1. Native Americans from Texas
Hello everyone and welcome to my presentation! My presentation is over Native Americans from Texas.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

2. Here is a map of the most well-known Native Texans
Here is a map of the most well-known Native Texans. The Indians that we will be discussing are the Comanche, Caddo, Wichita, Tonkawa, Karankawa, Coahuiltecan, Apache, and Jumano Indians.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

3. The First Americans
It is thought that most Native Americans are descendents from people that crossed over from Asia to America on a land bridge– the Bering Land bridge.
As the world's glaciers and ice sheets melted over the following millennia, rising sea level flooded the land bridge.
This picture demonstrates the diminishing of the bridge over thousands of years
First of all, the first people in America actually came from some place other than America. One widely accepted theory is that the first people traveled from Asia by walking over a land bridge, called the Bering Land Bridge that once existed btwn Alaska and Asia. This land bridge eventually disappeared due to flooding cause by melting glaciers.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

4. Migration Paths
As the people began to migrate to America, they all branched off and to different locations. As you can see, most of the people traveled to areas with a lot of water. The people that we will be focusing on eventually, thousands of years later, migrated to the Texas area.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

5. KEY WORD!! NOMADS (nomadic)
A person or group that moves place to place.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

6. The Comanche: Nomadic
Used the horse for their main source of transportation and hunting
“Well dressed”
The Comanche leaders often wore fine European clothes, with many silver conchos and fine leather boots.
Hunters and gatherers
A person or group who lives by hunting for their food or gathering what grows naturally, rather than growing it themselves.
The Comanche are probably one of the most well known Indians that we learn about in Texas. They are very nomadic and traveled to Texas all the way from Wyoming. They conquered the land in which they invaded, and did not attempt to make many friends. They got their food by hunting and gathering. Their main target was the buffalo which they used in many ways in their daily lives. Before the Spanish settlers brought horses, the Comanche tribes walked. It was very hard to hunt that way, so once the horse was introduced to them, they began to trade for them or to steal them and the horse became their main source of transportation and means of hunting. The Comanches have been described as “well-dressed” because they traded with European settlers.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

7. The Comanche Lived in tee-pees
A portable home made of tanned buffalo hides fastened to a framework of wooden poles.
Good warriors and traders (although, thieves)
Often spoke more than one language
Lived in Great and North Central Plains
The Comanche families lived in teepees. The teepee was easy to construct and easy to take apart. They were very convenient for a nomadic life-style. As I said before, they are traders and warriors, and it is thought that they were very good at what they did. They were also very learned. Many times at least one person in a tribe could speak more than one language.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

8. The Wichita: Non-Nomadic
Lived in North Central Plains
Lived in grass huts in villages
Farmers
grew maize, pumpkins, squash, beans and plums
The Wichita lived in Northern Texas. They were semisedentary, which means that they stayed in one place for half of the year, and then traveled around the other half. In the fall they would migrate west to hunt for buffalo. When spring came, they would go back to farming and living in villages. They lived in grass huts like in the picture.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

9. The Wichita Tattoos— “raccoon-eyed people” Clothing
Wore clothes made of tanned hides
Women: dresses that reached from their chin to their ankles
Wore moccasins made from hides
The Wichita Indians are noted for their tattooing around their eyes, which made them resemble raccoons. They called themselves raccoon-eyed people because of this. Their clothing and moccasins were made out of tanned hides. The men wore shirts, loin cloths, and leggings. The women must have been hot, because they wore dresses that reached from their chin all the way to the ground! They sometimes adorned themselves or their clothing with elk teeth, which were very valuable. They may have used them as trading items.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

10. The Caddo: Non-Nomadic
Farmers/Gatherers
Grew corn, beans, squash and other crops
Set fires in the woods to burn away clearings to farm
Women would gather wild plant food like acorns, black berries
Men would travel in hunting parties for buffalo
Lived in Piney Woods Region of the Coastal Plains
Lived in grass huts (like the Wichitas)
The Caddo clans were farmers that lived in the forests of East Texas. They built grass huts in which to live. In order to clear land for farming, the men would set part of the woods on fire. The men also traveled in hunting parties in order to hunt. Later they would make long robes out of the buffalo hides. The women gathered wild food to eat also.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

11. The Caddo Texas is a Caddoan word: It means "those who are friends"
The Tejas (Texas) Caddo tribes were all "friends”
 Clothing:
They spun the threads and dyed the threads with vegetable dyes. The women would then weave beautiful cotton fabrics. They would use bead work and embroidery to decorate their clothing.
The word Texas comes from the Caddoan word “Tejas” which means those who are friends. The Caddoan tribes were skilled at making beautiful pottery and weapons. They made bows and arrows our of bois de arc wood, native to eastern Texas.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

12. Lets Review!
Where is it thought that the first humans that came to America came from?
Where did the Comanche Indians live? The Wichita? The Caddo?
What kind of house did the Comanches live in? The Wichita? The Caddo?
Which Native Texans were hunter/ gatherers?
Which were farmers?
What does “Tejas” mean?
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

13. The Tonkawa: Nomadic “The people of the wolf” Totemic belief system
Believed descended from mythical wolf
Totemic belief system
each clan had a mythical animal or spirit to guard them
The Tonkawas called themselves the people of the wolf. They believe that they are descended from a mythical wolf. The Tonkawa clans practiced a totemic belief system and each clan was guarded by an animal spirit.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

14. The Tonkawa Hunted and gathered food Fish, deer, blackberries
Lived in tee-pees
Tattooed bodies
Lived in Coastal Plains
Friendly, but enemies with Comanche and Apache tribes
They wore clothing to protect them from elements, not for looks
They also tattooed their bodies. They lived in the Texas Hill Country and were very friendly. They shared land with all that needed it. However, they were not friends with the Comanches or Apaches, who were enemies to everyone. They lived in a variety of homes: huts, wickiups, and teepees and were hunter-gatherers.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

15. The Apache Nomadic Built teepees Lived in the Coastal Plains
After the horse, stopped farming to hunt and became nomadic
“Apache” means “enemy”
The Apache and Navajo called themselves the Dine
Dine in Apache or Navajo means "the people”
Built teepees
Lived in the Coastal Plains
The Apaches are late-comers. They migrated to Texas all the way from present day Canada! The word Apache was given to them. They did not actually call themselves Apaches. It is probably Zuni which means enemy. The Apahces and Navajos actually called themselves Dine, which simply means “the people”. They lived in wickiups and teepees because they were semi-sedentary.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

16. The Apache Known for wearing leather boots and wide cloth headbands
They were pushed further south by Comanche
Two groups: Lipan and Mescaleros
Geronimo- famous leader of the Mescalero Apaches
Hunted buffalo as main food source
The horse was very important to the Apaches as well as the Comanches. They stopped farming to hunt because it was easier. Although the Apaches were not very friendly, the Comanches were worse and continued to push them further and further south. Eventually the Apaches broke up into two groups calld the Lipan and Mescaleros. The Lipan Apaches lived in southern TX and the Mescalero Apaches moved to the El Paso area. The Apaches were treated badly by the Spanish when they sought refuge from the Comanches. A famous Mescalero Apache is Geronimo. In the 1870s he raided southern NM and far W TX.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

17. The Karankawa Nomadic Fall/Winter- near Gulf Coast
Spring/Summer-near rivers and springs on the coastal prairie
Name means “Dog Lovers”
Coastal Plains: Galveston and Corpus Christi area (on ocean)
Food= fish fish fish!
But also gathered
Lived in Portable wigwams during the winter
Clothing
Men: breach cloths or nothing at all
Women: grass skirts
The Karankawa Natives lived along the Gulf Coast. There diet consisted of sea food and hardly anything else! They did not wear much clothing because of the warm climate. The men wore breach cloths or went naked, and the women wore grass skirts. They lived in Wikiups in the winter. Whenever they traveled, the moved along the swamps and marshes in large canoes which were big enough to hold a whole family and all of its possessions.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

18. The Karankawa Got around in canoes Interesting…
Dugout canoes
Interesting…
Larger than most Native Americans at 6’ on average
The Karankawas were often unfairly labeled as cannibals bc they ate the body of their war victims. However, most of the Native Americans did this! It was not for food, but for enabling the warriors to receive the brave spirit of the man they had killed. The Karankawas were probably pretty scary because they were taller than most Native Americans at over 6’.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

19. The Coahuiltecan Nomadic
Name was same as original city of Aztecs in Mexico
Coastal Plains
Hunters and gatherers
Tribe died off early
“Dirty and smelly”
Diseases
Became extremely poor
The Coahuiltecan now reffers to a bunch of similar Indian tribes and clans that lived in South Tx and E Mexico. They were hunters and gathers. Once people started to come to America, though, their lives were pretty much destroyed. They became incredibly poor and often starved or ate rotten food with maggots on it. They also contracted diseases. Because of this they were often refered to as dirty and smelly.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

20. The Coahuiltecan Little clothing, if any Lived in portable huts
If they could, they would live in Wickiups, but most often they slept out in the open. They rarely wore any clothing, but they did make sandles out of a spiky plant called lechuguilla.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

21. Jumano Non-Nomadic Adobe houses Mountains and Basins Farmers
A mix of sun-dried dirt and straw used to build homes.
Dried clay
Cool in summer
30-40 people in house
Flat roofs
Mountains and Basins
Farmers
grew corn, beans and squash
grew cotton for clothes and blankets
The Jumano Indians were farmers that lived in West Texas. They built adobe houses in which to live.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

22. Jumano Clean and neat Men shaved their heads except for at the top
Traders
Supposedly naked except for when it was cold- wore blankets
They are often described as neat and clean because the men would shave their entire head except for one spot where the hair grew long. They did not wear clothing. When it got cold they would wear blanket that they made out of the cotton that they grew. They were also involved in trading.
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,

23. Lets Review! What did the Tonkawa Indians call themselves?
Which Native Texans lived in adobe houses?
How did the Karankawa clans get around?
Why were the Coahuiltecan clans “dirty and “smelly”?
What Indian heritage was Geronimo?
What type of homes did the Tonkawa, Apache, Karankawa, Coahuiltecan, and Jumano Indians live in?
Moore, Edward R & Texarch Assoc., Texas Indians,