This morning Elijah and his friend, Buck, took us to visit the Nanih Waiya cave, which is located near the mound. The central Choctaw creation legend says that the Choctaw people (along with several other tribes) emerged from this cave, so it is still considered to be a sacred place. Some individuals still visit the site for religious purposes, building sweat lodges nearby.
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| Priska, Elijah, and I by one of the cave entrances. |
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| The Choctaw creation legend, per the Chahta Immi Cultural Center. |
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| Old sweat lodge structure near the cave. |
Later on in the day, we got to sit in on a discussion about Choctaw storytelling, which was born out of the work done during the Arts for a Better Future course. Laura Christel told a story about Ananias and Sapphira to a couple of the CBTC board members/staff, and then led a discussion on choosing the important points in a passage of Scripture and bringing them into Choctaw storytelling. It was neat to see them working toward a goal that may help strengthen Choctaw believers and revive a beloved art form!
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