Mount Tabor Indian Community

The Mount Tabor Indian Community is made up of the lineal descendants of the six remaining families of Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Muscogee-Creek Indians, who have continued to reside in rural Rusk, Smith (and after 1873 Gregg) counties of east Texas from historical times to present day. Official Tribal Name: Mount Tabor Indian Community Address: P.O. Box 2472, Kilgore, TX  75662-2472 Phone: Email:

Official Website: mounttaborcommunity.org Recognition Status: Unrecognized (Seeking Federal Recognition) Traditional Name / Traditional Meaning: Common Name: Alternate names / Alternate spellings / Misspellings: Name in other languages: Region: State(s) Today: Traditional Territory: Confederacy: Five Civilized Tribes, Muskogean Treaties: The Choctaw signed nine treaties with the United States before the Civil War, beginning with the Treaty of Hopewell in 1786 – which set boundaries and established universal peace between the two nations. Subsequent treaties, however, reshaped those borders and forced the Choctaw to cede millions of acres of land. In 1830, the United States seized the last of the Choctaw’s ancestral territory and relocated the tribe to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi Reservations: Land Area: Tribal Headquarters: Time Zone:   Population at Contact: Registered Population Today: Tribal Enrollment Requirements: Genealogy Resources: Black Choctaws adopted through the Dawes Commission Government: Charter: Name of Governing Body: Number of Council members: Dates of Constitutional amendments: Number of Executive Officers: Elections: Language Classification: Muskogean >> Western Muskogean >> Choctaw Language Dialects: Number of fluent Speakers  Dictionary: The Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, Translated into Choktaw Language Origins: Bands, Gens, and Clans The Choctaw like all of the Muscogean tribes was a matriarchal and clan culture. There were two distinct Moieties: Imoklashas (elders) and Inhulalatas (youth). Each moiety had several clans or Iskas, it is estimated there were about 12 Iskas altogether. Identity was established first by Moiety and Iska, so a Choctaw identified himself first as Imoklasha or Inhulata and second as Choctaw. The Choctaw clans include the Wind, Bear, Deer, Wolf, Panther, Holly Leaf, Bird, Raccoon and Crawfish Clans. Related Tribes: The Five Civilized Tribes are the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek (Muscogee), and Seminole. They are so called because they were some of the first tribes to adopt European culture as their own. Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Jena Band of Choctaw, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Texas Band of Choctaw Indians (Yowani Choctaw), MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians, Mount Tabor Indian Community The Chickasaw and Choctaw were once one tribe. Some Choctaw were once members of the Cherokee tribe. Traditional Allies: The Choctaw were early allies of the French, Spanish and British during the 18th century. Traditional Enemies: In the 1750's the tribe was involved in a Civil War that decimated whole villages. The division was driven by factions affiliated with the Spanish and the other the French. In the 18th century the Choctaw were generally at war with the Creeks or the Chickasaw Indians. Ceremonies / Dances / Games: Choctaw Stickball Modern Day Events & Tourism: Legends / Oral Stories: Choctaw Creation Story Art & Crafts: Animals: Clothing: Adornment: Housing: Subsistance: Economy Today: Religion & Spiritual Beliefs: Burial Customs: Wedding Customs Radio: Newspapers:

Choctaw People of Note:

Lane Adams - Major League Baseball player, Kansas City Royals (Nephew of Choctaw Tribal member and attorney Kalyn Free) Marcus Amerman (b. 1959) - bead, glass, and performance artist Michael Burrage (b. 1950) - former U.S. District Judge Steve Burrage (b. 1952) - Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Choctaw Code Talkers - World War I veterans Clarence Carnes (1927–1988) - Alcatraz inmate Tobias William Frazier, Sr. (1892–1975) - Choctaw code talker Samantha Crain (b. 1986) - singer/songwriter, musician Kalyn Free - attorney Rosella Hightower (1920–2008) - prima ballerina Phil Lucas (1942–2007) - filmmaker Green McCurtain (d. 1910) - Chief from 1902–1910 Cal McLish (1925–2010) - Major League Baseball pitcher Devon A. Mihesuah (b. 1957) - author, editor, historian Joseph Oklahombi (1895-1960) - Choctaw code talker Peter Pitchlynn (1806–1881) - Chief from 1860–1866 Gregory E. Pyle (b. 1949) - former Chief of the Choctaw Nation Summer Wesley - attorney, writer, and activist Wallis Willis - composer and Choctaw freedman Scott Aukerman (b. 1970) - actor, comedy writer, podcaster Catastrophic Events: Tribe History: Although their first encounter with Europeans ended in a bloody battle with Hernando de Soto’s fortune-hunting expedition in 1540, the Choctaw would come to embrace European traders who arrived in their homeland nearly two centuries later. Following the Revolutionary War, many Choctaw had already intermarried, converted to Christianity and adopted other white customs. The Choctaw became known as one of America’s Five Civilized Tribes, which also included the Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek and Seminole. The Choctaw Tribe of Oklahoma ended up in Oklahoma after a forced march from their homeland, now referred to as the Trail of Tears. Many different Indian tribes had their own trail of tears, but the Choctaw were the first tribe to make this trek to what was then Indian Territory, now called Oklahoma. During World War I and II, the U.S. Military used members of the Choctaw Nation for secure communications. They became the first code-talkers. Choctaw History Timeline In the News: Further Reading: