The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 16, July 1912 - April, 1913 Page: 346
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The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Cujanes.' With all of these tribes, except the Carancaguases, the
Orcoquiza were generally on good terms, but racially they seem to
have been quite distinct from all but the Attacapa, with whom
they were considerably mixed.2
Although they went periodically back and forth, with the
changes of seasons, between the coast and the interior, the Orco-
quiza lived in relatively fixed villages. If they were like the
Bidai, they remained inland during the winter. They practiced
agriculture to some extent, raising what was called by Bernardo
de Miranda "superfine maize." But this article seems to have
been a minor feature of their subsistence, for they lived to a
large extent on a fish diet, supplemented by sylvan fruits and
game, among which deer and bear were prominent. It was trade
in the skins and the fat of these animals that chiefly attracted
the French intruders.
An indication that the tribal organization of the Orcoquiza was
loose is the fact that during the clash between the French and
the Spaniards in the region, the tribe was divided in its alle-
giance, Canoes, particularly, leaning toward the French. An-
other indication is the conflicting contemporary statements by
different witnesses as to which of the chiefs was "capitan grande,"
or head chief of the group. Had there been a conspicuous tribal
headship, such a conflict of opinion would not have been likely
to occur. At first Canos appears in this light, and is the one to
whom Governor Barrios gave the title of captain some time be-
fore October, 1754. Indeed, there are some reasons for thinking
that he had the best claim to this distinction, but it was assigned
also to Mateo and to Calzones Colorados.3 The last named chief
became the one best known to the Spaniards.
Although our data on this point are conflicting, the tribe was
evidently small in numbers, even at this early date. Orobio, after
his second visit, reported that it was composed of five villages,
containing three hundred families, or perhaps twelve hundred
"The Bidai told Orobio that the Orcoquiza occupied the country from
the Neches to a point half way between the Trinity and the Brazos. See
Miranda's report, N. A., doc. 488.
2The present writer has shown, in another study, that the Bidai, Or-
coquiza, and Deadoses all belonged to the same linguistic group (Hand-
book of American Indians, II, under "San Francisco Xavier de Horca-
sitas.")
aDilijens. Practicadas, 1755, 3, 4, 7 (L. P. No. 25) ; N. A., doc. 488, fol. 3.346
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 16, July 1912 - April, 1913, periodical, 1913; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101058/m1/354/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.