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The Choctaw Nation has a long history, including contact with Europeans, participation in armed conflicts, and the tragic Trail of Tears. In the 20th century, the tribe reorganized and gained sovereignty, with two major bands now owning and operating casino resorts and other businesses.
The Choctaw Nation is a Native American tribe in the American Southeast that has a long and well-recorded history. Choctaw history can be divided into several periods beginning with the era before the tribe was removed from its lands, the removal and post-Removal eras, the reorganization of the tribe in the early 20th century, and the modern status of the tribe . Many key events mark Choctaw history, including participation in armed conflict, the ratification of numerous treaties, forcible relocation, and eventual tribal recognition by the United States government.
According to Choctaw history, the tribe first came into contact with Europeans in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when French and British settlers and traders first arrived in Louisiana. During the American Revolution, some Choctaws supported the British while others joined the American rebels and served primarily as scouts. The Choctaw would remain reluctant to ally with other tribes against the United States, preferring to live in peace. The tribe joined the Americans in the War of 16. Subsequently, tribal leaders signed a series of treaties culminating in the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 17 which resulted in the total transfer of nearly 1812 million acres of tribal land to the United States.
Choctaw history also includes tragic events. Once the tribal lands were turned over to the United States government, the Choctaws were forced to move west to what is now Oklahoma beginning in 1831. Of the approximately 15,000 Choctaws removed from 1831 to 1833, it is believed that more than 2,500 died on the move now known as the Trail of Tears. Those tribesmen who remained in Mississippi after the first wave of relocation were subject to social and legal harassment. Fewer than 2,000 Choctaw still lived in Mississippi in 1930. The post-Removal era is characterized by the U.S. government’s abandonment of the Choctaw people and the tribe’s descent into poverty and isolation.
Twentieth-century Choctaw history chronicles a tribal revival. Despite the Choctaw’s continued service in the U.S. military, including service in World War I as Choctaw Code Talkers, the United States showed little concern for the tribe until the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934. The Choctaw were able to reorganize , establish a government and adopt a tribal constitution. As a result, the tribe was granted a reservation and the right to administer its own education, healthcare, housing and legal services.
There are now two major Choctaw bands in the United States: the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Economic stability and tribal sovereignty characterize current Choctaw history. Both the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians own and operate casino resorts. In addition to casinos, the Choctaw Nation also owns businesses ranging from bingo halls to gas stations and smoke shops.
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