{"product_id":"choctaw-traditions-stories-of-the-life-and-customs-of-the-mississippi-choctaw-9781496857194","title":"Choctaw Traditions: Stories of the Life and Customs of the Mississippi Choctaw","description":"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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoctaw Traditions: Stories of the Life and Customs of the Mississippi Choctaw \u003c\/i\u003edraws 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn their own words, Choctaw elders tell stories of participating in customs and traditions--stories about growing up sharecropping, where the work to put food on the table was balanced with weekends of ballgames, picnics, and dancing. They recount stories of helping each other when an \u003ci\u003eiyyikowa\u003c\/i\u003e was called to help their neighbors in need, and in gathering seasonally for ceremonies, holidays, festivals, and fundraisers. Important customs that structure lives from cradle to grave come to life through stories about the dos and don'ts of pregnancy and birth, coming of age, courtship, weddings, marriage, parenting, deaths, wakes, and funerals. With these stories, Choctaw elders offer a blueprint for how to live.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Tom Mould, Eddie Johnson, Jay Wesley\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Press of Mississippi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/02\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 490\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.34lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.00h x 7.00w x 1.06d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781496857194","brand":"University Press of Mississippi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44383933825161,"sku":"9781496857194","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_e8079698-edc4-450f-89a0-43fa7e60fa5c.jpg?v=1752016308","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/choctaw-traditions-stories-of-the-life-and-customs-of-the-mississippi-choctaw-9781496857194","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}