Caddo

Caddo Native Americans The Caddo were farmers who lived in East Texas. There were two main groups of the Caddo in Texas. 2

Caddo Region The Caddo lived in east Texas in the piney forests. (Piney Woods) This is a good climate for farming. There are many springs, creeks, streams and several large rivers in this area. 3

Caddo Trade Bows and arrows were the favorite weapon for hunting and for war. The bois de arc only grows in this region, so the Caddo had all the bois de arc wood. They made bows to trade with other Indian tribes 4

Caddo Trade The women made pottery to use and for trade. The Caddo also traded some of their crops for things they needed. 5

Caddo Shelter The Caddo lived in tall cone shaped grass huts. To build a hut, they made a wood frame and covered it with cut cane and long grasses. 6

Caddo Shelter These huts were nicely furnished inside with furniture and were quite comfortable. The inside of the huts had woven grass and split cane mats on the floors. These same mats were hung up as partitions inside the hut. Often several families would live in one hut. 7

Caddo Shelter The summer house had no sides on it, only a roof. The floor was raised up off the ground and was made of woven cane or split wood. This helped keep it cooler. 8

Caddo Food They were farmers. They planted crops in large clearings in the woods. They raised corn, beans and squash. They also hunted the deer, turkey, rabbits, squirrels and other animals in the pine woods around them. 9

Caddo Food The women would gather wild plant food like acorns, black berries, persimmons, roots and many other plants and fruits. But, farming corn, beans, and squash provided the main source of food. 10

Caddo Tools Because they lived in the woods they used wood for many things. To cut down trees they used stone axes. 11

Nomad or Sedentary? They farm and build huts that have furniture. Would it be easy to pick up everything and move? How would the Caddo way of life be different if they were nomads? How would they live differently?