Episodi

  • S10, E2, Pt 8: Choctaw Labor Day Festival 2025 | Why We Gather
    Aug 20 2026
    What does the Choctaw Labor Day Festival mean to YOU? In the final episode of this series where I visited the 2025 Choctaw Labor Day Festival, I’m sharing stories from festival goers about what makes this annual gathering so special. One of my favorite conversations was with my cousin, Cheryl, a descendant of Chief Mushulatubbee and part of our Coley family lineage. Cheryl shares stories about our ancestors, the close-knit Choctaw community they built, and even how family members would move the furniture out of the house so everyone could dance! For Cheryl and me, the Labor Day Festival is a place to “come home”, reconnect with family, celebrate our culture, and remember where we came from. Stick around until the very end for the bloopers. Because apparently, telling history doesn’t always go according to plan. Yakoke to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma for partnering with me on this series! Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival 2026: September 4–6 in Tvshkahomma, Oklahoma Text LABORDAY to 888777 for festival updates
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    13 min
  • S10, E2, Pt 7: Choctaw Labor Day Festival 2025 | Stickball: “Little Brother of War”
    Aug 18 2026
    Deep drumbeats. Sticks striking together. The roar of the crowd. The energy builds… This is Choctaw stickball and it’s more than a game. It’s tradition, pride, community, and a living connection to our ancestors. In this episode of Native ChocTalk, we’re heading to the 2025 Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival to experience the stickball tournament, hear from players and announcers, and learn why this powerful tradition continues to bring our communities together. Congratulations to the 2025 winners: Women: Team Rouge Men: Team Koni-Shine If you’d like to dive deeper into the history and meaning of stickball, check out Native ChocTalk’s Season 2, Episode 5 on YouTube! Yakoke to Steve Aicinena, Owner of Iceman Photo who provided many of the fantastic stickball photos in this episode! Check him out www.icemanphoto.com. Next up: Part 8 - Choctaw Labor Day Festival 2025 | Why We Gather Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival 2026: September 4–6 in Tvshkahomma, Oklahoma Text LABORDAY to 888777 for festival updates Yakoke to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma for partnering with me on this series!
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    11 min
  • S10, E2, Pt 6: Choctaw Labor Day Festival 2025 | Behind the Crown: The Choctaw Princess Pageants
    Aug 13 2026
    Welcome back to this special Native ChocTalk series, where I'm taking you along with me to the 2025 Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival in Tvshkahomma to explore the history, traditions, and people that make this weekend so meaningful! In today's episode, you’ll learn about our Ohoyo Miko Yopisa – the Choctaw Princess Pageants. These pageants are about so much more than a crown. They’re a celebration of culture, leadership, language, history, and service. At the 2025 Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival, 26 young women competed for the titles of Little Miss, Junior Miss, and Senior Miss Choctaw Nation. I had the honor of meeting several contestants and hearing what representing our Chahta people means to them. Congratulations to the 2025–2026 Choctaw Princesses! - Senior Miss - Candis Battice Louis, District 12 - Junior Miss - Akeiley Willis, District 7 - Little Miss - Leigha Scott, District 11 Yakoke to all of the contestants for sharing your stories with Native ChocTalk! Next up: Part 7 - Stickball: “Little Brother of War” Text LABORDAY to 888777 for festival updates & visit https://laborday.choctawnation.com/ Yakoke to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma for partnering with me on this series!
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    13 min
  • S10, E2, Pt. 5: Choctaw Labor Day Festival 2025 | Stories Around the Campfire
    Aug 11 2026
    Would you like to hear stories of stickball that you won’t find in the history books? As we continue this series on the 2025 Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival, you’ll find in this episode that as the sun goes down… the celebration isn’t over. Did you know you can camp at the Labor Day Festival? What stories do YOU have of camping at Tvshkahomma? After a full day of festivities, I headed over to the campground, where a whole different side of the festival comes to life. Families gather around campfires, share meals, swap stories, laugh, and make memories that last long after the weekend is over. My friend, Solomon Tonihka tells the story of an ancient stickball field near his land - and why trees will never grow there again. He also shares of a particular stickball game and the role of the Choctaw alikchi - our traditional spiritual healers (some term as “witch doctors”). Shauna Williams, Executive Director of Communications for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, also visits with campers to hear about their fun camping experiences. So grab a seat, settle in, and let’s listen in around the campfire. Yakoke to the Tonihka family for your incredible hospitality! Next up: Part 6 - our Choctaw Princess Pageants! Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival 2026: September 4–6 in Tvshkahomma, Oklahoma Text LABORDAY to 888777 for festival updates & visit https://laborday.choctawnation.com/ Yakoke to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma for partnering with me on this series!
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    19 min
  • S10, E2, Pt 4 Choctaw Labor Day Festival 2025 | Voices of the Festival
    Aug 10 2026
    What if you could experience the Choctaw Labor Day Festival without ever leaving your couch? Come walk the grounds with me! Welcome to Part 4 of Native ChocTalk’s Choctaw Labor Day Festival 2025 series! Imagine this… - Drums echoing across the grounds. - Hymns filling the air. - Stickball warriors battling it out. - Buffalo grazing nearby. - Choctaw dancing and beautiful prairie dresses. - Handmade art and crafts everywhere you look. - And enough frybread to make you forget you just ate. In this episode, we’re experiencing the music, food, culture and traditions that make Labor Day so special - including a conversation with Lori Rowton of The Close, the 50th-anniversary celebration of the Tvshka Homma Capitol Museum with the unveiling of three new bronze busts honoring Choctaw leaders, ribbon skirts, kids’ activities, trivia and much more. Yakoke to Weylin Thompson, for sharing his gift of drumming in this episode! Next up: Part 5 - Stories Around the Campfire. Text LABORDAY to 888777 for festival updates. Want to bring The Close to your area? Email: BOOKING@THECLOSEMUSIC.COM. For more info, visit: WWW.THECLOSEMUSIC.COM. Yakoke to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma for partnering with me on this series!
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    18 min
  • S10, E2, Pt 3: Choctaw Labor Day Festival 2025 | 3 Generations, 90 Years of Choctaw History
    Aug 6 2026
    What if one birthday celebration became a reunion of three generations of a Choctaw family... with loved ones traveling from across the United States - and even across the world - to honor their matriarch's 90th birthday? In Part 3 of this series, we're coming to you from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma's 2025 Labor Day Festival, where thousands of Choctaws gather each year to celebrate our culture, heritage, language, and family. But this episode is about so much more than the festival. Meet Doris Thompson, who shares the remarkable story of her Choctaw family, including her grandfather, Captain Crawford John Anderson (who was born IN the Choctaw Council House!), and her beloved father, John Gilbert Anderson – a story you don’t want to miss! Through her memories, we'll step back in time to hear what life was like growing up in Talihina, Oklahoma, and discover the stories she hopes to pass down through the generations. To stay up to date with Labor Day Festival events, simply text "LaborDay" to 888777 and visit https://laborday.choctawnation.com/.
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    34 min
  • Audio Part-2-labor-day
    Aug 3 2026
    Part 2 of my Choctaw Labor Day Festival 2025 series is here! If you know me, you know I'm a total history nerd - so getting to sit down with Reno Crims, Curator and local historian at the Choctaw Tvshkahomma Capitol Museum, was an absolute highlight of my Labor Day weekend! As the Museum celebrates its 50th Anniversary, Reno shares the incredible history behind one of the most important places in the Choctaw Nation. In this episode, we explore: - The history of the Choctaw Capitol Building - The story behind the Choctaw Capitol Museum - How the Choctaw Labor Day Festival first began Did you know? The historic Choctaw Capitol Building, constructed in 1884, served as the seat of the Choctaw Nation government from 1884–1907. Today, it stands as a powerful reminder of our Nation's resilience and continues to preserve and share our rich history for future generations. Plan a visit! Choctaw Tvshkahomma Capitol Museum 163665 N 4355 Road, Tuskahoma, OK 74574 Monday–Friday | 8:00 AM–4:00 PM (Closed Holidays) Open Saturdays during the summer Admission is FREE! Trust me - the most powerful stories you'll experience are waiting just inside those historic walls. Yakoke, Reno, for sharing your knowledge and passion and for helping preserve the history of the Choctaw Capitol Museum for generations to come. For more information on the annual Choctaw Labor Day Festival, stay up to date by texting "LaborDay" to 888777 and learn more at https://laborday.choctawnation.com/. A huge Yakoke to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma for partnering with me on this special series! Have you ever visited the Choctaw Capitol Museum? Share your favorite memory in the comments!
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    33 min
  • S10, E2, Pt1: Choctaw Labor Day Festival 2025 | Where History Meets Celebration!
    Jul 29 2026
    What if I told you there's one weekend every year where thousands of Choctaw people gather to celebrate who we are, where we've been, and where we're going? In 2025, I had the opportunity to spend Labor Day weekend with my tribe at the Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival in Tvshkahomma, Oklahoma - and it's one of my favorite weekends of the entire year. In this special series, we're exploring: The history of the festival The traditions that have stood the test of time What makes this gathering so meaningful And why it continues to bring our people together year after year. Whether you've been attending the festival your whole life or you're discovering it for the very first time, I'd love for you to join me, Chief Gary Batton, and Shauna Williams as we kick off this journey through one of the Choctaw Nation's most cherished traditions. Stay up to date by texting "LaborDay" to 888777 Learn more at: www.laborday.choctawnation.com Yakoke to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma for partnering with me on this series!
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    29 min