Nanikhvna / Education

Nanikhvna, also, Education. . , Formal education for the Choctaws began in the early 1800's with the support of missionaries and the establishment of academies and seminaries and a network of "neighborhood" and "Sabbath schools." , Cyrus Byington and Loren S. Williams, missionaries to the Choctaws, lived among the Choctaws and immersed themselves in the language with the concentrated effort of teaching Choctaws how to read and write in their own language and in English. , Before Removal, male students were sent to academies to learn academics, agricultural practices, and useful skills. Academics, proper etiquette, cooking, sewing, and housekeeping were taught to female students in seminaries. In addition, students were taught the fundamental practices of Christianity. , Prior to Removal, Choctaws negotiated a treaty right for higher education for their youth. As a result, many students attended colleges in the east. This action served as a model for many Indian tribes securing educational rights with the federal government. The Choctaw government was the first government in the United States to fund education. , After removal to Oklahoma, many neighborhood schools were established across the Choctaw Nation. Seventy five percent of the Choctaw Nation budget went to education in the 1800's. In 1852, Allen Wright was the first Indian in America to receive a Master's Degree. Rev. Wright is credited for suggesting the name 'Oklahoma' for the state. , Before statehood, Choctaw schools attained a high rate of success that was the envy of neighboring states. Choctaw schools taught students in both English and Choctaw. After statehood, the Choctaw language was not taught and was discouraged from being spoken in government boarding schools. , Since the counting of Indian college graduates began in the U.S. Census, statistics indicate that there are more Choctaw college graduates than any other Indian Tribe in the United States.