Texas Almanac, 1947-1948 Page: 91

View a full description of this book.

HISTORY OF TEXAS 91

There had been no official census to prove
It, but unofficial estimates and food-card
distribution by the government furnish re-
liable evidence of the truth of this statement
I. PREHISTORY OF TEXAS-NATIVE
INDIAN TRIBES.
Usually the written history of Texas be-
gins with the coming of the early explorers.
adres and conquistadores Actually it should
begin with the aboriginal Texans, the In-
dians. Written history has usually given this
chapter scant space because there has been
scant information. In recent years, through
the gradual accumulation of information dug
from the archives of the early explorers and
the evidence dug from the earth by the
archaeologists, an appreciable amount of de-
pendable information has been established
dating back far beyond the earliest visit of
the white man.
Climate and indigenous flora ar d fauna
resources of Texas made it a more than ordi-
narily habitable region The great herds of
buffalo, deer and other wild animals, the fish
of the coast and inland streams, and the
native fruits, the berries and pecans made
maintenance of life relatively easy. Not only
was the population relatively large, but, even
in that day Texas was characterized by an
outstanding characteristic of today-diver-
sity. This diversity of prehistoric cultures
grew out of the diversity of soils and physi-
ographic conditions that have contributed
largely to diversity since the advent of white
men. In prehistoric Texas were represented
the cultures of the Mississippi Valley, the
wooded and open plains and the Rocky
Mountains.
Three Indian Eras.
Chronologically, the story of Indians in
Texas falls into three parts First, those who
passed from the scene before the coming of
the first white man, leaving to the archae-
ologist the only evidence of existence; sec-
ondly, the Indian tribes living within the
present bounds of Texas when white men
came; thirdly, the migration into Texas from
the east by groups of aborigines, driven west-
ward by the impact of white man's advance
from the Atlantic Seaboard, and the decline
and passing of all aboriginal peoples, both
those who lived in Texas at the time of the
coming of the white man and those who
later came across the eastern border.
Prehistoric Texans.
Research of recent years has brought to
light evidence to prove that Texas is one of
the most fertile fields in North America for
archaeological research.
The importance of Texas in American
archaeology, wrote the late Prof. J. E. Pearce
of the University of Texas, lies in "(1) the
fact that the state is in the heart of a great
North American triangle, the apices of which
are the culture centers of the Maya-Aztec
area, the Pueblo area and the Mound-Builder
area; (2) the evidence which it affords of the
relationship between the cultures of the
pronounced natural environments such as the
forested areas, the coasts, the prairies and
the high plains, and (3) the inherent value of
the early Texas cultures in themselves "
The most productive archaeological sources
probably have been the Indian mounds found
n many points in Northeast and East Texas.
and on the lower Coastal Plains. From these
have been taken evidences of varied and, in
places, relatively advanced cultures. Much of
the life habits and migration of prehistoric
man has been ascertained. From the kitchen
middens of a wide area in the central por-
tion of the state, and from the rock shelters
In Southwest Texas. have been taken similar
evidences, indicating the prehistoric cultures
of this wide area. Along the Canadian River
and in the breaks of the escarpment on the

east side of the Great Plains is found evi-
dence of the Pueblo culture of New Mexico.
In the caves of the Big Bend region in the
Guadalupe, Davis, Mueco, Chisos and other
mountain ranges are evidences of a culture
related to the Basket-Maker or Pueblo cul-
ture of New Mexico. As in the instances of
the Panhandle culture, archaeologists are
disagreed as to whether it is an extension of
Pueblo and Basket-Maker culture, or whether
it is a different culture showing the influence
of New Mexico tribes.
The Caddo Family.
The largest group of Indians living in
Texas during the time of early Spanish and
French explorations was that of the Caddo
tribes who dwelt in a crescent-shaped area
extending from the southern extremity of the
pine belt In East Texas. northward up the
Trinity, Neches and Sabine Valleys to the
Red River and thence westward along the
Red River to the base of the present Texas
Panhandle. This great Indian family of Caddo
stock seemingly was broken into three major
subclassifications (1) the Hasinai Confed-
eracy in the lower half of the Texas Pine
Belt and extending across the Sabine into
Louisiana; (2) the Caddo proper group living
in Northeast Texas and adjacent sections of
Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, and (3)
the Wichita group dwelling in the Upper Red
River Valley and on the headwaters of the
Trinity.
The Hasinai Confederacy included the Nac-
ogdoche, Nasoni, Neche, Heinai, Nadoco and
other tribal subclassifications They were
rather far advanced culturally, living in per-
manent homes and cultivating the soil.
To the north and northeast of the Hasinai
Confederacy was the region of the tribal
groups usually referred to as the Caddoes
proper, including the Grand Caddoes. Little
Caddoes, Nachitoches, Adaes, Natsoos and
other tribes. Like the related Caddoes to the
south they dwelt in permanent abodes, tilled
the soil and maintained a rather high cul-
tural state. Early explorers said that there
was little variation among the dialects of the
two confederacies.
The third Caddo group consisted of the
Wichita Confederacy, whose grounds appar-
ently lay along both sides of the Red River.
from the approximate location of present
Grayson County to the east line of the Pan-
handle, extending southward into the upper
valley of the Trinity. Subclassifications In-
cluded the Wichitas proper. Taovayos. Ta-
wakanis (or Tehuacanas), the Yscanis and
others. These tribes are now accepted as a
branch of the Caddo stock, although their
dialects undoubtedly varied considerably
from those of the lower groups, and their
habits were more nomadic.
Gulf Coast Indians.
Along the Gulf Coast, from the Sabine to
the Rio Grande. were the tribes with a sea-
food economy Their cultural status was be-
low that of the Caddoes. They were semi-
nomadic, although their ranges were rather
limited, and they did not maintain permanent
shelters. Most of them have left undeniable
evidence of cannibalism in varying degree.
Farthest to the east were the Attacapas,
dwelling around Sabine Lake, and for a short
distance along the channel of this river to
the north. Immediately to the west lay the
Arkokisas and the Deadoses, dwelling on the
coastal prairies of the Gulf and on the south-
ern fringes of the Big Thicket. In the Trin-
ity Valley, and immed lately north of Trinity
Bay, these tribal groups, possibly related,
occupied the narrow area lying between the
Gulf Coast on the south and the Hasinal
Confederacy on the north. To the west were
the Didais. Still farther westward, extending
approximately from Galveston Island to San
Antonio Bay, were the Karankawas, includ-

Upcoming Pages

Here’s what’s next.

upcoming item: 94 94 of 613
upcoming item: 95 95 of 613
upcoming item: 96 96 of 613
upcoming item: 97 97 of 613

Show all pages in this book.

This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.

Tools / Downloads

Get a copy of this page .

Citing and Sharing

Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.

Reference the current page of this Book.

Texas Almanac, 1947-1948, book, 1947; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117136/m1/93/ocr/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.

Univesal Viewer

International Image Interoperability Framework (This Page)

Back to Top of Screen