As a child, I also grew up in a Chickasaw family, in a small remote township in Southern Oklahoma.  The Chickasaw and English languages were used equally by family. The Chickasaw language was used informally in social settings.  Traditional stories and songs were shared in the Chickasaw language to teach life skills. History tells that Chickasaw people were removed from their native land to Indian Territory. Language loss has occurred overtime through assimilation and the Chickasaw nation adapted to western society.   The language loss from our parent’s perspective occurred as a result of them being forced into a government boarding school; speaking the native language was discouraged.  - Grandpa Malcolm Jefferson