How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story

The conflict between the Choctaws and the white Nahullos is complex and nearly impossible for the Choctaws to navigate successfully. From the beginning, Isaac represents the Nahullos as being more powerful than the Choctaws, with Treaty Talk being little more than a notice that the Nahullos are about to take what they want. He even discloses early in the story that, “Treaty Talk is why I became a ghost” (4).

Part of what makes the Nahullos such a formidable opponent is their inconsistent behavior. The confusion created by the Nahullos’ inconsistent behavior puts the Choctaws at a disadvantage in moving forward because they cannot predict if the Nahullos will pose a threat or offer help in any given situation. The Choctaws are at a further disadvantage due to the winter weather, which increases the resources the Choctaws need for survival and thus their dependence on the Nahullos’ more advanced resources. Isaac reveals the link between the winter weather and the Nahullos in his description of the Nahullos’ arrival in the swamp:

One morning I woke up and the world was white. Even before I opened my eyes I felt the white. Everything was quiet, and I peeped through the branches of our lean-to.