Native American Groups

(Activity #3)

o         Comanche – lived in the Great Plains/High Plains which is present day Amarillo, Lubbock, Llano Estacado, Permian Basin, and Edwards Plateau; war like; nomadic hunters who depended on the buffalo to produce most of what they needed. May have traded some but did not have a friendly relationship with many other tribes. Part of the Plains culture.

o         Caddo – lived in the Gulf Coastal Plains around Neches and Sabine Rivers; depended mostly on farming corn; build farming communities; were often referred to as “Tejas” which means friends; and were also matrilineal; produced goods made from animals and crops that they traded with tribes in their confederacy. Part of the Southeastern culture.

 

o         Lipan Apaches – lived in the Mountains and Basins which is present day cities of El Paso, Alpine; the Guadalupe Mountains (8751 feet above sea level), Davis Mountains, Chisos Mountains; planted crops and lived in farming settlements; buffalo hunters and gathers were their main stay of survival; may have traded some but did not have a friendly relationship with many other tribes. Part of Plains culture.

o         Mescalero Apaches – lived west of the mountain regions; depended less on the buffalo; settled mostly in mountain villages; depended less on the buffalo. Part of Plains culture.

o         Karankawa – lived in the Gulf Coastal Plains around present day cities-Houston and Galveston; were nomadic people who lived off the coastal lands and the South Texas dry brushy country; nomads that used the bow and arrow to hunt small game and fish; traded among their own villages; probably traded with Europeans until disease began to kill them off. Part of Western Gulf culture.

o         Jumano – lived in the Mountains and Basins which is present day cities of El Paso, Alpine; the Guadalupe Mountains (8751 feet above sea level), Davis Mountains, Chisos Mountains; homes were made of adobe; sedentary farmers who depended on trading but eventually died off because farming was difficult in western Texas. Part of Pueblo culture.

o         Tonkawas – depended on the buffalo for food clothing and shelter; gardening agriculture; ate fish, deer, birds, rabbits, rattlesnakes, and turtles. Part of Plains culture.

o         Coahuiltecans – lived in the dry bush country; shared a common language; adapted well to the land; hunted wild game, deer, antelope, rabbits, javelinas (a type of wild pig); ate cacti, mesquite beans, nuts, lizards, ant eggs, spiders, snakes, and grubworms; had all night celebrations called mitotes; knowing every detail of the land enabled them to survive. Part of Western Gulf culture.

 

o         Conchos – closely linked to the Jumanos; did more hunting than farming; little is known about them. Part of Pueblo culture.

o         Kiowas – allies with the Comanche; nomadic; depended on hunting for survival; ate elk, antelope, deer and bear; ate pemmican-pounding dried buffalo meat with fat and juices; had an annual sun dance to prevent sickness and disaster ; religious leaders; part of Plains culture.

o         Atakapans – lived inland on the Gulf of Mexico; did little farming mostly fishing; used alligator fat to keep the mosquitos away; part of Southeastern culture.

 

o         Wichitas – there were four different tribal groups; tattooed their bodies, often called “raccoon-eyed”; grew corn, squash, and beans; hunted buffalo; war and disease reduced the population. Part of Southeastern culture.