Oktibbeha (ock-TIB-ee-ha) has several possible meanings, such as “fighting water” or “blocks of ice therein.” It is also the county name of the author who wrote the book, “Native American Place Names in Mississippi.”The book, written by Mississippi State University graduate student Keith Baca, 47, is a comprehensive dictionary of Mississippi’s Indian place names. “There are almost 600 places that have Indian names,” Baca said. “Most are Choctaw based, and most others are Chickasaw.”
The book has a Choctaw and Chickasaw alphabet and pronunciation guide at the beginning for reference when trying to pronounce the many entries. Each entry gives the pronunciation of the words and a definition.
“One of the important things I did was try to correct a lot of the false translations people believe,” Baca said. “For instance, there is a town called Toccopola which a lot of people think means crossroads. It’s actually Chickasaw for ‘bad prairie’ or ‘desolate prairie.’ Another example [is] the Tombigbee River. Some people actually think that the river is named for an Indian named Tom Big Bee. It’s not true. The name actually means ‘box maker’ or ‘coffin maker.’ There used to be an Indian who made boxes or coffins who lived on one of the branches of the Tombigbee.”
The book is written for anyone that wants to learn about Mississippi’s heritage, Baca said. “I think a book like this is important because it brings Mississippi history to a wide readership,” he said.
Baca had the idea to write the book six years ago and wrote it on and off until he sent it to the University Press of Mississippi in 2006. They published it in June 2007. The writing process was time- consuming for Baca.
“A lot of research,” Baca said. “A lot of digging out old, obscure articles. I went through all these and compiled previous available translations. Plus, I provided about 100 translations of my own using Choctaw and Chickasaw dictionaries.”
Baca graduated with his undergraduate degree in anthropology from MSU in 1983. After leaving MSU, Baca began working for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as an archeologist before he came back for his master’s degree.
“I previously wrote a booklet that’s entitled ‘Indian Mounds of Mississippi: A Visitor’s Guide,'” Baca said. “It was distributed free by the Mississippi department of Archives and History. Unfortunately it’s no longer in print.”
Baca is currently working on his thesis for his master’s degree in applied anthropology.
“It’s been a fulfilling career for me,” Baca said. “And we need more archeologists to get the story of Mississippi’s fascinating prehistory out to the public.”
Baca said his love for history began long before he started his undergraduate degree.
“I’ve always been involved in history from an early age,” Baca said. “A lot of Mississippi history is hidden. The way I was taught Mississippi history in high school was boring. Textbooks were pretty bad. So I had to get most of it on my own in libraries.”
He said he was always curious about the different mound sites on the Natchez trace as a teenager.
“I thought maybe I could make contributions to knowledge in archeology,” he said. “A lot of college students think there are not many jobs in archeology, but actually there are.”
In his youth, Baca moved from his birth state, California, to Mississippi where he had family. While in Mississippi he noticed some of the interesting language around him.
“When I was young I often wondered about the strange Indian names on highways signs at creeks and communities across the state,” Baca said. “I never lost that interest, and it resulted in this book.”
Baca’s book is available in the Barnes & Noble booksellers on the MSU campus for $18, as well as most other book distributors.
“I’m told by the University Press of Mississippi that it’s selling very well,” he said. “It should sell steadily for years to come.