Choctaw

The Choctaw Indians lived originally in southern Mississippi, but in the 1830s were forced to cede their lands to the United States Government and move to what is now Oklahoma. There, together with the Chickasaws, Seminoles, Creeks, and Cherokees, they formed the so-called Five Civilized Tribes, each with its own territory, government, and code of laws. This independent status continued until 1907, when Oklahoma was admitted to the Union as a state.

Speakers of Choctaw today number about 9,000. About three--fourths live in southeastern Oklahoma. This is a reservation in central Mississippi plus a branch of the tribe lives in Central Louisiana. This tribe was federally recognized in 1995. The Choctaw language is most closely related to Chickasaw, the two belonging to the Muskogean family. The name Oklahoma means "red people" in Choctaw.