Jackson Free Press

On Wednesday, July 11, Chief Phyliss J. Anderson will make history as she addresses the crowd on opening night of the Choctaw Indian Fair as the first female chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. "The chief will hold court every night at 6 (p.m.) to welcome the visitors and to recognize dignitaries from other tribes," Melford Farve, communications officer, said.

Every year since 1949, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has hosted the fair during the second week of July. The 63rd Mississippi Choctaw Fair, held this year from July 11-14 in Choctaw, mixes music, sport and more. "The fair is an opportunity to showcase Choctaw culture, jewelry, dancing and language," Farve said.

For the 57th year, young Choctaw women will compete for the title of Choctaw Indian Princess. The pageant kicks off Wednesday. Contestants compete in interviews on topics ranging from current events to Choctaw culture, a talent portion, traditional dress and formal dress. In the traditional dress component, each contestant will wear an ornate beadwork dress while carrying a hand-woven Choctaw basket.

Last year's princess, 19-year-old Kursten Watkins, says the fair, and especially the pageant, is a way for the community to come together. "I had different people make different parts of my dress, so it really was the community that made it, no one person," she says. Preparations take a long time, Farve says, because the dresses and jewelry are often handmade, and the beadwork elaborate. To celebrate that, Watkins performed a monologue on the beauty of Choctaw beadwork for her talent.

Being chosen as the Choctaw Princess is very prestigious--the winner will have many responsibilities over the next year, including traveling around the country, frequently with the Tribal Miko, or Chief, to promote awareness of the Mississippi Band of Choctaws. "I can get sent anywhere, from around the community to outside the state," Watkins says. "From singing the national anthem in our language to taking pictures at schools or signing autographs, (the duties) can vary."

After the pageant ends, things turn a little rougher with the Men's World Series of Stickball game. Stickball, or Ishtaboli, is a physical, ancient game with few rules. In recent years, women began playing competitively in their own stickball championship. Known by the Choctaws as "the little brother of war," stickball is one of the oldest field sports in America. Instead of warring against one another, Choctaws played stickball because it was the "civilized" way to settle disputes. The game is very fast, and tackling is allowed. "Stickball is a really big event where eight different Choctaw communities compete," Farve said. The sport is so popular, the tournament starts a week in advance, and only the top teams make it to play during the fair.

In the past, stickball games could involve as few as 20 players or as many as 300, and the goals could be miles apart. Stickball today consists of two 12-foot-high wooden posts, about 4 inches wide, one at each end of the field.

Players earn points by hitting the opposing team's post with a special ball called a towa, using handmade sticks called kabocca. Choctaw craftsmen make the towas by wrapping cloth tightly around a small stone or piece of wood. Once it reaches the desired size, crafters weave a leather thong or deer hide over the cloth.

RezRun 2012 is new to the fair this year. Including a one-mile run, 5k and 10k races, RezRun adds a modern activity to the fair's roster. All runners and visitors are welcome. The race will award medals to the first 300 participants to cross the finish line. The male and female winner of the 10K race will receive $300 each, and the male and female winners of the 5K race will receive $200. Online registration for the race ends Thursday.

Nashville-style country music has been a part of the fair since the 1960s and '70s, and country musicians now headline the activities. Several famous singers, including Chet Atkins, Connie Smith, Lester Flatt, Mac Wisemen, Jerry Reed, Johnny Gimble, Pig Robbins and Merle Travis have performed at the fair. This year, country music stars Steve Azar, Chris Cage, Jo Dee Messina, Clint Black, country music band The Lost Trailers and blues-rock group Indigenous will perform.

Particularly this year, the Choctaw Fair is a melding of past and present, of heritage and modernity. For Watkins, it will be special to pass on her crown and to see a woman greet fairgoers as chief. "As a female, it's great to see a lot of modern females taking on positions (in the council)," she says. "Our chief, Chief Phyliss J. Anderson, she started out where I am. She was once princess of the tribe."

Watkins enjoys the opportunity to show off her culture with the fair. "It's not every day that we get to show who we are and where we come from," she says. "Arts and crafts, beadwork, the traditional game of stickball. ... It's something that you really need to participate in and see in person."

The fair opens July 11 and runs through July 14 at the Choctaw Indian Reservation (Highway 16 W.) in Choctaw. Tickets are $10 for adult day passes and $15 for adult season passes. Student passes are $5 for the day or $10 for the season. Children 5 and under get in free. For more information, call 601-656-5251, or visit choctawindianfair.com.