First Week in Mississippi

Priska and I, along with our spirited internship coordinators, Del and Jean Archer, drove from Dallas to Philadelphia, MS on Saturday, June 13^th. 

Priska and I at the Mississippi border.
(Photo by Jean Archer.)

That evening we got to meet Vonnie, the kind woman who got us connected with the landlords of our summer home. After giving us a warm welcome, she handed us the keys and sent us off to get settled at our place. 

Our kitchen area

My room

We're so thankful that God has provided this little house for us to stay in this summer!

Additionally, we were greatly encouraged by the fact that Vonnie and some of the other women at her church, First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Philadelphia, have graciously stocked our pantry! We stopped by FPC on Sunday afternoon to meet and thank them.

Meeting the women of FPC. (Vonnie is second from right.)

Laura Christel (in the blue shirt) also came to visit, since she knows and is supported by FPC members.
(Photos by Jean Archer.)

Also on Sunday, June 14^th, we attended Elijah’s church, Pearl River Baptist, where we met some other Choctaw believers and had an opportunity to hear more of the Choctaw language. Throughout his sermon, the preacher fluidly switched between Choctaw and English. Interestingly, as he really got into the heart of his message, he spoke almost completely in Choctaw, falling back into English mainly in the less animated portions of his sermon. Noticing this unconscious language shift, we began to recognize the significance of the Choctaw language to the people here—as well as the importance of having a Bible translation in the modern Choctaw language. (Note: there is an older Choctaw Bible translation, but the sentence structure and vocabulary have changed so much that younger generations have difficulty understanding it, which is why the CBTC is working on a new version.) 

That afternoon, we visited another Choctaw church, Macedonia Baptist, in order to attend the monthly hymn-sing event, where the Choctaw Baptist churches gather to sing and fellowship with each other. 

One of the church groups at the hymn-sing.

(Photo by Jean Archer.)

Part of our job for the summer is to record the Choctaw language as it is being used in various situations, in order to assist the CBTC with building their language documentation files. So Priska videoed the hymn-sing, while I sat near the front with a handheld audio recorder.

Priska videoing the hymn-sing.

(Photo by Jean Archer.)

The rest of the week was filled with learning more about Choctaw culture and life on the reservation! Elijah took us on a tour of the Pearl River portion of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ reservation. As the largest of eight Choctaw communities in this area, Pearl River contains the government offices, medical center, and schools, and provides various other services that are available to the Choctaw population in Mississippi. We also had the opportunity to visit the Chahta Immi (“the things belonging to the Choctaw”) cultural center, as well as the Nanih Waiya site, which preserves an ancient mound that plays a role in the Choctaw origin story, and Lake Pushmataha, which commemorates a former Choctaw chief.

Traditional Choctaw Clothing

Choctaw Basketry

Choctaw Legends

The Nanih Waiya Mound.

More about the mound, for the curious. :)
(www.choctaw.org/culture/mound.html)

Priska in front of Lake Pushmataha.

  

Additionally, we were able to see the Choctaw Bible Translation Committee (CBTC) office, which is located in the Pearl River community, and begin our work there. On a couple different occasions, several of the CBTC board members came to office to have dinner with us, as their schedules allowed. In preparation for these dinners, we were given further opportunity to learn about some very tangible (and edible :] ) parts of Choctaw culture. Between his other responsibilities, Elijah helped us make the traditional Choctaw staple, hominy, which consists mainly of cracked corn, with some chicken added for flavor. Later in the week, Laura Christel got one of her friends, Joshua Lewis, to come teach us how to make another traditional Choctaw food, banaha, which is made with cornmeal and bean mush that gets wrapped inside corn husks and boiled (resulting in something like a bland tamale). It has been a wonderful time of learning and getting to meet Choctaw individuals who are dedicated to the work of Bible translation!

Dinner at the CBTC office.
From left to right: Jean Archer, Elijah Ben, Pam Smith (back), Priska (front), me, Becky Richarte.
(Photo by Del Archer.)

  

Midway through the week, we also were given a chance to spend some time resting in Jackson, MS, where Laura Christel lives. We had dinner and went to the zoo with her family, and spent a couple nights with a friend of hers, Quita, who graciously welcomed us into her home. God has provided so well for us this summer—even giving us ways to rest in the midst of a busy time!