11/13/2023
Some other Chahta customs like,
To protect himself from evil spirits and assure success in battle, each Choctaw male, upon reaching his manhood, created for himself a totem or medicine bag, which he carried upon his person at all times. Each medicine bag was different, being made, up of items the individual felt would word off evil or bring good fortune … such as a claw from his first bear kill, a bit of earth from his house, etc. The warrior would never reveal to another the contents of his medicine bag, and if asked what the bag contained, he would probably, answer “You would not be any wiser thereby.” If a Choctaw’s medicine bag were ever,stolen, destroyed or lost, his effectiveness as a warrior, a hunter, a digger, a builder or whatever his profession was gone and he could not operate until he had found or built himself a new totem.
Religiously and politically, the ancient Choctaw Nation was a benign matriarchy. Upon marriage the husband lived with his wife’s clan and their children were members of her clan, although the husband was never admitted to full clan membership but remained a member of his own (or his mother’s) clan. Woman was considered “the giver of life.” Did she not birth the children, cause the corn to grow, cause the vegetables to grow and prepare life giving food for her husband and children.
Conversely, the man was the “taker of life.” Did he not kill the game for the family table, fight the enemy of his family and people and stand protectively between his family and the world? When a Choctaw, particularly of the hunting and warring iksas, made his first kill he was allowed to add the word “abi” (killer and pronounced ubbi) to his name. Thus you know when you meet a Choctaw whose surname ends in “obi” or “ubbi” that you are speaking of the descendant of a once mighty Choctaw warrior or hunter who earned the right to have “killer” added to his name.
The family unit was the basis of both political and religious life among the ancient Choctaws. Several families, one of which was hunters, one warriors, one builders, etc., would band together in an “iksa” or clan. The clan adopted a symbol, usually a bird or animal, and a clan color which was worn proudly as each Choctaw was proud of his or her clan. For mutual protection, several “iksas” (or clans) would band together to create a “moiety” (or town). Several moieties might then band together under a popular spokesman (or Minko) to become a nation, tribe or district. In this manner was created the three historic Choctaw districts: Ahi Apet Okla (potato eating people), Okla Hanalli (six people or six towns) and Okla Falaya (long people)
