Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1914-08-14

n you VIII keep the tonia
hawks ana scalping. knives Oh of NE
story. Moreover. back in the days
when the choctaws lived IN the South
ern states east of the Mississippi rlf-
er. they were essentially farmers.
though they painted themselves ana
went on the warpath when integfi-
" Of their Territory was pus in ieop-
ardy.
mataha--commoniy spelled
now adays without the first letter.
was then chief Of our tribe. Great
Indians have enriched American his
tory, poetry and fiction. Red Cloud,
Red Jacket. Tecumseh,, Powhatan,
Osceoia. Black Hawk. Sitting Bull.
Geronimo, and others.--bu TO me.
choctaw. naturally. Pushmataha, Is
the greatest man OF our race. He
left his stamp upon the tribe. may
say that he was our George washing
ton.
"One morning, so the legend tells
us, he suddenly appeared among a
party OF Choctaw hunters who were
getting ready for an expedition. No
one had ever seen him before but he
could speak the Choctaw language.
After he became famous wise men
declared that he was born in mir
aculous manner. A gigantic oak,
sound from root to brnaches was
struck by lightning and Pushmataha
a youth nof ~, stepped out Of the
riven trunk of the tree, and made his
way to the1band of Choctaws prepar-
ing for their autumn hunt. snn
when he asked permission to ac-
Bcampany the hunters, they Iaugned
at his youth, iDexperience, and pre-
sumption. But he begged SO hard
and with so much dignity that he
gained his point and was taken
along. Game was scarce during the
early part Of the expedition. Indeed
hunters were threatened with star
walton. They returned to the camp
at time when matters were really
desperate, Pushmataha, who had
gone from the camp in the morning
alone. reported that he had killed
two deers and a bear, He was not
believed but led the way to his game
and II was brought in. 49,,
During the rest of the expedition
he was the mightiest hunter in the
band. Seasoned warriors, experts
with, the bow and arrow and tireless
trackers of human beings and ami
mails soon acknowledged that he was
the greatest man in the tribe. Still
he had no name So the priest, TAX
ing stones Of different colors. asked
him to choose, one from, the lots The
stone, they said. would suggest q
,ipame. But the names, one after the
4 other were rejected by the young
man. Finally the , priest said "a
pushmataha, p which being translated
into English means that there fare nc
more stones and so he was known
ever after. Of e563 s1seis fiaiI 20
/ s ''The Indians. sometimes, however
called him Waterfall, because OF his
efoduence. He fought with Jackson
at New Orleans and was a commits
stoned officer of the United States
Army. He came to washington In
December 1924, with other chiefs, OF
Business connected with his tribe
ON December "a, he died from Group
the physicians said. but 1 think tn,
disease must have been pneumonia
He was. fifty-pine, years old and
full blood Choctaw. = w. -
4 ~ 81 am dying, he told the imino
chiefs who stood at his bedside, "ans
will meyer again return to our. love,
! and native land But, you will &,
! back ito our distant home and as yol
|, journey you will see the wild flowerI
OF the forests and hear the happl
songs of the birds Of the woods Blu
!, Pusbmatahanwill see and hear then
) no more. u When you return hom,
! you will be asked, Where is Push
mataha :. and you will answer he Il
|, dead and 1T will falluupon their, ear
j as the sound OF Almighty oak fallinf
, In the solitude of the forestY 4 slBg
/ l,Is'When II am gone" he asked jus
! before he died, i1et the big guns cb'
fired overime aItbwas done. Can
mons doomed on the hillside asOth'
. funeral procession, half mile long
followed Pushmataha's body to thu
! Confessional cemetery will
J read on the tombstone at his grav'
| which was erected bv the chiefs wh'
! came with him to washington, tha
! 'Pushrhataha was a warrior OF grea
Distinction and that he was wise Il
} council, eloquent to an extraordinar.
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