Article examines the rhetoric of written speeches by Choctaw leaders addressing Euro-American government officials in a post-contact era to determine the nature of the language used. Stephen P. Van Hoak argues that rather than indicating dependency, the Choctaws used self-abasing and respectful language to promote diplomacy and at times protest mistreatment.
The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is to collect, preserve, and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. The OHS was founded on May 27, 1893, by members of the Territorial Press Association.
Article examines the rhetoric of written speeches by Choctaw leaders addressing Euro-American government officials in a post-contact era to determine the nature of the language used. Stephen P. Van Hoak argues that rather than indicating dependency, the Choctaws used self-abasing and respectful language to promote diplomacy and at times protest mistreatment.
Physical Description
18 p. : ill.
Notes
Abstract: Some historians have asserted that, in the years after contact, Choctaws became increasingly dependent upon Euro-Americans. Stephen Van Hoak closely examines the speeches of Choctaw leaders in the post-contact era to show that the Choctaws used a diplomatic language that was rhetorical rather than reflective of their actual condition.
This article is part of the following collection of related materials.
The Chronicles of Oklahoma
The Chronicles of Oklahoma is the scholarly journal published by the Oklahoma Historical Society. It is a quarterly publication and was first published in 1921.