Editing Choctaw (section)

===Traditional tribal structure===
{{Main|Iksas (Choctaw Clans)}}

The traditional Choctaw tribal structure prioritized two distinct [[moiety (kinship)|moieties]]: ''Imoklashas'' (elders) and ''Inhulalatas'' (youth). Each moiety had several iksas or clans and in rare cases a totemic clan. Identity for the Choctaw people was established first by moiety and second as part of the individuals iksa. The Choctaw people existed in a [[matrilineal]] kinship system, with children born into the iksa of their mother and the mother's iksa conferring her children's social status. Another tradition of this maternally oriented system was the role of the maternal uncle as an important figure in the lives of his sister's children. Maternal uncles acted as fathers and caretakers to the children of their sisters. The Choctaw people's adoration of woman and the [[Mother goddess]] was also reflected in their religious and spiritual reverence for the sacred mound of [[Nanih Waiya]] which is known as the "Mother Mound". Nanih Waiya is a great [[earthworks (engineering)|earthwork]] platform mound located in central-east Mississippi. This site remains a place of female pilgrimage for prayer, song, and dance to this day.

[[Anthropologist]] [[John R. Swanton]] wrote about the iksas in his 1931 book ''Source material for the social and ceremonial life of the Choctaw Indians''. The main iksas holding significant sway over all others at the time of his writings were the ''Okla Falaya'' meaning "Long People", the eastern ''Okla Tannap'' meaning "People on the Other Side", and the southern ''Okla Hannali'' meaning "Six Towns People".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/sourcematerialfo0000swan/page/80/mode/2up?q=iksa | title=Source material for the social and ceremonial life of the Choctaw Indians | date=1931 | location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S.Government Printing Office}}</ref>

After the U.S. government had broken several treaties with the Choctaw people, and eventually when the Choctaw were forcibly removed from their traditional lands in [[Mississippi]] during the American tragedy of the [[Trail of Tears]], the Choctaw reestablished themselves in [[Indian Territory]] according to the three most powerful districts in their lost homeland. The Choctaw named these three districts after the leading chiefs from each of those districts. [[Moshulatubbee]] was the name given for the district of the Okla Tannap, [[Apuckshunubbee]] was given for Okla Falaya, and [[Pushmataha]] was given for Okla Hannali.