List of Choctaw chiefs facts for kids
This is a list of the important political leaders, called chiefs, who have guided the Choctaws. The Choctaw people lived in areas that are now Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Later, many moved to what is now Oklahoma. These chiefs helped make important decisions for their communities.
Contents
Early Choctaw Divisions
Long ago, the Choctaw Nation in the eastern part of the United States was split into three main areas. These areas were called Okla Hannali, Okla Falaya, and Okla Tannip. Each area had its own leaders.
Okla Hannali (Six Towns) Leaders
This area was known as "Six Towns."
- Pushmataha
- Oklahoma or Tapenahomma
- General Hummingbird
- Nitakechi
- Sam Garland
Okla Falaya Leaders
This area was known as "Long People."
- Apukshunnubbee
- Robert Cole
- Greenwood Leflore
- Chief Red Wing Turkey Okla Falya Clan
Okla Tannip Leaders
This area was known as "People of the Rock."
- Homastubbee
- Mushulatubbee
- David Folsom
Leaders in the New Choctaw Territory
After many Choctaw people moved west on the Choctaw Trail of Tears, they set up a new government. This new government was in what is now Oklahoma. They divided their land into three new districts. These districts were named after three important leaders from their original homeland.
Mushulatubbee District Leaders
- Mushulatubbee, 1834–1836
- Joseph Kincaid, 1836–1838
- John McKinney, 1838–1842
- Nathaniel Folsom, 1842–1846
- Peter Folsom, 1846–1850
- Cornelius McCurtain, 1850–1854
- David McCoy, 1854–1857
Apukshunnubbee District Leaders
- Thomas LeFlore, 1834-1838
- James Fletcher, 1838-1842
- Thomas LeFlore, 1842-1850
- George W. Harkins, 1850–1857
Pushmataha District Leaders
- Nitakechi, 1834-1838
- Pierre Juzan, 1838-1841
- Isaac Folsom, 1841-1846
- Nitakechi, Died
- Salas Fisher, 1846-1854
- George Folsom, 1850-1854
- Nicholas Cochnauer, 1854-1857
Leaders of the Unified Choctaw Government
Later, the Choctaw Nation changed its government to have one main leader. This leader was often called a governor or a Principal Chief.
Governors
- Alfred Wade, 1857-1858
- Tandy Walker, 1858-1859
- Basil LeFlore, 1859-1860
Principal Chiefs
- George Hudson, 1860-1862
- Samuel Garland, 1862-1864
- Peter Pitchlynn, 1864-1866
- Allen Wright, 1866-1870
- William Bryant, 1870-1874
- Coleman Cole, 1874-1878
- Isaac Garvin, 1878-1880
- Jackson McCurtain, 1880-1884
- Edmund McCurtain, 1884-1886
- Thompson McKinney, 1886-1888
- Benjamin Franklin Smallwood, 1888-1890
- Wilson Jones, 1890-1894
- Jefferson Gardner, 1894-1896
- Green McCurtain, 1896-1900
- Gilbert Dukes, 1900-1902
- Green McCurtain, 1902-1906
In 1906, the Choctaw Nation's government was temporarily stopped. This happened when Oklahoma became a state.
Appointed Choctaw Leaders
After 1906, the U.S. President started choosing the Choctaw chiefs. This was because the U.S. government no longer fully recognized the Choctaw Nation's own government.
- Green McCurtain, 1906-1910, chosen by President Theodore Roosevelt
- Victor Locke, Jr., 1910-1918, chosen by President Howard Taft
- William F. Semple, 1918-1922, chosen by President Woodrow Wilson
- William H. Harrison, 1922-1929, chosen by President Warren G. Harding
- Ben Dwight, 1930-1936, chosen by President Herbert Hoover
- William Durant, 1937-1948, chosen by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- Harry J. W. Belvin, 1948-1970, chosen by President Harry S. Truman
(Starting in 1948, the Choctaw people could elect their own delegate. The president then confirmed this choice.)
Modern Choctaw Nations
In 1953, the U.S. Congress started a policy called "Indian termination." This policy tried to make Native American communities more like mainstream American society. In 1959, a law was passed that would have ended the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma as a self-governing nation by 1970.
However, after a long effort, the Mississippi Choctaw people were officially recognized in 1918. They received land, help with education, and healthcare. In 1945, special lands were set aside for them in Mississippi. These lands became a federal Indian reservation. There are eight communities on this reservation. The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 helped the Mississippi Choctaws reorganize. They became the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in 1945.
Oklahoma Choctaw Leaders
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Chiefs
- Harry J. W. Belvin, 1948, 1954, 1971–1975
- C. David Gardner, 1975–1978
- Hollis E. Roberts, 1978–1997
- Gregory E. Pyle, 1997–2014
- Gary Batton, 2014–Present
Mississippi Choctaw Leaders
Pre-Reorganization Era (Before 1945)
- Wesley Johnson (Wesley Wakatubee), 1913-c. 1914 (Chief)
- Ed Willis
- Pat Chitto
- Joe Chitto
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (1945-Present)
- Emmette York (Chairman)
- Phillip Martin (Chairman)
- Calvin Isaac (Chief)
- Phillip Martin, 1978—2007 (Chief)
- Beasley Denson, 2007—2011 (Chief/Miko)
- Phyliss J. Anderson, 2011—2019 (Chief)
- Cyrus Ben, 2019—present (Chief)
Louisiana Choctaw Leaders
Jena Band of Choctaw Indians
- Christina M. Norris, present
