Over the next year and a half, Iti Fabvssa is running a series
that covers Oklahoma Choctaw history. By examining each decade since
the Choctaw government arrived in our new homelands using Choctaw-created
documents, we will get a better understanding of Choctaw ancestors
experiences and how they made decisions that have led us into the
present. This month, we will be covering 1840-1850, a period when
Choctaws dealt with the complications of incorporating Chickasaws
into their territory, two new constitutions and the expansion of
its
economy and school system.
At the start of the 1830s, Choctaws began the process of removal
to their new homeland. In 1837, they had to deal with another difficulty
that of the Chickasaw Removal. The Chickasaw Nation would be removed
into the Choctaw Nation when they arrived in Indian Territory. In
working to resolve this new, complex issue, Choctaws and Chickasaws
passed a new constitution in 1838 that brought the two nations together
under one government. Although Choctaws and Chickasaws were united
under this constitution, the newly created Chickasaw District maintained
its own financial separation. Another significant feature of the
ChoctawChickasaw relationship was that they had to share ownership
over the entire territory that Choctaw Nation had previously received
by treaty with the US government. This meant that the two tribes
had to agree and work together when negotiating with the U.S. government
a provision that is still in effect today when it comes to
issues over land and water. Aside from this main difference, Chickasaw
and Choctaw families could live in either the Chickasaw district
or any of the three Choctaw districts and have full citizenship
rights. This consolidation of the Choctaws and Chickasaw nations
was pushed by the U.S. government in the hope that they would combine
into one people. As time progressed though, this arrangement proved
to be a source of strain between Choctaws and Chickasaws.
When Choctaws and Chickasaws revisited their constitution in 1842,
they made several changes. At the urging of Choctaw leader Peter
Pitchlynn, the legislature was divided into two parts: House and
Senate just like the U.S. Congress. Pitchlynn learned how
Congress worked while working as a Choctaw representative in Washington
D.C. and saw this bicameral legislature format to be a solution
to a problem between the four districts. Because Choctaw laws stated
that legislative representation was based on population, the smaller
Choctaw districts felt that they did not have as much influence
as the larger districts which had more representatives due to their
populations. Another change was the creation of a national court
system that would oversee the smaller district courts. As Choctaw
Nation continued to grow, it eventually required further changes
to its constitution in 1850, which we will learn about more in next
months Iti Fabvssa.
Beginning in 1845, another significant wave of Choctaws arrived
from the original homelands to Indian Territory. The 1830 Treaty
of Dancing Rabbit Creek had allowed Choctaw people to stay on their
lands in Mississippi. This part of the treaty was not honored, and
the 7,000 Choctaw people who had initially chosen to stay in Mississippi
faced incredibly harsh conditions. Beginning in 1845, 1,280 of these
Choctaw people emigrated to Indian Territory. Other federally operated
removals would continue throughout the rest of the 1840s.
Throughout the 1840s, life in Choctaw Territory became increasingly
prosperous through trading. Despite the U.S. governments failure
to provide items like looms and spindles as promised in their removal
treaty, Choctaws made the best of their situation. Families with
small farms produced enough food crops to sell their surplus at
markets while some prominent leaders and their families established
plantations that grew cotton. Choctaw women contributed greatly
with their spinning to create cloth for their families and sale.
As Choctaw settled into their new homelands, they grew the local
economy through the trading center of Doaksville. Located near Fort
Towson, Doaksville also later became Choctaw Nations capital
for a short period. Choctaw people did not just trade with Americans
in Texas and Arkansas, some Choctaws traveled down as far as New
Orleans by boat. While Choctaws developed their economic power,
this also made them targets by less honest traders who used alcohol
to take advantage of Choctaws. This led to the development of temperance
societies that advocated for the banning of alcohol. This overall
prosperity did not escape the notice of U.S. government administrators
which noted Choctaw Nations economic and political successes.
Throughout the 1840-1850 period, the Choctaw/Chickasaw General
Council passed a series of laws to regulate and expand the existing
public school system. As early as 1833, Choctaws planned to spend
their 1830 treaty annuity on constructing new schools. In 1842,
General Council passed An Act regarding public schools,
which established its boarding school system. This included the
establishment of Spencer Academy, Fort Coffee Academy, Koonsha Female
Seminary, Iannubbee Female Seminary, Chuwahla Female Seminary, and
Wheelock Female Seminary. Funding for these schools primarily came
out of funds secured by treaties with the United States. The General
Council also decided that various missionaries should run these
schools as they had already been doing at a smaller scale
in the various communities. Each school had Trustees to examine
the accounts of the schools. In this period, General Council also
sent Choctaw students to American colleges and universities so they
could come back and help lead Choctaw society. It also ensured that
one-tenth of all pupils would be orphans, demonstrating how Choctaw
Nation cared for its most vulnerable people.
Relatedly, by this period, the Presbyterian missionary Cyrus Byington
had established his church circuit where he visited churches and
preached in Choctaw. Elsewhere throughout the Choctaw Nation, Baptist
and Methodist ministers also preached. Byingtons circuit was
particularly important because his work preaching in Choctaw helped
to normalize the usage of Choctaw language in the church
which is an uncommon experience outside of Indian Territory. After
removal in these churches, Choctaw men became ordained as ministers
and pastored some of these churches. This made churches into centers
of Choctaw gathering. It was also from working with these Choctaw
communities that Byington gained a better understanding of the language.
This work led Byington to revise and improve the Choctaw dictionary
that he first put together while at the mission in the original
homelands which he could not have done without the aid of
Choctaw people. Choctaws further made significant contributions
by translating parts of the Bible and created a number of songs
that are part of the Choctaw Hymnal. Choctaws today still benefit
from this work done by Choctaws working with Byington.
Additional reading resources on this period are available on the
Choctaw Nation Cultural Service webpage (https://choctawnationculture.com/choctaw-culture/additionalresources.aspx).
Follow along with this Iti Fabvssa series in print and online at
https://www.choctawnation.com/history-culture/history/iti-fabvssa.
If you have questions or would like more information on the sources,
please contact Megan Baker at
meganb@choctawnation.com.
Next month, we will cover the period of 1850-1860 when
Choctaws continued expanding their economy.
|
Choctaw Female Seminary,
four miles west of Tuskahoma, Oklahoma. Image courtesy of
the Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma.
|
|