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Title
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Historical Changes in the Choctaw Kinship System
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Date
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1937
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Bibliographic Citation
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Eggan, Fred. 1937. Historical Changes in the Choctaw Kinship System. American Anthropologist 39(1):34–52.
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annotates
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• This article is a cultural anthropological analysis of kinship structures among southeastern tribes. Eggan uses historical sources, ethnographic accounts, and comparative kinship theory to argue that the Choctaw originally had a classic Crow-type kinship system that transformed over time due to "acculturative pressures"—especially those from Christian missionaries, U.S. governmental institutions, and educational systems during and after Removal.
The study emphasizes:
• Comparative analysis of Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Cherokee, Yuchi, and Natchez kinship systems, with particular focus on descent traced through the father’s sister.
• A shift from matrilineal descent and clan-based affiliations toward patrilineal or nuclear family structures.
• Changes in kinship terminology and classificatory systems as reflections of broader social transformations.
• No archaeological fieldwork or original material culture data is included. The article is entirely theoretical and documentary, relying on older ethnographic sources (e.g., Morgan, Swanton, Speck), missionary reports, and Eggan’s limited field interviews from 1933 with Choctaw informants in Mississippi.
Choctaw / Ancestral Choctaw Relevance:
• Explicit references: Yes — the article is focused specifically on the Choctaw kinship system and its historical evolution.
• Postcontact Native activity: Central to the study. Eggan examines kinship changes from the early 19th century through the post-Removal period, emphasizing his perspective that political reorganization, missionary activity, and land policy altered Choctaw social institutions.
• Discussion of matrilineal clan dissolution, transition to male-dominated household authority, and the weakening of avunculate roles provide insight into potential shifts in community and household organization that may be visible archaeologically (though not directly addressed here).
Assessment for CRM Use / Archaeological Utility:
• The article does not contain any archaeological data. However, it can provide contextual value for CRM archaeologists studying 18th–19th century Choctaw settlement and household patterns. For instance:
o Changes in kinship may inform interpretations of dwelling groupings, inheritance patterns, or gendered activity areas.
o Shifts in clan structure and descent may affect how burial clusters or spatial distributions of domestic features are read.
• This is a secondary resource best used to support interpretation or consultation planning, especially in collaboration with Choctaw community representatives.
Data Presentation / Decolonizing Commentary:
• Eggan’s language is rooted in early functionalist and acculturation theory. He frequently describes Indigenous systems as “disintegrating” or “altered” by European contact, implying a unidirectional loss of tradition rather than transformation or resilience.
• The article does not include Choctaw perspectives or interpretations and relies exclusively on non-Native scholars and missionaries for its data. Despite acknowledging historical change, Eggan’s framework lacks attention to Choctaw agency or adaptation.
• Opportunities for reframing: The kinship transformations described could be revisited as strategic adaptations to colonial pressures, not simply passive assimilation. Reframing might also incorporate oral history or present-day Choctaw knowledge to nuance the historical record.
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owner
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sprice@wiregrassarchaeology.com