Choctaw, Mississippi
Choctaw Tribal Elders Oral History Project
The Mississippi Choctaws have kept much of their cultural heritage and traditions alive from one generation to another through oral traditions. Tribal community Elders have always contributed their traditional cultural knowledge and have ensured the perpetuation of Choctaw beliefs and practices. Today, many Choctaw traditional lifeways face ever-increasing risks due to a plethora of social and economic changes in the Choctaw communities. Seeing a need to preserve, maintain, and revitalize cultural traditions, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians was awarded CRF grants to design and implement the Choctaw Tribal Elders Oral History Project (CTEOHP). Designed by the Special Projects/Media Program, the goal of the project is to record video interviews with the Tribe’s Elders to capture their thoughts and memories on topics including foodways, clothing, home life, work, music and dance, social life, religion and spirituality, historical events, tribal government, and education. These interviews will be a key element in creating topical multi-media presentations and teaching materials for the Choctaw youth and other interested parties. The CTEOHP project is making important steps of preserving the cultural legacy of the Mississippi Choctaws, and in giving honor to the tribal Elders.
