Choctaw Tales & Traditions

Overview

About the books

Choctaw Tales

From the earliest stories recorded among the Choctaw in the 1700s to the most recent stories being told today, Choctaw Tales: Stories from the Firekeepers amasses the most comprehensive collection of oral traditions of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians ever published. Originally published in 2004, Choctaw Tales was a celebration of the art of storytelling, including myths, legends, supernatural tales, prophecies, historical anecdotes, tall tales, and animal stories. Through these stories, which include fifty new stories in this edition, Choctaw narrators create, express, and negotiate their beliefs, values, humor, and life experiences, as well as those of their ancestors before them. Their stories display the intelligence, artistry, and creativity of storytellers past and present. Choctaw Tales includes new and expanded materials to keep this valued resource current.

Choctaw Traditions

A valuable collection of stories that honor the customs and traditions of everyday life in Choctaw communities

There are thousands of books that record the oral traditions of Native peoples, documenting their myths, legends, folktales, and tribal histories. Yet, there are almost none that pay the same attention to the oral traditions that make up the other 95 percent of Native American storytelling: the personal, familial, humble stories that convey the depth of cultural knowledge, traditional practices, and lived experience of Native peoples today.Choctaw Traditions: Stories of the Life and Customs of the Mississippi Choctaw draws on over 1400 stories from interviews with over one hundred tribal members, past and present, from all of the nine Choctaw communities in Mississippi and Tennessee. This breadth creates a collection of stories capturing the rich detail and complexity of Choctaw customary life. Archival stories offer a glimpse into the past, but the vast majority of the stories were recorded over the past three decades, a collaboration between Choctaw youth, Choctaw elders, Choctaw leaders, and a folklorist.

About the authors

Tom Mould is professor of anthropology and folklore at Butler University. He is author of Choctaw Prophecy: A Legacy of the Future; Choctaw Tales; Still, the Small Voice: Narrative, Personal Revelation, and the Mormon Folk Tradition; and Overthrowing the Queen: Telling Stories of Welfare in America, which won the Brian McConnell Book Award and the Chicago Folklore Prize.

Rae Nell Vaughn is a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and has served as chief justice for the Choctaw Supreme Court, chief of staff for the tribal chief, chairwoman of the board of directors of a tribally owned business, and tribal archivist.