Mississippi Choctaw Indian Federation

The Mississippi Choctaw Indian Federation was an organization of Choctaws and a former rival governing body of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. ^{[1] [2]} They opposed federal tribal recognition because of fears of dominance by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and were never federally recognized. ^[1] Nevertheless, they were considered a legitimate parallel government. ^{[3] [4]}

History

The Federation was formed on September 27, 1934. ^[5] Reverend Ed Willis was installed as the first recognized chief. ^[5] The group represented 400 Choctaw and had a functioning, written constitution. ^[6]

The government disbanded after leaders were moved to another jurisdiction. ^[1]

References

1. Brescia, William (Bill) (1982). "Chapter 3, Treaties and the Choctaw People". Tribal Government, A New Era. Philadelphia, Mississippi: Choctaw Heritage Press. pp. 21–22.
2. McKee, Jesse O. (2008). The Choctaws: Cultural Evolution of a Native American Tribe. University Press of Mississippi. p. 158. ISBN   978-1-60473-170-5.
3. Lowery, Malinda Maynor (2010). Lumbee Indians in the Jim Crow South: race, identity, and the making of a nation. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. p. 130. ISBN   978-0-8078-7111-9.
4. Osborne, Katherine, M.B. "In the Name of Justice and Fairness:The Mississippi Choctaw Indian Federation vs. the BIA, 1934", in Cobb, Daniel M.,Beyond Red Power:American Indian Politics and Activism Since 1900, 2007, School for Advanced Research Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico, ISBN   978-1-930618-86-2
5. "Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians". Choctaw Chronology: Part V. Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians . Retrieved 2 August 2011.
6. Hearings on H. R. 7902. Washington, D.C.: United States Congress House Committee on Indian affairs. 1934. p. 373.