CHOCTAW, Miss. (AP) — It’s a small part in a big movie, but for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, their scene in “Sinners” is a huge deal.

The horror movie blockbuster, starring Michael B. Jordan as a gangster turned vampire slayer, paints a brief but impactful portrait of the tribe using Choctaw actors and cultural experts. For some, it’s the first time they’ve seen the Choctaw way of life accurately portrayed on the big screen.

In the scene, a posse of Choctaw, riding on horseback and in an old truck, arrives at a small farmhouse to warn the couple that lives there of coming danger. When the couple refuses their help, a Choctaw man wishes them luck in his native language before riding off.

“I’ve not seen another movie that has our language spoken correctly,” said Cynthia Massey, a cultural consultant for “Sinners.”

Massey runs the tribe’s Chahta Immi Cultural Center alongside Sherrill Nickey and department director Jay Wesley. All three were hired as cultural consultants to ensure a genuine depiction of the tribe in the film. Together, they sifted through archives, researching how their ancestors would have dressed, spoken and acted in the 1930s, when “Sinners” takes place.

“I was honored and humbled by the fact that they wanted a true representation,” said Wesley, who also acted in the movie.

Wesley connected the filmmakers to Choctaw actors and artifacts like the beaded sashes the Choctaw characters wear in the movie. Those sashes are now part of a “Sinners” display at the cultural center.

The movie’s introduction also features a short snippet of a Choctaw war chant, performed by Wesley’s daughter, Jaeden Wesley, who is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. While recording, Jaeden Wesley said the filmmakers told her they wanted the Choctaw people to hear their music in the movie.

“We were catering to our own people, even in that short little second,” Jaeden Wesley said.

Shining a spotlight on often overlooked cultures and topics, like the Choctaw people, is part of the mission at Proximity Media, which produced “Sinners.” The company was founded by “Sinners” director Ryan Coogler, his wife and film producer, Zinzi Coogler, and producer Sev Ohanian.

“It was never a question for us that if we were going to portray the Mississippi Choctaw, we got to have the right people who can tell us, who can tell Ryan, what we’re not knowing, what we’re not thinking,” Ohanian said. “It was all because we’re trying to serve Ryan’s story of like putting truth on screen.”

Ohanian and his co-founders didn’t stop with Choctaw consultants; they enlisted a small army of experts who advised on the confluence of cultures mingling in the Mississippi Delta, where the film is set. The resulting cinematic world was so well received, community organizers penned an open letter, inviting Coogler and his fellow filmmakers to visit the Delta. Last week, the Cooglers, Ohanian and others took up the offer, attending a “Sinners” screening in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Clarksdale is where the film’s events unfold.

“I hope this encourages other filmmakers to find opportunities to be authentic in their storytelling and to look at this rich tapestry of culture that’s right here in America,” Ohanian said, noting the film industry has historically misrepresented nonwhite groups.

Wesley and his fellow consultants hope the film will cultivate curiosity in audiences, encourage them to learn more about Choctaw culture and visit the Chahta Immi Cultural Center.

“It’s important to be connected to this culture because this was here before the public was here,” Massey said. “Probably three-quarters of Mississippi was Choctaw land, and now we only have 350,000 acres.”

They say Choctaw participation in the film has cultivated a sense of pride among tribe members. Nickey hopes it will encourage a sort of cultural renaissance at a time when she says fewer and fewer Choctaw speak their native language.

“I know for a fact that there are a lot of kids out there that don’t even know how to speak our language. They only speak English,” Nickey said. “I hope they know it’s okay to speak our language.”

Related

• New Mississippi State baseball coach Brian O’Connor retained interim coach Justin Parker as pitching coach.
• O’Connor was impressed with Parker’s pitching staff during the Charlottesville Regional matchup between Mississippi State and Virginia last season.

This story was updated to change a photo.

STARKVILLE — New Mississippi State baseball coach Brian O’Connor brought two assistant coaches with him from Virginia, Kevin McMullan and Matt Kirby. However, he picked one MSU assistant to stay with him on staff.

The Bulldogs retained Justin Parker as the pitching coach. The news was announced just hours before O’Connor’s introduction at Dudy Noble Field on June 5.

Parker was the interim MSU coach after Chris Lemonis was fired on April 28. He led the Bulldogs to a 9-1 finish to the regular season and an NCAA tournament at-large bid.

“I felt like that we really needed on this staff, somebody who had connections in the southeast from a recruiting standpoint,” O’Connor, hired on June 1, said. “A couple of things in Justin Parker’s favor is that he’s coached four years in the SEC. He knows this league.”

O’Connor also recalled last season’s Charlottesville Regional where Mississippi State and Virginia played each other twice. The Cavaliers won both games, but O’Connor said he was impressed with Parker’s pitching staff.

He mentioned Parker’s development with young pitchers, specifically Charlie Foster, Ryan McPherson and Dane Burns.

“Not only is he a developer of their skill and going to help them not only win for Mississippi State, but also be successful after their time here, I happen to feel he’s also a good man,” O’Connor said, who’d been the Virginia coach since 2004. “That is the fiber of what he’s about, is what I’m about.”

O’Connor’s hiring was announced an hour after the MSU season ended in the Tallahassee Regional. The team bussed back to Starkville the next day, where O’Connor was already there. O’Connor said he’s completed 30-minute exit interviews with every player on the team that has eligibility, but also spent time with Parker. He said they’ve been together on six different occasions since June 2 ranging from 30 minutes to two hours.

“I certainly had conversations with other candidates and things like that,” O’Connor said. “That’s part of the process, right? But ultimately landed on he is the man that is most qualified and best here at Mississippi State to lead this pitching staff moving forward.”

MORE: Brian O’Connor contract: Mississippi State baseball coach salary, bonuses

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

Auburn’s had some success in recent years recruiting the state of Mississippi.

Corey Wells is another prospect out of the Magnolia State to keep an eye on.

The 6-foot-5 defensive lineman out of Petal, Miss., wrapped up a midweek official visit Thursday, as the Tigers are one of four SEC schools getting Wells on an official this summer.

“I loved it, I ain’t gonna lie,” Wells said. “From the moment I stepped in, I already knew I was gonna love it. I mean, it’s big, it’s beautiful. I mean, the coach is great, and it just feels right.”

Auburn was the second official visit for Wells, who previously took an official with Ole Miss. He has upcoming officials with Texas and Mississippi State, but the Tigers made a strong impression during his first ever trip to the Plains. What stood out the most about his Auburn visit?

“Talking with the coaches, watching the coaches practice with the players, the photo shoot, the food — the food was real good,” Wells said.

Wells spent plenty of time with defensive tackles coach Vontrell King-Williams during the visit. His biggest takeaway was that King-Williams genuinely cares for his players and gets the best out of them.

“Coach Vontrell, he’s a good coach, he gets after it,” Wells said. “He loves his players, he’s gonna teach his players, he’s gonna make sure his players get after it, make sure they’re good.”

Head coach Hugh Freeze also is involved in Wells’ recruitment.

“He loves us Mississippi boys,” Wells said. “Mississippi is very underrated, and coaches like him just coming to get us. I appreciate it, and I feel like all Mississippi boys are gonna appreciate it.”

Following the visit, Wells has Auburn sitting “top three” in his recruitment, with a plan to make a decision sometime before his senior season.