Native ChocTalk presents: “The Voice of the Chahta Taloa (Choctaw Song): Sarah De Herrera, Okla Chahta Clan of California”

The Trail of Tears…it’s the story of heartbreak and sorrow for those who didn’t survive, as well as for those who did. And for us as descendants of the survivors, when we hear the phrase, “Trail of Tears” we are immediately taken to a place of mourning for those who suffered.

Yet, the Choctaw are known for their generosity, kindness, and strength. You’ll hear many Choctaws speak about this tragic event, but you’ll also hear about how today, we celebrate resiliency and survival. As much as there is acknowledgement of this tragedy, there’s also much hope and inspiration - this is truly the Choctaw way.

And such a story of inspiration was told by observers who recounted that as the Choctaw made their arduous journey, an unlikely sound could be heard sweeping through the trees – singing! Beautiful singing of Choctaw hymns, filled with courage and nostalgia, emanated from these weary travelers’ voices. How did they find such strength? How was it even possible to sing during the worst of times?  

Today, the Choctaw still gather at churches on Sundays and at special events, sharing their sacred and historical hymns. There are a few recordings of these lovely traditional songs. And I’d like to introduce you to a very talented woman, doing her part to preserve ALL of the Choctaw hymns. And when I say “all”, I mean all 163 of them – a feat that has never been attempted before!

My guest today, Sarah De Herrera is on a mission to record all 163 Choctaw hymns but it’s for more than just preservation. Her mission is to bring healing for generational trauma, through those hymns that were sung along the Trail of Tears and beyond.

You’ll love this episode, as you’ll not only hear Sarah singing some lovely songs in the Choctaw language, but you’ll also hear about:

• The significance of a preacher named Cyrus Byington
• The life of a Choctaw princess – it’s not as easy as you may think!
• The story of her grandpa and the pucker-toed moccasins
• Interesting stories written about her ancestor, Willie Spring

By the way, if there are any Usray or Spring or Fisher folks out there, let us know! Sarah is on the hunt to find more of her ancestors’ descendants.

Yakoke, Sarah!

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Native ChocTalk Presents: “Robert Baker on Choctaws in the War of 1812, the Significance of Armstrong Academy in Bokchito, & More!”

Last September I stopped by Choctaw Nation Headquarters and enjoyed a conversation with Robert Baker, who contributes to our Choctaw language department on a daily basis (yakoke, Robert!).

In this episode, you’ll hear Robert share about:

• His great great grandfather, Ben Carterby, a Code Talker in World War 1
• How Choctaws played a big part in the War of 1812
• Robert’s war reenactments
• His experience playing stickball (you’ll find his life size photo in the First Americans Museum!)
• Interesting stories of Bokchito and Armstrong academy
• Robert reads a story he wrote in Choctaw called, “No Tail Raccoon” (you’ll love this)

Also, a special kudos to Robert’s aunt who made some beautiful earrings that he was able to give me – they’re beautiful!

By the way, would YOU like to take some Choctaw language classes? It’s worth your time and is at no cost. I usually do the Tuesday and Thursday evening classes so perhaps I could be your classmate! Click on this link to learn more. https://choctawschool.com/classes/internet-classes.aspx

Yakoke, Robert for all you do and for sharing your interesting family stories!

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Native ChocTalk Present: Part 2 of “A Fascinating New Look at Our Choctaw History by the Decade: Megan Baker (Choctaw), Historic Preservation Dept., Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma”

Most people have heard of the Removal, or what's called, "the Trail of Tears", in which our Indigenous people were removed from their lands beginning in the early 1800s and were relocated to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

The Choctaw were the very first to make the trek from Mississippi to their new home. The journey was deadly for some. Many of our people passed away due to harsh weather conditions, illness, starvation, and at the hands of the soldiers who were transporting them.

But what happened next, once the Choctaw arrived in Indian Territory? And what became of the Choctaws who refused to be removed and to those who ran away into the swamps to hide?

These questions have come to my mind over the years, and I’ve found answers here and there, but I needed to learn more. And not only that, I’ve probably pondered hundreds of other questions too.

Enter Megan Baker.

Although Megan may not realize it, she’s my new best friend in all things Choctaw history and has graciously put up with the many – ok, hundreds – of questions I’ve sent her way (yakoke for putting up with me, Megan). By the way, I don’t just like her for her history expertise – she’s also equal parts really cool AND a level 5 history nerd like me (only she’s actually getting her PhD in the subject and all – ok maybe she’s a level 10).

Meagan is a Research Assistant for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s Historic Preservation department and is currently working on her PhD in Anthropology from UCLA. Her masters is in American Indian Studies from UCLA and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnicity and Race Studies from Columbia University. Yep, she’s definitely a level 20.

I’ve eagerly followed Megan’s monthly series in the “Iti Fabvssa”, a column in our Choctaw Nation’s Biskinik paper for quite a while, soaking in our history that she has tirelessly broken out by decades. But not only that. She has studied thousands of original documents, records and accounts by the Choctaw themselves (not just the history books) to bring us a very different viewpoint than what we’ve heard before. So it was an honor when she agreed to join me in this special 2-part Native ChocTalk episode.

Did you know….

• Life for the Choctaw wasn’t all rosy once they settled into their new land? Not surprisingly, they were placed into the lands of the Caddo, Osage and Comanche. So naturally, villages were raided, cattle was stolen and yep, life was pretty scary and contentious.
• That Mark Twain met Chief Peter Pitchlynn?
• Choctaw coal mining used to be a big deal in Oklahoma?
• 9 TONS of Choctaw records were purposely destroyed (does it make you want to cry too)?

After listening to this episode, who else wants to watch Megan roller skate to work? Let me know!

Whether you are Native or non-Native, if you love history, but want to see it in a new light, you’ll love this conversation too!

So please join Megan and me in this journey through each decade with the Choctaws after their removal to Indian Territory. And yakoke to Megan for her hundreds of hours of research that came in handy when I asked my yhundreds of questions – keep up that great work for our tribe and for future generations to come!

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/

Native ChocTalk Present: “A Fascinating New Look at Our Choctaw History by the Decade: Megan Baker (Choctaw), Historic Preservation Dept., Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma”

Most people have heard of the Removal, or what's called, "the Trail of Tears", in which our Indigenous people were removed from their lands beginning in the early 1800s and were relocated to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

The Choctaw were the very first to make the trek from Mississippi to their new home. The journey was deadly for some. Many of our people passed away due to harsh weather conditions, illness, starvation, and at the hands of the soldiers who were transporting them.

But what happened next, once the Choctaw arrived in Indian Territory? And what became of the Choctaws who refused to be removed and to those who ran away into the swamps to hide?

These questions have come to my mind over the years, and I’ve found answers here and there, but I needed to learn more. And not only that, I’ve probably pondered hundreds of other questions too.

Enter Megan Baker.

Although Megan may not realize it, she’s my new best friend in all things Choctaw history and has graciously put up with the many – ok, hundreds – of questions I’ve sent her way (yakoke for putting up with me, Megan). By the way, I don’t just like her for her history expertise – she’s also equal parts really cool AND a level 5 history nerd like me (only she’s actually getting her PhD in the subject and all – ok maybe she’s a level 10).

Meagan is a Research Assistant for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s Historic Preservation department and is currently working on her PhD in Anthropology from UCLA. Her masters is in American Indian Studies from UCLA and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnicity and Race Studies from Columbia University. Yep, she’s definitely a level 20.

I’ve eagerly followed Megan’s monthly series in the “Iti Fabvssa”, a column in our Choctaw Nation’s Biskinik paper for quite a while, soaking in our history that she has tirelessly broken out by decades. But not only that. She has studied thousands of original documents, records and accounts by the Choctaw themselves (not just the history books) to bring us a very different viewpoint than what we’ve heard before. So it was an honor when she agreed to join me in this special 2-part Native ChocTalk episode.

Did you know….

• Life for the Choctaw wasn’t all rosy once they settled into their new land? Not surprisingly, they were placed into the lands of the Caddo, Osage and Comanche. So naturally, villages were raided, cattle was stolen and yep, life was pretty scary and contentious.
• That Mark Twain met Chief Peter Pitchlynn?
• Choctaw coal mining used to be a big deal in Oklahoma?
• 9 TONS of Choctaw records were purposely destroyed (does it make you want to cry too)?

After listening to this episode, who else wants to watch Megan roller skate to work? Let me know!

Whether you are Native or non-Native, if you love history, but want to see it in a new light, you’ll love this conversation too!

So please join Megan and me in this journey through each decade with the Choctaws after their removal to Indian Territory. And yakoke to Megan for her hundreds of hours of research that came in handy when I asked my yhundreds of questions – keep up that great work for our tribe and for future generations to come!

Native ChocTalk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nativechoctalkpodcast

All Podcast Episodes: https://nativechoctalk.com/podcasts/