Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the survivance of the Chickasaw language through five centuries of relocations, political and social re-configurations, and multiple types of diaspora.

Paper long abstract:

The Chickasaw language has survived against incredible odds, including some of the longest contact with Europeans on the North American continent first encountering the Spanish through deSoto's arrival in 1540; forced removal to Oklahoma from homelands and geographically situated language use in 1830s; the disruption of tribal land holdings through allotment (1893); relocation to urban centers (1956); and throughout, competition with dominant languages such as English, Spanish, French. Yet, the language is still spoken, although in diminishing numbers, today. This paper examines the survivance of the Chickasaw language through five centuries of relocations, political and social re-configurations, and multiple types of diaspora. To do so, I draw on the concept of linguistic survivance (Davis forthcoming) to prioritize narratives of Indigenous and endangered language community survival, ingenuity, and cultural continuity by asking two key questions: How is it even possible that the Chickasaw language has been maintained for as long as it has been? and, What socio-cultural, historical, and political factors have facilitated language maintenance and use?