Forward to Plains Indians of Texas //
Magical History Tour //
Back to the Wichita
The Tonkawa Indians of Texas
Links:
Tonkawa Indians
Tonkawa Indians of Texas
Tonkawa Tales
Handbook of Texas Online - Tonkawa
Tonkawa Tribe History
Tonkawa Indians
Tonkawa Culture and History
The Tonkawa Story
Tonkawan Tribes
Tonkawa Dances
Tonkawa
Tonkawa of Texas
Outline of Class Discussion
The traits of plains culture seen in Wichita even more pronounced in Tonkawa
Another confederacy in North Central Texas
From Edwards Platueau to Victoria and Lavaca Counties near coast
Tonkawa is Waco word for "they all stay together"
Called themselves Tickaanwatic, "the most human people"
Many autonomous bands including Tonkawa, Mayeye or Meghey, Yojaune, Ervipiame,
Cavas, Emet, Sana, Toho, and Tohaha
Language subject of debate but not Caddoan; some believe Coahuiltecan
Did trade with Caddo
Also lived in Caddo-like houses but covered with skins rather than thatch; cross between tipi & caddo house
Also similar to Caddo, lots of tattoos and paint; man's facial paint considered
private property and could not be copied; women painted black stripes on mouth, nose, back and around nipples
But in general, lifestyle of the plains
Clan most important unit of society
Limited, if any, agriculture
Hunted, fished, gathering, nomadic
Known as fast runners although small in stature
Little clothing beyond breechclout; women short skirt
Hair long, loose or braided with lots of ornaments, earrings, feathers,
necklaces of shell, bone
Dog important
Food - bison, deer, rattlesnake a delicacy, fish, oysters
Made pemmican, sausage-like, and jerk
Taboo on eating/killing wolves and coyotes
Used bow and arrow, lances, poison arrows (mistletoe juice which
they continued to use on guns)
Matrilineal; isolation during menstruation, childbirth similar to Caddo;
before child born, father not supposed to touch any bird, nor break bones of animals for marrow or child would
have weak legs
No knowledge of marriage rituals
Information on spiritual lives also sparse
Death: immediate burial of dead unless important person; gifts in grave;
three day mourning with prolonged wailing but no singing; a mother might slash her breasts;
taboo on using name of deceased - spirit would be disturbed; on fourth day, smoking ceremony
Then spirits journey home; believed was west; corpse placed with head west
Believed women went directly west, singing as they went
Men might hang around watching, calling to relatives
Believed haunting if improper burial by owls and wolves
Wore medicine bag to war off illness
Ritual consumption of enemy flesh
Very social; settlers complained that they showed up at social affairs uninvited;
invited missions to settle near for protection
But, actually unsure when arrived in Texas
Similar with most famous Plains peoples of Texas - Comanche and Kiowa as well as the Apache
The classic Plains Culture did not develop until the horse and gun arrived - a topic we will return to later
To Our Next Class Discussion: The Peoples of the Rio Grande Region of Texas
