Description
The Chakchiuma were a Native American tribe of the upper Yazoo River region of what is today the state of Mississippi. The identification of the Chakchiuma by the French of the late 17th century as "a Chicacha nation" indicates that they were related to the Chickasaw and of similar Western Muskogean stock. They likely shared a common origin as the Chickasaw and Choctaw people and were absorbed into the Chickasaw Nation in the mid-18th century. The first historical reference to the Chakchiuma is found when Hernando de Soto sent a contingent of troops against them while he was staying with the Chickasaw. In 1700, English colonists from the Province of Carolina convinced Quapaw tribesmen to attack the Chakchiuma in order to capture members of their tribe to sell into slavery in the Carolinas; the ensuing attack was unsuccessful. The Chakchiuma participated on the French side in the Yazoo War. In about 1739 the Chakchiuma were involved in hostilities, primarily with the Chickasaw, that led to their destruction as an independent tribe and their being incorporated into the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes.
Language
The Choctaw language is a member of the Muskogean family and was well known among the frontiersmen, such as Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison, of the early 19th century. The language is closely related to Chickasaw, and some linguists consider the two as dialects of a single language.
Culture
The Chakchiuma have also been claimed to be the ancestors of the Houma tribe, who have a red crawfish as their war totem, though their existence as distinct groups at least from their first contact with Europeans which was confirmed by French encounters. in 1699 they were probably the most populous of the Yazoo tribes, and spoke the Chickasaw language. They were an important tribe at the time of De Soto’s expedition (1540-41) and lived in a walled town. During the 18th century they were included in the Chickasaw confederacy, and had the reputation of being warlike. hey transitioned to yeoman farming methods, and accepted European Americans and African Americans into their society. In mid-summer the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians celebrate their traditional culture during the Choctaw Indian Fair with ball games, dancing, cooking and entertainment.