With essays by William Brescia Jr., Robert B. Ferguson, Patricia K. Galloway, John D. W. Guice, Grayson Noley, Carolyn Keller Reeves, Margaret Zehmer Searcy, and Samuel J. Wells

This book focuses upon Choctaw history prior to 1830, when the tribe forfeited territorial claims and was removed from native lands in Mississippi. The included essays emphasize Choctaw anthropology, beliefs, and experience with the US government prior to the tribe's removal to Oklahoma.

Attention is focused upon the ways in which European groups, frontiersmen, and state and federal officials affected the Choctaw ideology. This collection shows the relationship among the various forces that combined to erode the culture, economy, and political structure of the Choctaw.