The Choctaws, or Chahtas, are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States (Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana) of the Muskogean linguistic group. In the 19th century, Choctaws were known as one of the "Five Civilized Tribes" because they had integrated numerous cultural and technological practices of their European American neighbors. They are also remembered for their generosity in providing humanitarian relief during the Great Irish Famine (1845-1849), twenty years in advance of the Red Cross' founding. The Choctaw are of two distinct groups, the tribe (in Mississippi) and the nation (in Oklahoma).