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Preface It is difficult to adequately describe “The Choctaw”* without taking into consideration the complex histories of the three federally recognized tribal groups—­the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Mississippi Band of Choc- taw Indians, and the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians. Although each of the three tribes is a distinct po­liti­cal and social entity, they all shared common histories ­until 1832, when the first groups of Choctaw migrated from their homelands in Mississippi to Indian Territory. The marches to Indian Ter- ritory split up the Choctaw socially, physically, and eco­nom­ically. ­ Those who survived the treks westward established a new government in a new place and eventually became the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. ­Those who chose to stay in central Mississippi created a distinct social group that is now known as the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. The history of the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians is rooted in families who chose to wan- der westward into Louisiana and Texas, and is much less documented prior to the 1880s. * A note on names and naming: More frequent usage of the tribal name is Choctaw, although, among tribal members and occasionally within tribal documents, the word Chahta or Chata may be used. In some of the origin stories that follow, Chata is used to portray the name of one of the mythi- cal ­ brothers who led the migration to the ancestral land Chahta is often encountered in other sto- ries as well.