Chickasaw (Chikasha)

Chickasaw is a Western Muskogean language spoken by about 1,000 people mainly in Oklahoma. The majority of the speakers are over 50 years old: the younger generation are drifting towards English. Despite the similarities between Choctaw and Chickasaw, most Choctaw speakers find the latter unintelligible.

During the 17th and 18th centuries Chickasaw was used as a lingua franca among all the tribes of the lower Mississippi river. The Chickasaw were one of the five Civilized Tribes forcibly removed to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) in the 1830s. The other Civilized Tribes are the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole.

Chickasaw pronunciation

Sample text in Chickasaw

Himmaka' nittakookano hattak yokasht toksalicha'nikat ki'yo. Hattak mómakat ittíllawwi bíyyi'kacha nanna mómaka ittibaachaffa'hitok.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)