Abstract:
Although Europeans unquestioningly impacted the indigenous economies of the Americas, these original economies have shifted, but have never entirely disappeared. Early European witnesses of these tribal systems were often off the mark in interpreting their observations, especially when the data was forced into completely European models. With the secondary sources available, a less Eurocentric model of the 18th and 19th century Choctaw economy can be constructed. This reconstruction will help develop more accurate portrayals of functions within tribal societies.