Marriott, Alice, and Carol K. Rachlin. //American Indian Mytholody//. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Comapny, 1968. Print.

This story describes how the Choctaw people found a place to live, and describes how the Nanih Waya was created (Sorry! I'm bad at summarizing so I hope it isn't too long):

The Choctaw ere living in a faraway nor Chatah and northwest place. They were pretty advanced because they even built levees to prevent river floods from reaching them. One day, the Choctaw realized that they needed to live somewhere else (the book only says that "a time came when their fire was old). There was a town assembly, and it was decided that there should be two leaders, two twin brothers named Chatah and Chikasah. They were the sons of the town's medicine man. Their father directed them to go to the forest and find a young, strong, slim, and light tree, and skin the bark off to make it a pole. After they brought it to town, it was painted with red and white alternate stripes. Red was for war and white was for peace, and the twins were instructed to make peace, but when it was not possible, to fight till the end.To find out which way they should journey, they planted the pole in the ground and noticed that it leaned to the east. The medicine man told the twins to lead everybody to the east, then died. The twins brought the pole along with the town's people and started their journey that took years. Each time someone died, their flesh was buried, but their bones were kept. The people said: "the bones are the heart of a man, and endure long after his flesh is gone." Each time the people stopped to camp, the pole was set up to lead the way. On the way, there was a large river. The twin brothers found a big tree and hollowed it into a dug-out canoe. The river was named Misha Sipokni, which nmeant Beyond Age, because the river was so huge many things were unknown about it. Finally, the pole stopped leaning to one side. However, it stopped leaning at a steep bluff, and there was not enough room for the whole town. Chatah desided that he would stay with half the people, and Chikasah would leave with the other half. The bones of the people who died on the journy were all buried into a mound, and it was named Nanih Waiya. The place where they settled was Mississippi, and the river Beyond Age was the Mississippi river.

3. Felihkatubbe, J. Myles, Ron Henson, and Bobbi Dunn. "Nanih Waiya: Aiamona (the beginning)." //Choctaw Nation//. N.p., 13 Feb. 2010. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. []. This is a website made by Choctaws.

Nanih Waiya, known as the Mother Mound, gave birth to multiple Indian tribes. The tribes emerged from the mound in this order: The Seminoles, then the Muscogees, the Cherokees, the Chickasaws, and finally the Choctaws. Except for the Choctaws, every tribe moved away to settle in different places. Facts: Choctaws were known to be the most peaceful and at the same time the most ferocious at war. They met with the Nahullos in 1540, and was attacked by Hernando de Soto, the Spaniard, who slaughtered about 3,000 Choctaws.

4.Bushnell, David Ives. "Creation Myth." //Choctaw of Bayou Lacomb...Louisiana//. 30. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2010.

Finally, a cosmology with a god! A good spirit from above, Aba, created many Choctaw men who spoke Choctaw. They were the first men created, and were made out of yellow clay.They were curious and wondered what was in the sky. They decided that they should build a mound high enough to touch the sky. They began building a mound of rocks, but it was blown over in the night. The next morning, they started the mound again, but it was blown over again. The third night, the mound that they built was blown on top of them, but no one was killed.However, when everyone emerged from the pile of rocks, not everyone could understand Choctaw, and there was a fight. The Choctaw separated, and this is an explanation of how the Choctaw are so separated today.

5. Laws, Rita. "Native Americans and Vegetarianism." //International Vegetarian// //Union//. N.p., 18 Apr. 2001. Web. 7 Nov. 2010. [history/native_americans.html]. This source says: Many tribes have creation stories about Native Americans being vegetarian. Choctaws consider corn to be divine, and the god Hashtali, the Great Spirit or Noon Day Sun. Hashtali gave the Choctaws corn because the Choctaws fed Hashtali's daughter when she was hungry. The CHoctaws believed that the Great SPirit lived inside the sun, and the sun made the corn grow.

6. "The Redbird." //Indian Legend.com//. N.p., 13 May 2003. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. []. This story is sort of an Adam and Eve story. A redbird finds a woman who is lonely. In the story, it said that "every morning for the passing of seven suns" the redbird listens to the woman. He then finds a man who is lonely as well. The clever redbird pretends to be sick and hops towards where the woman lives, and draws the man towards him. The man and the women meet, and are no longer lonely anymore. And I am guessing that this is how humans were created, but it didn't say in the actual text.