The method of cutting and preparing the cane is the same used by Choctaw for generations. Fall is the ideal time to gather the cane, although it is hardly an easy task, given that wet, swampy areas are its natural habitat. Length of the cane vary, although most basket makers like to work with cane that measures at least six feet long.

Dyeing the strips is the next step. For many years, basket makers used natural materials such as berries, flowers, roots or bark to color the cane. Modern times have seen the introduction of commercial dyes due to their durability and wide range of colors available. Basket makers create a variety of patterns by weaving together the colored and natural strips of cane. While traditional forms such as the egg basket and traditional patterns like the diamond design are common, many basket makers like to experiment with color, pattern and shape.

The Choctaw have kept with the times, but still hold strong to their traditions. The makers express themselves the same way other artists do – with technique, imagination, and aesthetics.

Choctaw dresses usually are trimmed with one of three motifs: full diamond, half diamond, or series of circles and crosses. The last motif may represent stickball and stickball sticks, but it may also have origins in earlier designs. The diamond design, which is often seen on Choctaw baskets as well, is said to represent the eastern diamondback rattlesnake.

Beadwork is a feature often worn with traditional Choctaw clothing for both men and women. A common set for women consists of a belt, medallion, collar necklaces, earrings, ribbon lapel pins and a handkerchief lapel pin. Designs and colors are the artist’s preference, and many women also wear round combs in their hair with their Choctaw dresses. Historical drawings and photographs suggest that originally these combs were made from silver or other metal.

In the Choctaw culture, the tradition of dancing has a deep-rooted meaning. Instead of grand performances, dancing is meant for participation. Traditional dance cultivates pride in a Choctaw’s heritage. Dance groups represent most of the Choctaw communities, with styles reflecting those communities.

At the annual Choctaw Indian Fair, held every year for four days in mid-July, on the Choctaw Reservation, visitors have excellent opportunities to compare these community variations as they watch the dancers. Sometimes, the difference may be in a dance step; in other times, the chant – and rarely is the actual Choctaw language heard. When it is, the rise and fall of a chanter’s voice leads the dancers, and syllables carry a melody. The chanter usually keeps time by striking together a pair of sticks, called striking sticks.

Animal dances recognize creatures that were important to the Choctaw people and often mimic the behavior of their namesakes. Dancers dart in and out of the dance circle like playful raccoons in the raccoon dance or form a line that coils and uncoils in the snake dance.

As mentioned previously, dancing and music are not exclusive to each other in the Choctaw culture. In addition to dance, music is and has been a key element in other parts of Choctaw life.

One of the oldest traditional instruments that the Choctaw continue to use is the drum, which today is heard primarily at stickball games. The present-day Choctaw drum is modeled after military drums used by British and American troops in colonial times.
The body of the drum is wood or metal – more often than not the former. The wood used for this is usually sourwood, black gum or tupelo gum; the trees often are hollow by the time they reach a suitable size for drums.

The violin, or fiddle, has also found its way into Choctaw musical traditions. Like many rural southerners, Choctaw turned to the fiddle for entertainment in their homes and communities. Fiddlers playing at house dances usually are accompanied by guitar players who provide a percussive rhythm. In the past, when no guitars were present, the rhythm was supplied by someone “beating straws.”

As in many other cultures, food is a central part of the Choctaw Tribe. It is difficult to think of an aspect of Tribal life that food does not touch. All significant milestones and ceremonies involve – in one way or another – food and cooking. Celebrations like birthdays and weddings – even wakes – often consist of a meal.

Owing to Tribal history and heritage, a traditional Choctaw meal includes freshly grown vegetables, chicken, pork, frybread, desserts and sweet tea. For many years, the food on the table came straight from the garden and farm. Tribal families grew and harvested fruits and vegetables, raised livestock and hunted and fished to provide meals. While not unusual in rural areas, a pair of traditional Choctaw dishes remain staples of the Tribal diet: hominy and banaha.

As the hominy is cooking, it must frequently be stirred in order to prevent it from sticking to the pot or burning. The preparer cannot forget about the fire, either. If available, this duty is typically handled by a male who is known as the firekeeper. This firekeeper’s role is extremely important because the fire has to remain at an even temperature throughout the cooking process. From start to finish, cooking hominy harkens back to time-honored traditions of growing and harvesting by Choctaw forebearers. But even in these modern times of electricity, cooking hominy outdoors is the best way to ensure its cooked properly and to the best consistency.

Imagine an empty field, two groups of warriors on either side with a steady drumbeat filling the air. It is time for a battle. Nope, this is not wartime…but it is close. A Choctaw game of stickball is both physical and intense; no wonder stickball has been called “Little Brother of War.”

Stickball has been a part of Choctaw life for hundreds of years and is among the oldest American field sports. Players use two handcrafted sticks, called kabotcha, carved from hickory and bent at one end to shape the cup of the stick. Leather or deer hide strings are tied to make the cup, in which the players catch and carry the ball. A woven leather ball, called towa, is made from cloth tightly wrapped around a small stone or piece of wood. Once it is wrapped to the desired size, the maker weaves leather strings over the cloth.

The earliest historical reference to Choctaw stickball was a Jesuit priest’s account of a game around 1729. During the period, the Choctaw lived in towns and villages scattered across the area that is now southern Mississippi. When disputes arose between communities, stickball provided a peaceful way to settle the issue. These games were hard-fought contests that could involve as few as 20 or as many as 300 players. For most of the 20th century, players wore handmade uniforms consisting of pants hemmed just below the knee and open-necked, pullover shirts. They were made in the community’s colors and decorated with the diamond patterns found on traditional clothing.

From the past to the present, language is an important element of the Choctaw culture. Since its beginning, the Choctaw’s spoken language has passed on oral histories, legacies and cultural knowledge from one generation to another. The written Tribal language finds its roots in the 19th century during the period of the federal government’s forced “civilization policy”.

The modern Choctaw alphabet is a variant of the original created by Cyrus Byington – whose alphabet shares the same name. The Choctaw did not have a written language until Byington, a Christian missionary from Massachusetts, started to develop a system in the early 19th century. Following 50 years of comprehensive research, his efforts led to the Choctaw Definer (1852), Grammar of the Choctaw Language (1870), and a Choctaw Dictionary (1912). His work is considered one of the most thorough and complete lexicons for an American Indian language.

Nanih Waiya – a massive earthen mound and cave that has a significant role in the Choctaw culture is in Winston County, Mississippi. History suggests the mound and cave formation dates back more than 2,000 years and stands 125 feet above the surrounding land considered the “land of plenty” in the Choctaw migration story. Its name, Nanih Waiya, means “slanted hill” in the Chahta language. The cave mound, concealed by wetlands and pine/hardwood forests, is bordered by the slow moving Nanih Waiya Creek.

Although Choctaw history is irrevocably intertwined with Nanih Waiya, ownership of the cave and mound only recently returned to the Tribe. In 1830, the Choctaw ceded 11 million acres of land – including Nanih Waiya – to the United States as part of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. In the years that followed, the state of Mississippi maintained Nanih Waiya as a state park, and the U.S. government formally recognized its significance when it placed the mound on the National Register of Historic Places. On August 8, 2008, the state of Mississippi returned the Nanih Waiya Mound to the Choctaw people. As a result, the Tribe celebrates Nanih Waiya Day on the second Friday of every August. At the same time, the Choctaw pledged to keep the Mother Mound under Tribal control forever.

The mound is open to the public; however, the cave is closed and requires permission by either the Office of Public Information or Choctaw Wildlife and Parks to obtain access. Tours are also available upon request by contacting the Office of Public Information at 601.663.7532 or filling out a Tour Request Form.