Left: Smithsonian American Art Museum/Right: Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Le Havre
Left: Kút-tee-o-túb-bee, How Did He Kill?, a Noted Brave, 1834. George Catlin. Right: Annabé was sketched on April 6, 1830, in Memphis. Charles Alexandre Lesueur.
Under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) the Choctaw Nation has the authority to work with institutions around the United States for the respectful return of our ancestors and their funerary belongings.
This year, we were contacted by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University (PMAE) for a unique case – hair clippings of known Choctaw ancestors. During the early 1930s, hair clippings were collected from three Choctaw students at the Chilocco Indian Agricultural Boarding School located in Kay County, Oklahoma. They were later donated to the Peabody Museum in 1935. We were able to locate the students’ descendent families and ask them their wishes. Each family let us know that they would like to have these clippings returned to them.
This January, Chief Gary Batton welcomed the families, a Peabody Museum representative, and the Historic Preservation Department staff to a quiet repatriation at the Headquarters in Durant.
As a longstanding tradition, Choctaw people have worn their hair long for generations. The earliest European accounts from the Choctaw homeland (1540-1720) indicate that neighboring tribes called us Pashi Falaya, or the Long Hairs (Rangel 1993[1557]:296; Adair 1775:192).
Choctaw people were given this name because, while unusual among the other Southeastern tribes, it was common for Choctaw men to wear their hair long. Many men wore their hair to their shoulders with a longer lock of hair in front of their right ear. When traveling, this hairstyle aided in identifying the man as being Choctaw.
Choctaw people have adopted new hairstyles as our culture has changed through time. By the late 1700s, some Choctaw men had started wearing their hair shaved on the sides, with a longer part in the middle (Romans 1775:82).
It was common for Choctaw women to have their hair extend as far down as their calves; however, it was generally worn as a bun, see Figure 2.
<b>Figure 1</b>. Top Left: Kút-tee-o-túb-bee, How Did He Kill?, a Noted Brave, 1834. George Catlin. Smithsonian American Art Museum<br>Top Right: Annabé was sketched on April 6, 1830, in Memphis. Charles Alexandre Lesueur. Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Le Havre.<br>Bottom Left: Tshanny, A Choctaw Man, 1833. Karl Bodmer. Joslyn Art Museum.<br>Bottom Right: Sauvages Tchaktas Matachez en Guerriers qui portent des chevelures, 1735. Alexander de Batz. Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology.
Photo courtesy of National Anthropological Archives
<b>Figure 2</b>. David Bushnell. Ancient Method of Wearing the Hair-Photograph of Heleema (Louisa), 1909.
Choctaw men and women used bear fat to oil their hair.
An old tradition for Choctaw men and women is shaving, cutting, or clipping a lock of hair when a loved one passes away (Halbert 1900: 365).
After the loved one passed, Choctaw women were known to wear their hair down throughout their mourning process (Ibid).
During the 18th and 19th centuries, paintings and drawings by European artists depicted Choctaw men and a few Choctaw women with long hair. Examples of this can be seen in Figure 1 and Figure 2.
The tradition of wearing long hair continued well after removal to Indian Territory in the 1860s and later.
Many pictures of Choctaw people in Oklahoma, Mississippi and Louisiana show Choctaws having long hair up into the 20th century.
Unfortunately, with the systematic deployment of boarding schools by the US Government, the tradition of long hair was taken, often without the consent of the family. The practice of cutting long hair upon entrance to boarding school was one of many tactics aimed to strip students of their own culture. In addition, some Choctaw people wanted to prove we could assimilate into American culture as “civilized” citizens capable of managing our own affairs. This assault on Choctaw identity would bring lasting consequences to our community.
Many Choctaw men and women today make a choice to wear their hair long. The association of the length and care we give to our hair was not lost in our community. Modern Choctaw people have led their communities on a journey of healing by embracing the sacredness of their own hair. Our hair carries our life story. We recognize that its length connects us to our ancestors through distant generations and its length is a reminder of our resilient spirit.
Photo courtesy of Oklahoma Historical Society
Two Typical Choctaw Indians, Talihina, Oklahoma
Adair, James. The History of the American Indians. United Kingdom, E. & C. Dilly, 1775.
Bushnell, David Ives. The Choctaw of Bayou Lacomb, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. United States, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1909.
Halbert, Henry S. Funeral Customs of the Mississippi Choctaw. Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Volume 3., edited by Franklin Lafayette Riley, United States, 1901.
Rangel, Rodrigo. The De Soto Chronicles: The Expedition of Hernando de Soto to North America in 1539-1543. United Kingdom, University of Alabama Press, 1993.
About Iti Fabvssa
Iti Fabvssa seeks to increase knowledge about the past, strengthen the Choctaw people and develop a more informed and culturally grounded understanding of where the Choctaw people are headed in the future.
Additional reading resources are available on the Choctaw Nation Cultural Service website. Follow along with this Iti Fabvssa series in print and online.
Inquiries
If you have questions or would like more information on the sources, please contact Ryan Spring at [emailprotected].
FAQs
Modern Choctaw people have led their communities on a journey of healing by embracing the sacredness of their own hair. Our hair carries our life story. We recognize that its length connects us to our ancestors through distant generations and its length is a reminder of our resilient spirit.
What is the significance of long hair in Native American culture? ›
Sporting long hair, or growing out hair, is a custom for some Native tribes. For some tribes, long hair equates to strength. In others, it signifies power and virility. Long hair is also seen by some to be an act of rebellion against the colonized world and a representation of Indigenous pride.
What does long hair symbolize? ›
“Long hair for women is generally considered as symbolic of femininity, health and fertility, which in turn led to it becoming a standardised beauty ideal,” adds Gibson.
What is the Choctaw origin story? ›
A Choctaw legend traces the origin of the Choctaw to Nanih Waiya, an ancient earthwork mound located in east-central Mississippi near the town of Noxapter. (The name Nanih Waiya can be translated as “productive mound.”) The etymology of the name Choctaw is uncertain.
What are the Choctaw cultural traditions? ›
Social dance, stickball, basket making, traditional clothing, foodways are some of the ways the Choctaw keep traditions alive. These cultural traditions are places where the generations intersect. They pass down language, patterns, recipes, and dance steps, but they do so much more.
What are the traditions of the Choctaw hair? ›
As a longstanding tradition, Choctaw people have worn their hair long for generations. The earliest European accounts from the Choctaw homeland (1540-1720) indicate that neighboring tribes called us Pashi Falaya, or the Long Hairs (Rangel 1993[1557]:296; Adair 1775:192).
What does it mean to have long hair spiritually? ›
In the Rastafarian faith, long locs are meant to mirror the mane of their leader — the lion — as physical proof of their devotion. For Hindus and Buddhists, long hair can represent beauty and (perhaps dangerous) sexuality — and cutting or shaving it off is surrendering worldly gifts to fully concentrate on the eternal.
Why is long hair so important? ›
Long hair has been a symbol of beauty, power, and sexuality for many centuries. Long hair has many benefits, which may make you want to grow your hair out past its present length. For example, people with long hair are more approachable than those with short hair.
What does hair mean spiritually? ›
Protection and intuition: In some spiritual beliefs, hair is believed to provide protection and intuition. It is seen as a shield against negative energies or influences and a source of heightened awareness and intuition. Ancestral and family connections: Hair can serve as a symbol of ancestral and family connections.
What is the significance of cutting long hair? ›
Studies have shown that cutting one's hair (especially when going through a traumatic life change, such as a breakup) can provide a sense of control and emotional release. Changing one's hairstyle can also be a powerful tool in helping redefine or solidify one's identity. Even a simple trim has mental health benefits.
Choctaw, North American Indian tribe of Muskogean linguistic stock that traditionally lived in what is now southeastern Mississippi.
What was sacred to the Choctaw? ›
The Choctaws believed in a good spirit and an evil spirit, and they may have been sun, or Hushtahli, worshipers. Swanton writes, "the Choctaws anciently regarded the sun as a deity ... the sun was ascribed the power of life and death.
What is the Choctaw tribe most known for? ›
The Choctaw were fierce warriors, excellent farmers, and skilled traders. There are now two federally recognized Choctaw tribes. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma was formed by over 13,000 Choctaw people who were removed from their homeland during the Trail of Tears between 1831 and 1838.
What are Choctaw Indian traits? ›
The Choctaw are known for their distinctive head-flattening. They believe that a flat head is an attractive feature and the process would start right after the birth of a child and last several years.
Why did the Choctaw flatten their heads? ›
The Choctaw practiced head flattening as a ritual adornment for its people, but the practice eventually fell out of favor.
What do the Choctaw symbols mean? ›
The Great Seal of the Choctaw Nation
Rising tobacco smoke from the pipe can symbolize prayer connections, and the unstrung bow is a symbol of the Choctaw people's love of peace but willingness to go to war if attacked. The three arrows honor Choctaw Chiefs Pushmataha, Moshulatubbee and Apuckshunnubbee.
What does long hair mean in Cherokee? ›
The long hair has symbolic significance tying them to mother earth whose hair is long grasses. It is believed that long hair in Native American culture is a physical manifestation of the growth of the spirit, and some say it allows for extrasensory perception, and connection to all things.
Why do Indian parents cut their daughter's hair short? ›
In Hindu tradition, from birth, hair is associated with less positive aspects of or qualities from past lives. Thus at the time of the shave, the child is freshly shaven to signify freedom from the past and moving into the future.
Are Native Americans allowed to have long hair in the military? ›
Flores, a Native American service member and anti-tank missile gunner, is the first Marine in the Corps to receive a religious waiver allowing him to grow his hair long in accordance with his Navajo heritage, the service confirmed to Military.com on Tuesday.
What does it mean when Native Americans wear feathers in their hair? ›
The act of wearing eagle feathers in one's hair is not taken lightly; it is a symbol of honor and respect. Native Americans believe that by wearing these feathers, they are not only paying tribute to the eagle's strength and power but also invoking those qualities for themselves.
Left: Smithsonian American Art Museum/Right: Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Le Havre
