The Choctaw venerated Sint Holo, a horned serpent which visited unusually wise young men.
Chata and Chicksaw, two brothers, led a tribe from the west, guided by a magical pole which, when placed in the ground, leaned towards the correct direction of travel. They stopped where the pole stood upright. They buried their ancestors' bones (carried from the west) in the ground, but afterwards, the brothers realized the land could not hold all the people. Chicksaw took half and went north, becoming the Chickasaw. Chata and the rest became the Choctaw.Arrival