Mystic Wind Choctaw Social Dance Group

For thousands of years, the Choctaw have danced in the place we call Mississippi today. Chahta Hihla, or Choctaw dancing, is participatory; men and women stand together in traditional dress made of ribbons and ruffles, and wait for the chanter to begin a song or clack a rhythm with their striking sticks. Then, they begin to dance, creating fellowship for the community—a tradition the Mystic Wind Choctaw Social Dance Group of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians proudly passes on in their family and through their performances.

Hihla is comprised of war, social, and animal dances. War dances were historically performed in preparation for battle; social dances celebrate important life events, from friendship to courtship and marriage; and animal dances, such as the Turtle Dance and Racoon Dance, establish harmony with the natural world. The dances are communal, without individual dancers taking the spotlight. During the Stealing Partners Dance—a crucial way for Choctaw youth to interact and prepare for courtship—even audience members are invited to join. Choctaw dances, which historically took place overnight, begin with the Jump Dance, which symbolizes the beginning of life. The dances always move counterclockwise, an expression of reverence for the Creator. The chanter, who forms the heart of the dance group, guides the movement of the dancers with their singing, while the two pieces of wood they tap together, known as striking sticks, create the rhythm and cadence of the dance.

These traditions have survived across generations, despite removal from ancestral lands in Mississippi, the Trail of Tears, resettlement in Oklahoma, and forced assimilation. Dancers wear regalia with traditional Choctaw motifs: a circle and cross pattern representing stickball; diamonds evoking the diamondback rattlesnake and respect for nature; and half diamonds representing hills and valleys. But traditions always change. Today’s regalia has been influenced by European and American textiles. Men wear wide-brimmed felt hats, while women wear colorful cotton dresses with aprons. The final dance of the night is traditionally the Walk Dance, a slow, walking dance as the sun rises in the east. The dance recognizes the forced migration of the Choctaw, says Choctaw elder Curtis Billy, but also shows that the Choctaw today are walking in the footsteps of their ancestors. Today, Choctaw dance groups in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma teach chanting and dance, and perform locally and nationally.

Encouraged by elders in his community, William Dan Isaac founded the Mystic Wind Choctaw Social Dance Group in 2004, driven by his desire to pass on the tradition, songs, and teachings to the younger generation of Choctaw. Composed of community members, friends, and family, the ensemble has performed in several states including Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The group regularly dances at fairs, multicultural festivals, and powwows, and in 2006, appeared at the Dixie National Rodeo parade in Jackson. At the 83rd National Folk Festival, Mystic Wind Choctaw Social Dance Group will have an intergenerational ensemble of 12 dancers and a chanter, encouraging participation and treating audiences to the communal experience of traditional Choctaw dance.