Member of an American Indian people who moved from northern Mississippi and Alabama to the floodplains of Mississippi and parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas by the 16th century. They were formerly part of the Choctaw , and share language origins with the Muskogean family. Originally seminomadic, they later farmed the fertile floodplains producing maize and other crops, and were known as one of the Five Civilized Tribes . Many now live on tribal landholdings in Oklahoma and raise cattle. Most have abandoned their traditional culture and are either Methodist or Baptist. Their population numbers about 20,900 (2000). During their seminomadic period, they lived in dwellings scattered along streams or rivers rather than in villages, and raided and absorbed other American Indian peoples. Their homes were made from rectangular wood-pole frames covered with grasses, bark, or animal skin. Once on the rich lands of the Mississippi River floodplains, the Chickasaw yielded abundant crops of…