HISTORY

At the invitation of Choctaw leaders, missionaries came to start schools for Choctaw students.  However, this led to much more, including the written version of Choctaw language.  Cyrus Byington, missionary to the Choctaw,  said with regards to teaching:

….the Choctaw children to read English the easiest and quickest way was to teach them to read       their own language first.  It was desirable, too, that adult Choctaw should have Christain truth on record in their houses in a language they could understand (as cited in York, 2012, p. 178).

Therefore, many of the first printed materials in Choctaw were related to school curriculum or church life. The first hymn was written in 1824, and the first hymnal printed in 1829 (“Chahta Vba Isht Taloa”, 2014). The first edition of the New Testament was printed in 1848 (York, 2012). These works have proven to be enduring and a touchstone for Choctaw language and culture. After removal and Oklahoma statehood, churches became the center of expression for Choctaw language and culture.  Milligan (2003) describes revival meetings that included traditional foods and activities such as building brush arbors and smoking tobacco.  During Sunday services, sermons were preached or translated into Choctaw, and hymns were sung in Choctaw.  Kidwell (2007) describes Christian influence in Choctaw life as pervasive and “ …a last bastion of Choctaw language, since many young people were not learning Choctaw in their own homes. In churches, hymns, preaching, and scripture-reading used the Choctaw language.” (p. 206).  In modern times, tribal people still gather at churches and get-togethers for “gospel singings” to eat traditional foods and speak and sing in Choctaw.

A contribution of the Choctaw language of international consequence is that of the World War I code talkers. World War I is significant in multitudinous ways, such as it was the first instance of the US military sending soldiers abroad for the defense of foreign soil.  In April 1917, the US army had less than 130,000 officers and soldiers. By the end of the war, over four million had served in the US Army (A World at War: The American Expeditionary Forces, n.d.). Although not legally compelled by the Selective Service Act of 1917, nearly 20% of the eligible Indian male population were drafted or heavily recruited for military service. Included among these Native soldiers were a group of Choctaw men, some of whom were to be hailed as the first code talkers in US history (Selcer, 2018). However, Meadows (2021) posits that the Choctaw were not the first tribe in the WWI timeline to send messages in a Native tongue.  Yet, he does acknowledge that, during World War I, Choctaws are the only ones that are known to have formed intentionally coded vocabulary.  The Choctaw Code talkers’ time of serving in such a capacity was brief but impactful.  The first known use of Choctaw to send coded military communications was October 26th, 1918 (Selcer, 2018). Less than 3 weeks later, the Armistice was signed to conclude WWI. Yet the success of their venture likely contributed to its brevity.  Some speculate that the Choctaw Code Talkers could be credited with shortening the Great War by several months, if not years (Red-horse, 2010).  Despite growing up in an era that fostered eradication of tribal language and customs, these Choctaw soldiers contributed their skills to promote the overall good.  As Milligan (2003) states, “The language that had been outlawed by the American schools system and compared to “cursing” by some white preachers and teachers was used to save thousands of lives” (p.251). They also paved the way for Native code talkers that were to follow. In 2008, the Code Talker Recognition Act was passed to award medals in recognition of tribal language military contributions. As of the time of this writing, 35 different tribes have been recognized (United Stated Mint, 2023).