Choctaw "Tobaksi" Village

Choctaw "Tobaksi" Village. . These structures represent the villages that Choctaw people built in Mississippi prior to coming to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. Choctaw villages were commonly named after a distinguishing feature of the local area. This representational village is named "Tobaksi", the Choctaw word for "coal". Tobaksi was Anglicized in Indian Territory and pronounced Tobucksy., At the center of a Choctaw village was a dance ground "ahihla", where important spiritual activities took place. Some of the larger villages had earth mounds "nvnih", on top of which stood the council house, temple, or leader's house. The earth mounds were monumental architecture for the community. Built one basket load of dirt at a time, they were often aligned with cosmic bodies, and sometimes had brilliantly colored surfaces., During the cool months, Choctaw families lived in warm, circular-shaped homes "Hvshtula Chukka". Walls were made of wooden posts, interwoven with cane and plastered with clay. Roofs were thatched with bark or palmetto. Raised beds covered with softly tanned animal hides lined the interior of the walls. During the summer, families lived in more open, rectangular homes, some of which were as simple as a brush arbor "iti chishakko"., Stickball is an exciting Choctaw sport. A village might have had a stickball playing field "atoli" located nearby, for teams from other villages or Tribes to come play., Choctaw people give honor to this representational village by using it to demonstrate their ancestors' way of life. However, the influence of the people of the Choctaw Nation (and other tribes) will continue to be an important part of the identity of the great state of Oklahoma in the 21st century and beyond.