A Tribal History of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

FAIN: FB-53696-08

Katherine M. Osburn
Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, TN 38505-0001)

The emergence of the Mississippi Choctaws as a viable Indian nation in the biracial South after Indian removal is a story that still awaits thorough telling. The government had promised that Choctaws who wished to remain in Mississippi could apply for land, but they failed to follow through and the Choctaws were left destitute. Over the next century, however, the Choctaws rebuilt their tribe. This study offers insights into wider comparative and theoretical issues in the humanities. How do the experiences of Choctaw sharecroppers compare with those of white and African-American sharecroppers? How does identity change over time? What role does gender play in adaptation and survival, and how do those roles shift over time? How do official policies and external definitions affect communities? How do racial and class resentments and regional prejudices shape Indian lives, and how do those attitudes evolve in response to changing political conditions?