siOBX; - Smithsonian Institution

54 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 103
his former load, again the tinkling chimes of the pony bells alone disturbed
the quiet of the then far extending wilderness, announcing in monotonous tones
and thus was
the onward march, as the day before, of the contented travelers ;
the journey continued, day by day, until the desired point was reached.'^
Simpson Tubby says that the Choctav*^ were in the habit of living
on squirrels and other small game animals in summer and on
large game animals in winter. Dogs were not employed in hunt-
ing or for an}^ useful purpose whatever. Deer were stalked at
night by means of torches held just back of the head so as not to
interfere with their view of the game. The Tombigbee River was
a winter hunting ground and they also collected cane there. For
pigeons they went to Pigeon Roost, near Macon, Miss. There was
a favorite place for squirrels and turkeys called Tashka himmita,
" Young Warrior." About 9 miles east of Philadelphia, Miss.,
and extending for some 20 miles, is another great squirrel section,
called Fani yakni, " squirrel country." Philadelphia itself is named
Fani yakni tamaha, "Squirrel-country town." Tashka himmita
was not only a famous place for squirreis and turkeys but for beaver,
otter, raccoon, opossum, rabbits, and other game, and the Indians
formerly congregated tliere in numbers. They approached game
from the lee side so as not to be detected. When game animals came
out of the water the hunter vv'ould creep up on them, try to intercept
them, and shoot them with arrows, but as they often slid back into
the water and were lost the chief appointed fast runners to go after
the water animals and kill them with clubs. The game was subse-
quently distributed to the various camps, as was usual on all occasions.
If any one of the five Choctaw bands killed a deer it would
send to the band nearest it to come over and take a share of the kill
home. Indeed, the invitation was extended as widely as the success
of the hunt warranted. A similar distribution was made in the case
of a surplus catch of fish.
It is claimed that the old native game laws were as strict as those
of the present day, the amount of game that might be killed being
determined in advance. The various families camped wherever they
pleased but the captain of each of the five bands had to find out
how much his hunters killed each month and report it to the head
chief. During the last of February and March "they would no
more kill a rabbit than they would a horse." In the summertime,
at least in one place, there were other reasons for refraining from
rabbit hunting. The name of a former town, Kastasha, " flea place,"
was given because there were more rabbits there than anywhere else
and all of them were full of fleas. For that reason there was a law
against killing any more than they could help in summer, i. e.,
until after the first heavy frost.
«2 Cusbman, Hist. Choc, Chick., and Natchez Inds., pp. 235-236.