This article contains interesting facts, pictures and information about the life of the Chickasaw Native Indian Tribe of the Southeast cultural group.
The Chickasaw Tribe Summary and Definition: The Chickasaw tribe of northeastern Mississippi were known for their brave, warlike and independent disposition. They were regarded as the most formidable warriors of the Southeast and referred to as the "Unconquered". The Chickasaw were farmers, fishers and hunter-gatherers who undertook long excursions throughout the Mississippi valley region.
Facts about the Chickasaw Native Indian Tribe This article contains fast, fun facts and interesting information about the Chickasaw Native American Indian tribe. Find answers to questions like where did the Chickasaw tribe live, what clothes did they wear and what food did they eat? Discover what happened to the Chickasaw tribe with facts about their wars and history.
What was the lifestyle and culture of the Chickasaw tribe? The Chickasaw tribe are descendants of people called the Chickemicaws, who were among the first inhabitants of the ancient Mexican empire and the Mississippian culture. These ancient people built earthwork mounds at their villages located throughout the Mississippi River valley (refer to the Natchez Tribe for more facts). The Chickasaw people established villages across the Deep South and used dugout canoes to travel along the rivers and waterways. Their numbers diminished due to the diseases brought by the Europeans including the Spanish, French and British. They allied with the British against the French who attacked the Chickasaw in numerous military expeditions, attempting to break the stranglehold the Chickasaw imposed upon French commerce on the lower Mississippi. The French were defeated by the fierce warriors on every occasion. Following the War of Independence the 'civilizing programs' began. Many Chickasaw people adopted European practises such as European style dress, housing and farming techniques but were eventually sent to reservations. The Chickasaw tribe became known as one of the Five Civilised Tribes who also included the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw and Seminoles tribes.
Where did the Chickasaw tribe live? The Chickasaw are people of the Southeast Native American cultural group. The location of their tribal homelands are shown on the map. The geography of the region in which they lived dictated the lifestyle and culture of the Chickasaw tribe.
The Southeast region extended mainly across the states of Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida
Land: River Valleys, mountains and swamps
Climate: The climate was hot and humid in the summer and mild in the winter
Animals: The animals included rabbit, wild hog, turkey, opossum, raccoon, squirrel and deer
Crops: The crops grown in the area were corn, beans, squash
Natural resources: Fruit, seeds, pumpkins and nuts
Map showing location of the Southeast Native American Tribes
What did the Chickasaw tribe live in? The Chickasaw tribe lived in different types of shelters over the years. The Mississippian culture people built earthwork mounds at their villages with grass houses. As the Chickasaw people lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle on the Mississippi flood plain, they built their houses on stilts called Chickees. Chickee stilt houses had no walls, they consisted of thick posts supporting a thatched roof and a flat wooden platform raised several feet off the ground and built along river banks, marshes and waterways. Villages consisting of Wattle and daub houses were sometimes built as winter homes. The American settlers brought new ideas and sharp tools that replaced the stone axes, and some of the Chickasaw began to build villages of American-style log cabins. Chickasaw villages were fortified by palisades to guard against attack.
What language did the Chickasaw tribe speak? The Chickasaw tribe spoke in in several related dialects of the Muskogean language family, similar to the Choctaws. The Chickasaw name for the Great Spirit is "Ababinili"
What did the Chickasaw tribe eat? The food that the Chickasaw tribe ate included included their crops of beans, corn and squash. Chickasaw men also hunted deer, bear, wild turkeys, small game and fish obtained on long hunting excursions throughout the Mississippi valley region. Some even travelled to the plains to hunt buffalo. Their diet was also supplemented with a variety of nuts, fruits, and herbs.
What weapons did the Chickasaw use? The weapons used by the Chickasaw Native Indians included war clubs, knives, bows and arrows, maces and axes. The Europeans introduced muskets and then rifles. The war-like Chickasaw had numerous enemies including the Choctaw, Creeks, Caddo, Kickapoo, Shawnee, Osage, Quapaw and Yuchi. The Chickasaw were great military strategists and their strength was to employ unexpected tactics. The Chickasaw people believed that the ghost of a dead warrior would haunt his relatives until he was avenged. The Chickasaw always sought retaliation and revenge - the only question was when and where.
What clothes did the Chickasaw wear? Chickasaw clothes were primarily made from buckskin. The men wore breechcloths with thigh-high deerskin boots. The women wore a knee-length dress. The Chickasaw removed all body hair and made extensive use of tattooing and body paint. The warriors wore a scalp lock with a roach style headdress adorned with feathers. The most honored Chickasaw warriors wore a mantle of swan feathers. By the 1800's the Chickasaw were greatly influenced by the American style of dress and the availability of trade cloth.
Chickasaw History: What happened to the Chickasaw tribe? The following Chickasaw history timeline details facts, dates and famous landmarks of the people. The Chickasaw timeline explains what happened to the people of their tribe. 1736, 1741, 1752
Chickasaw History Timeline
700AD: The Mississippian culture began
1542: The Hernando De Soto expedition encounters the Chickasaw
1500's: Epidemics of smallpox and measles and inter-tribal warfare diminish the Chickasaw populations in the late 1500's and 1600's
1673: Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet exploring the Mississippi River
1682: Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Henri Tonti make contact with the Chickasaw Native Indians and the French establish a colony and trading posts
1698 British traders visit to the Chickasaw villages and establish trading links. The Chickasaw become allied with the British
1702: The Queen Anne's War (1702-1713) and the Chickasaw were allied to the British
1729: The Nachez Revolt (1729 - 1731) The Chickasaw fight with the Natchez against the French
1736: The Chickasaw Wars (1736, 1739 and 1752) were fought between the Chickasaw tribe allied with the British against the French and their Choctaw allies
1744: The English trader, James Adair, establishes a long term, friendly relationship with the Chickasaw, and eventually publishes a manuscript about the tribe
1754: The Chickasaws again fight with the British during the French Indian War, aka the Seven Years War, (1754-1763)
1775: The American Revolutionary War
1786: The Hopewell Treaty; northern boundary of the Ohio River
1796: The 'civilizing programs' began, instigated by George Washington, which led to the name of the Five Civilised Tribes
1813: The Chickasaw fought under Andrew Jackson in the Creek War, aka Red Stick War (1813–1814)
1830: The Indian Removal Act of 1830
1832: The Treaty of Pontotoc Creek (October 20, 1832) ceded Chickasaw lands east of the Mississippi in exchange for land west of the Mississippi
1837: Treaty of Doaksville, when the Chickasaws agreed to occupy the westernmost district of the Choctaw nation in central Oklahoma
1837: Removal to Indian Territory begins
1856: Chickasaw Nation is created
1861: The Civil War erupted, the Chickasaw Nation was the first of the Five Civilized Tribes to become allies of the Confederate States of America
1887: The Dawes Act
1889: First Land Rush, 50,000 new settlers
1893, President Grover Cleveland appoints Senator Henry L. Dawes, to negotiate land with the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole tribes
1893: The Dawes Rolls, or the Final Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes, entitled an allotment of land to tribe members, in return for abolishing their governments and recognizing Federal laws
1934: The individual allotment policy of the Dawes Act was terminated by the Indian Reorganization Act
Chickasaw History Timeline
Chickasaw
Interesting Facts and information about the way the people lived
The clothes worn by men and women
Description of the homes and the type of food the people would eat
Fast Facts and info about the Chickasaw tribe
Interesting Homework resource for kids on the history of the Chickasaws
Pictures and Videos of Native American Indians and their Tribes The Chickasaw Tribe was one of the most famous tribes of Native American Indians. Discover the vast selection of pictures on the subject of the tribes of Famous Native Americans such as the Chickasaw nation. The pictures show the clothing, war paint, weapons and decorations of various Native Indian tribes, such as the Chickasaw tribe, that can be used as a really useful educational resource for kids and children of all ages. We hope you enjoy watching the video - just click and play - a great social studies homework resource for kids .
