ESL and American Indians

Whenever I introduce Choctaw culture, I am reminded of our Tribal ancestors who still live in our collective memory. The stories of their lives, full of both triumph and tragedy, remind us of our strong Choctaw heritage, and they are the background against which our current renaissance of Choctaw cultural arts, educational achievements, and progressive economic developments are illuminated. What it means to be Choctaw is deeply rooted within each of us. Our identity, ultimately defined by our blood, continues from generation-to-generation. Our strong inner spirit that has sustained us throughout history manifests itself again and again in beautiful and creative ways outwardly towards others.

– Tribal Chief Bealsey Denson, Choctaw Nation – (Excerpt from a Welcome Speech –2004)

READING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Directions: Take turns reading aloud the excerpt from the speech made by Chief Denson.

Highlight or underline those words and phrases which in your opinion are positive and interpret their meaning in your own words.

Prepare a brief description of your culture using as many of the words and phrases you highlighted in Question 1 as you can.

The Choctaw: A Concise History

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1. The Choctaw are a proud people with an arduous history. Like their neighbors the Cherokee, the Choctaw were forced to move from their land. Theirs is also a history of intrigue and glory. One reason is that their forefathers played an important role during World War I in this country! In the following pages you’ll learn the meanings of: Code talkers, head flattening, and the Green Corn festival.
2. The antecedents of the Choctaw people were part of a very large group of Indians which inhabited the southern and middle Mississippi valley region as much as 4,000-8,000 years ago. Several Spanish expeditions in the early 1500’s might have contacted the Choctaw, but there is no question that Hernando De Soto’s 1540 expedition encountered them: The Choctaw inflicted a significant loss on De Soto’s men in a battle near present-day Mobile, Alabama in 1541, and De Soto’s expedition never recovered from the violent confrontation.
3. As with all of the other American Indian tribes, the Choctaw had always had conflicts with the various neighbors, most notably the Chickasaw. But the coming of the Europeans greatly intensified the wars and battles.
4. Beginning about 1700, both British and French traders vied for trade relations with the tribes, with the Choctaw ending up allied with the French, and the Chickasaw allied with the British. Besides direct conflicts between the British and French (due to their European wars), the traders stirred up many additional wars between the Choctaw and the Chickasaw tribe. The traders also caused conflict between the Choctaw and the Creeks.
5. When the French and Indian War ended in 1763, the Treaty of Paris removed the French from east of the Mississippi River, and the Choctaw became part of Britain’s empire. During the American Revolution, some Choctaw fought for the colonists under Washington and other generals, while other Choctaw fought on the side of the British.
6. Following the American Revolution in 1783, the Choctaw signed the Treaty of Hopewell with the new United States, placing the tribe under the protection of the new government. However, pressure from the white settlers steadily increased, and by 1800, the Choctaw were beginning to cede some of their lands.
7. In 1811, the noted Shawnee chief Tecumseh was attempting to establish an Indian Confederacy to resist further encroachment. He asked the Choctaw to become part of the confederacy, but the Choctaw chose not to join him and attempted to live in harmony with the U.S. Yet throughout this time, pressure on the Choctaw to leave their traditional grounds steadily increased.
8. In 1830, then-President Andrew Jackson forced the Choctaw to be the first tribe to be removed from their homelands and relocated in Oklahoma. Almost 15,000 traveled, while about 5,000 remained behind in Mississippi. Many died along the path, victims of disease, exposure, and malnutrition.
9. The newly removed Choctaw tribe set about building new lives in Oklahoma, establishing schools and churches, drafting written laws and a constitution, and taking on many of the white settler’s ways.
10. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), most of the Choctaw sided with the Confederacy and several Choctaw battalions were raised, though none saw extensive battle. During World War I (1914-1918) many Choctaw fought, and 14 Choctaw men became Indian “code talkers”, using their language for military communications, which could not be deciphered by the German enemy.

Exercise 1 Vocabulary Practice

PART A

Locate and highlight each of the following words from the story in the paragraphs in parenthesis. Next, try to infer the meanings from the context. Use a dictionary to check your answers. Add and highlight any other words that you may find.

antecedents (1)

expedition (1)

vied (2)

allied (2)

cede (4)

harmony (5)

PART B

With your group, create sentences using the vocabulary words.

Exercise 2 Reading Comprehension (True/False)

Directions: Read each of the following statements concerning the reading and decide if it is true or false. If the statement is false, correct it. In each case, locate the appropriate part in the reading to confirm your answer.

The progenitors of the Choctaw lived 4,000-8,000 years ago.

The Choctaw won the battle against DeSoto and his men.

The battle occurred near what is today known as Georgia.

De Soto recovered from the battle.

Exercise 3 Questions for Reflection and Discussion

Although the colonists were steadily moving into their territory, the Choctaw refused to join Tecumseh and the Indian Confederation. Discuss the possible reasons for their refusal.

The Choctaw wanted to live “in harmony” with the white settlers. Discuss your reasons for why this arrangement would have or would not have been possible.

Discuss the possible reasons why the Choctaw battled Chickasaw and Creeks.

Exercise 4 Research Activities

Choose a topic from the following list and prepare a presentation for class or for group discussion.

• World War I
• American Revolution
• Civil War

Exercise 5 Writing Activities

Directions: Choose one of the following writing activities.

Reread the history of the Choctaw and create a timeline for them from 1500-1918.

Select an event from the Choctaw history and write an essay in which you describe the event in detail.

Sources:

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• Choctaw History: The Choctaw Trail of Tears
• Wikipedia

A Choctaw Myth

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The Gift Of Tanchi (Corn)

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Once upon a time there were two Choctaws camped out under a summer moon when they heard a beautiful but sad sound. They walked along the river’s edge following the sound until they came upon a woman standing on a mound of earth.

She was very beautiful, surrounded by light, and wore a dress of white decorated with delicate flowers. Now these two Choctaws had very good manners so they asked her right away how they could help her. “I am hungry,” she said with a small sad voice. The men did not have much food but they gave her their entire supper, and they gave it to her happily. The lovely lady ate only a little and thanked them with a promise.

“If you will go and tell no one you saw me, I will ask my father, the Great Spirit, to give you a great and wondrous gift. Return to this exact spot at the next moon.” A little breeze suddenly blew by and she was gone. The Choctaws returned to their families and said nothing, even though they wanted to.

At the next moon, they quickly returned to the spot but were saddened to see that the woman was not there. But on the exact spot where she stood was a tall green plant with leaves that looked like the swords of the white men. The food this plant gave could be eaten in many different ways, all of which were delicious. The children liked the popcorn it gave best. That plant was the corn plant, of course, a great gift, indeed.

Exercise 1. Vocabulary Practice

Directions: Circle the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word from the reading. Use the context of the sentences to help you figure out the meaning of each word.

.… until they came upon a woman standing on a mound of earth.

1. the sandy part of earth
2. a small natural hill
3. a shape

She was very beautiful, surrounded by light…

1. release
2. encircled
3. smothered

…wore a dress of white decorated with delicate flowers.

1. embellished
2. stark
3. simple

1. popped corn
2. crushed corn
3. sweet corn

Exercise 2. Questions for Reflection and Discussion

Is there a moral to this myth? If so explain it.

If there a similar myth in your culture, share it with your group.

In a group, create a myth that explains how something came to be.

Exercise 3. Writing Activities

Directions: Choose one of the following and write about the topic:

Write a paragraph in which you explain the reason why the Choctaw created a myth about corn.

With the members of your group compose a myth about how another source of food was created.