2.  First people to come to North America may have migrated from Asia about 37,000 years ago.  These first explorers did not keep written records, so we refer to this period as  pre historic.

3.  Mayans Southern Mexico and Central America (Mesoamerica)  Aztecs Mesoamerica  These two cultures are believed to have influenced Native Texans culture from artifacts to crops.

4.  Early Texans first started practicing farming and other agricultural activities around 700 A.D. Farming was simple:  Trees and brush were first cleared and burned.  Poked holes in the ground and then put the seed in the hole. Farming produced more food then hunting and gathering  By using agriculture efficiently, the Native Texans were able to settle in one place.

5.  The Coahuiltecans Small game hunter and gatherers  Gatherers were mostly women. Nomads  When the food ran out of one place they would move to another  This harsh lifestyle made them ideal endurance runners.  The Karankawas Fisherman  Used canoes to catch fish and mollusks Used alligator grease to ward off mosquitoes.

6.  The Caddoes Largest of the East Texas tribes.  Built sturdy grass lodges and lived in large villages.  Their major chief was called “the caddi” Lived along the Agelina and Neches Rivers.  Other East Texas tribes: Atakapans, Alabama, and the Coushatta.

7.  Apaches Learned very quickly how to hunt on the plains.  Men wore high boots for protection from thornes and also wore headbands to trap sweat.  Mescalero Apaches Were known to raid other tribes as well as known for their farming skills. Enemies of the Comanches.  Comanches Fine horsemen, known as the “Lords of the Plain” Also known as raiders.  Would take goods and captives.  Kiowas As with the Comanches and Apaches, they were known as skilled riders.  Worked with the the Comanches to drive the Apaches from their territories.  Among the most feared native groups on the plain.

8.  Tonkawas Hunted Buffalo and deer.  Traded the deer hides for goods and weapons. Later joined the European settlers in fighting off the Comanches.  Wichitas Farmers: corn, beans, pumpkins, squash, and melons. Very skilled artisans. Women were held in high regard.

9.  Jumanos Lived in farming villages of one room houses.  Houses were made of “adobe”.  Adobe kept the homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  Inside of the homes were brightly painted.  Tiguas Also lived in adobe houses.  Cooked there food outside in round adobe ovens. Skilled artisans by turning clay into beautiful pottery. Grew cotton and wove it into cloth.

10.  Cherokees Arrived later from the east when the pressure of more settlers pushed them west. Farmers Intermarried with other tribes and became an important part of Texas history.  Kickapoos Arrived from the Great Lakes area around 1830. Lived in small huts which were round and covered by mats. Farmers

12.  Europeans brought disease Smallpox, influenza and measles  Food supply running low. Many Native Texan tribes depended on the Buffalo to survive.  Forced out of their territories to live on Reservations.

13.  Small area of land given to the Native Americans to live on. Most tribes in the U.S. were driven into reservations far from there natural territories.  Alabama-Coushattas, Tiguas and the Kickapoos are the only tribes with reservations in Texas.