n.
North American Indian people living in Oklahoma, U.S. They speak a Muskogean language that is closely related to that of the Chickasaw .
The Choctaw once lived in what is now southeastern Mississippi. They were the most skillful of the southeastern farmers, usually having surplus produce to sell or trade. They fished, gathered nuts and wild fruits, hunted deer and bear, and planted corn, beans, and pumpkins. Their principal religious ceremony was the Busk (Green Corn) festival, a first-fruits and new-fire rite celebrated at midsummer. In the 19th century, pressure by white cotton-growers forced them to cede five million acres, and most Choctaw were removed to Oklahoma. Some 87,300 individuals claimed sole Choctaw descent in the 2000 U.S. census.