Southeastern People Caddoes and Wichitas

First Texans http://texasindians.com Area- region and description of the land Food- types of food they eat Shelter- description of houses Appearance- description of clothes, hair, skin, etc. Government-Did they have tribal leaders? How did they select their tribes

Question of the Day What do you notice about where the major cities of Texas were established? Why? Answer: They were all established near rivers because waterways made it easier to transport goods.

“People or Cultures” It is best to think of Indians as "people” or “cultures” rather than as “tribes.” Some Indians did not belong to tribes, but instead lived in small groups or bands.

Band Consists of two or more extended families that live together under one leader.

Tribe Number of bands who followed the same leader and shared the same territory and culture.

Caddo Lived in the Piney Woods. Most advanced culture of all Texas Indians. When the Europeans arrived in the 1500s, the Caddo people greeted them by wailing, “Tejas” (friends).

Caddo – Geographic Characteristics Coastal Plains The Caddoes lived in the Mississippi River valley area. Built their homes near rivers Lived in small clearings in the forest Rich soil/plenty of rainfall East Texas

Caddo – Food sedentary food- rich environment- grew corn, beans, squash, sunflower seeds hunted deer and small animals, but growing crops was more important used dogs while hunting

Caddo – Shelter lived in villages dome-shaped huts made of cane, mud, and grass, furnished with colored rugs, baskets, and pottery small hole at the top for fires

Caddo – Appearance wore clothing made from deerskin wore mostly skirts with leggings tattooed streaks on their faces and animal designs on their bodies

Caddo – Economics traded pottery and hunting bows for shells, turquoise, and copper Skilled workers used the shells, turquoise, and copper to make useful and decorative objects.

Caddo – Social formed confederations to defend themselves from other tribes friendly with most of the other tribes

Caddo – Political Organized government system They were grouped into three confederacies. The chief was the high priest.

Caddo – Religion believed in a single creator believed the earth was sacred and that no one owned it; it should be shared believed that every living thing has a purpose called on spirits for help in daily loves built mounds for burial and worship

Wichita named after the language they spoke Villages joined together for protection. Location: West of the Caddo mostly in the North Central Plains Moved along the Red River and Brazos River A river, county, and city in Texas have been named after this tribe.

Wichita – Geographic Characteristics mostly in the North Central Plains down to Waco rich, sandy soil

Wichita – Food semi-sedentary hunters but mostly farmed corn, pumpkins, squash, melons, beans, groves of plum trees left homes in the fall to hunt buffalo; returned in the spring to plant crops

Wichita – Shelter lived in temporary camps during the fall and summer (tipis); lived in permanent villages in the fall big, dome-shaped grass huts covered with bearskins Early explores describe these huts as being 15 to 30 feet across.

Wichita – Appearance shorter, darker, and stockier than other Native American groups in Texas men known for tattoos around their eyes (circles); Raccoon Eyes Women tattooed their faces and bodies with zigzag lines, circles, and triangles. Men wore breechcloths and sometimes leather leggings. Women wore wraparound skirts and poncho tops made of woven fiber and deerskin. Both men and women wore earrings and moccasins. Women wore their hair long and men wore mohawks.

Wichita – Economics traded with neighboring tribes and Europeans traded buffalo robes and wooden bows among other things

Wichita – Social Men mostly hunted, cut poles used to make the houses, and made weapons. Women tanned and painted the buffalo hides, farmed, gathered most of the food, made clothing, cooked, and tended to the children. Children didn’t go to school. They watched their parents. The girls learned from their mothers, and the boys learned from their fathers. They got along well with neighboring tribes.

Wichita – Political The chief was elected by members of the tribe. They also had a subchief, “The-One-Who-Locates”, who was in charge of finding a new village if necessary. Both chief and subchief had their own followers but neither had too much power.

Wichita – Religion believed in a single creator believed the earth was sacred and that no one owned it; it should be shared believed that every living thing has a purpose had religious leaders called Shamans They were in control of religious ceremonies. Shamans are also known as religious healers.