Choctaw Hog
Encyclopedia
The Choctaw Hog is a breed
of domestic pig
historically used by Native Americans
. They are now reduced in population
to a few hundred animals, most of them in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
calls the Choctaw Hog's status "critically rare" and says it "is a high conservation
priority."
brought to the Americas by Spaniards
from the 16th century onwards. The Choctaw Hog was used not only by Native Americans
but also by Europe
an settler
s and a succession of other peoples in the Southeastern United States
for over three hundred years.
The Choctaw people and their livestock
migrated from the Deep South
to Oklahoma Territory
in the early 19th century. The United States government forced the Five Civilized Tribes
out of Mississippi
and Alabama
in 1830, and they too brought more hogs to Oklahoma. An Oklahoma Choctaw will
from 1858 leaves the posthumous "wish and desire that all the hogs running at the home place be gathered and sold". It is from Oklahoma swine that today's Choctaw Hogs are descended and their appearance has changed little in 150 years.
. First, their toes are typically fused forming a single hoof
like that of a mule
. The mulefoot
shares this trait for the same reason and the two breeds may come from common ancestral stock which was loosely selected and managed until the late 19th century. Secondly, many have fleshy wattles
on each side of their necks.
These hogs are black, sometimes with white markings, and at about 120 pounds, they are relatively small for a domestic
pig. Feral
descendants of Spanish pigs are much more common than non-feral ones, but the Choctaw is "a pure Spanish breed" and is distinct from the exact feral hog populations in the Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge
area, which are of mixed ancestry. They are nevertheless quick and athletic pigs with heavy forequarters and "it is obvious that Choctaw hogs are built for survival".
and forage for acorn
s, berries
, invertebrate
s, root
s, vegetable
s, and whatever else they can find. With the aid of trained dogs
, hogs are rounded up
periodically, earmarked
, and sorted. The dog usually used for this purpose is the Catahoula Leopard dog
, another animal of probable Spanish origin. While Choctaw Hogs kept in confinement can become very tame, some may be "amazed at the speed and agility of Choctaw hogs."
Pigs kept for market are fattened with corn
to improve their value. A paper from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
describes the Choctaw as "large and fat" and reports:
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy reports that Choctaws do not have a very valuable "market
carcass
". Lacking economic incentive, commercial interests are not drawn to help in the Choctaw's conservation and there is no official Choctaw Hog registry for this breed.
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
of domestic pig
Domestic pig
The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...
historically used by Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. They are now reduced in population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
to a few hundred animals, most of them in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a semi-autonomous Native American homeland comprising twelve tribal districts. The Choctaw Nation maintains a special relationship with both the United States and Oklahoma governments...
. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting genetic diversity among rare breeds of livestock...
calls the Choctaw Hog's status "critically rare" and says it "is a high conservation
Wildlife management
Wildlife management attempts to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best available science. Wildlife management can include game keeping, wildlife conservation and pest control...
priority."
History
The Choctaw descends from livestockLivestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
brought to the Americas by Spaniards
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
from the 16th century onwards. The Choctaw Hog was used not only by Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
but also by Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s and a succession of other peoples in the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
for over three hundred years.
The Choctaw people and their livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
migrated from the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
to Oklahoma Territory
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
in the early 19th century. The United States government forced the Five Civilized Tribes
Five Civilized Tribes
The Five Civilized Tribes were the five Native American nations—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—that were considered civilized by Anglo-European settlers during the colonial and early federal period because they adopted many of the colonists' customs and had generally good...
out of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
in 1830, and they too brought more hogs to Oklahoma. An Oklahoma Choctaw will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
from 1858 leaves the posthumous "wish and desire that all the hogs running at the home place be gathered and sold". It is from Oklahoma swine that today's Choctaw Hogs are descended and their appearance has changed little in 150 years.
Description
Choctaw hogs have two distinctive characteristics indicative of their ancestors brought from SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. First, their toes are typically fused forming a single hoof
Hoof
A hoof , plural hooves or hoofs , is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, strengthened by a thick horny covering. The hoof consists of a hard or rubbery sole, and a hard wall formed by a thick nail rolled around the tip of the toe. The weight of the animal is normally borne by both the sole...
like that of a mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
. The mulefoot
Mulefoot
Mulefoot are a breed of domestic pig which is named for its solid, non-cloven hooves reminiscent of a mule. These pigs are typically black, on rare occasions having white spots, and typically reach a weight of 400-600 pounds by the age of two years....
shares this trait for the same reason and the two breeds may come from common ancestral stock which was loosely selected and managed until the late 19th century. Secondly, many have fleshy wattles
Wattle (anatomy)
A wattle is a fleshy dewlap or caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds, goats and other animals. In some birds the caruncle is erectile tissue.The wattle is frequently an organ of sexual dimorphism...
on each side of their necks.
These hogs are black, sometimes with white markings, and at about 120 pounds, they are relatively small for a domestic
Domestication
Domestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. In the Convention on Biological Diversity a domesticated species is defined as a 'species in which the evolutionary process has been...
pig. Feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
descendants of Spanish pigs are much more common than non-feral ones, but the Choctaw is "a pure Spanish breed" and is distinct from the exact feral hog populations in the Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge
Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge
The Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge is a 4,218 acre National Wildlife Refuge located along the Tombigbee River near Coffeeville, Alabama...
area, which are of mixed ancestry. They are nevertheless quick and athletic pigs with heavy forequarters and "it is obvious that Choctaw hogs are built for survival".
Cultivation
The Choctaw tribe still raises these hogs in Oklahoma. They require relatively little care and are traditionally allowed to run free on open rangeFree range
thumb|250px|Free-range chickens being fed outdoors.Free range is a term which outside of the United States denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals are allowed to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. In the United States, USDA regulations apply only to poultry and...
and forage for acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
s, berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
, invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s, root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
s, vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s, and whatever else they can find. With the aid of trained dogs
Working dog
A working dog refers to a canine working animal, i.e., a type of dog that is not merely a pet but learns and performs tasks to assist and/or entertain its human companions, or a breed of such origin...
, hogs are rounded up
Herding
Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group , maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. While the layperson uses the term "herding", most individuals involved in the process term it mustering, "working stock" or...
periodically, earmarked
Earmark (agriculture)
An earmark is a cut or mark in the ear of livestock animals such as cattle, deer, pigs, goats, camels or sheep, made to show ownership, year of birth or gender....
, and sorted. The dog usually used for this purpose is the Catahoula Leopard dog
Catahoula Leopard Dog
The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog or Catahoula cur is an American dog breed. It is named after Catahoula Parish in the state of Louisiana in the United States. The Catahoula is believed to have occupied North America the next longest after the dogs descended from Native American-created breeds...
, another animal of probable Spanish origin. While Choctaw Hogs kept in confinement can become very tame, some may be "amazed at the speed and agility of Choctaw hogs."
Pigs kept for market are fattened with corn
Maze
A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
to improve their value. A paper from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine is a state-supported college of two states, Virginia and Maryland, filling the need for veterinary medicine education in both states. Students from both states are considered "in-state" students for admissions purposes.VMRCVM is one of...
describes the Choctaw as "large and fat" and reports:
As hog breeding more favors the industrial organization and breeding of white hogs for lean pork production these remnants of the Spanish strains that were adapted for extensive systems are becoming rarer and rarer.
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy reports that Choctaws do not have a very valuable "market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
carcass
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
". Lacking economic incentive, commercial interests are not drawn to help in the Choctaw's conservation and there is no official Choctaw Hog registry for this breed.