Southeastern & Gulf CulturesMain Idea: Native American people of Southeastern and Gulf Cultures

developed different ways of life based on their environment and

needs.

Essential QuestionsEssential Questions

How does the environment affect the How does the environment affect the development of a society?development of a society?

How did the American Indians adapt How did the American Indians adapt to and modify their environment?to and modify their environment?

Southeastern/Gulf Southeastern/Gulf Farmers & GatherersFarmers & Gatherers

Some were Some were farmers, farmers, others were mainly others were mainly coastal fisherscoastal fishers andand still still others gathered others gathered theirtheir food. food.

*Based off that information, what can you tell me about the different *Based off that information, what can you tell me about the different progressions of society in the SE/Gulf cultures??progressions of society in the SE/Gulf cultures??

SoutheasternSoutheasternFarmersFarmers

The The CaddosCaddos• The Caddos settled in East Texas along the

Coastal Plains. • They were highly advanced farmers and

fishers.• Two confederacies of Caddo people, the

Kadohadacho and Hasanai, lived in Texas.• Some confederacies were matrilineal;

tracing their descent through their mothers

*What is a confederacy?*What is the significance of them?

The CaddosThe Caddos They They built permanent built permanent

villages and became villages and became expert farmers. They expert farmers. They practiced crop rotation. practiced crop rotation.

The Caddo grew beans, The Caddo grew beans, corn, squash, melons corn, squash, melons and tobacco. They and tobacco. They organized their tribes organized their tribes into 2 to 3 into 2 to 3 confederacies. confederacies.

The Caddo The Caddo built mounds built mounds and temples for and temples for religious events. religious events.

In addition to a religious In addition to a religious and political structure and political structure the Caddo the Caddo had healers had healers and craftspeople. and craftspeople.

Caddo Round House-up to 50 feet tall, second level inside.

The CaddosThe Caddos• They lived in They lived in domed-shaped hutsdomed-shaped huts, ,

had an had an organized government organized government systemsystem led by a chief, and greeted led by a chief, and greeted Europeans with the word Europeans with the word TejasTejas, , which means “friends”.which means “friends”.

• SmallpoxSmallpox eventually reduced their eventually reduced their number; and in 1859 they were number; and in 1859 they were forced to move to present-day forced to move to present-day Oklahoma (i.e. Oklahoma (i.e. Indian TerritoryIndian Territory) on a ) on a reservation.reservation.

The The WichitasWichitas• The Wichitas The Wichitas movedmoved from present-day from present-day

Kansas Kansas to to lands along the lands along the Trinity, Red, Trinity, Red, and Brazos Rivers.and Brazos Rivers.

• They They hunted buffalohunted buffalo & & farmedfarmed..• Known for their Known for their tattoos around tattoos around thethe eyes eyes

known as “known as “raccoon eyesraccoon eyes”.”.• WomenWomen held leadership positions and held leadership positions and

shared work with the men.shared work with the men. • They They traded with the French but often traded with the French but often

fought Spanish settlersfought Spanish settlers, who tried to , who tried to bring them into Spanish missionsbring them into Spanish missions..

The Wichita used horses to hunt buffalo and deer. They lived in permanent villages, some building houses like the Caddo.

Gulf GatherersGulf Gatherers

The The CoahuiltecansCoahuiltecans• The Coahuiltecans lived a The Coahuiltecans lived a nomadicnomadic

life moving from campsite to life moving from campsite to campsite in the campsite in the dry, brushy land of dry, brushy land of the the SouthSouth TexasTexas PlainPlain..

• They They hunted smaller animals with hunted smaller animals with bows and arrows and bows and arrows and they they gatheredgathered dried plants dried plants and ground them into and ground them into flour.flour. They also They also ate bugs andate bugs and other other insectsinsects. .

• Considered very Considered very primalprimal..

They did not They did not build permanent build permanent homes.homes. They They worked hard, worked hard, but but they they liked to liked to gather for gather for feasting and feasting and dancing. dancing.

Scavengers of the desert…ate anything that wiggled or crawled.

The CoahuiltecansThe Coahuiltecans

•ShamansShamans, or people , or people believed to believed to have the power to summon spirits have the power to summon spirits and cure the sick, were important and cure the sick, were important to them.to them. •By the time Texas became a state By the time Texas became a state in 1845, most in 1845, most Coahuiltecans Coahuiltecans disappeareddisappeared from the Gulf region. from the Gulf region.

The The KarankawasKarankawas• The Karankawas lived along the The Karankawas lived along the

Southeast Gulf Coast Southeast Gulf Coast and on and on islands islands between Galveston and between Galveston and Corpus Christi BaysCorpus Christi Bays..

• They used their most prized They used their most prized possession—possession—dugoutdugout canoescanoes—for —for fishing and hunting fishing and hunting small small animals.animals.

The KarankawasThe Karankawas

They They were nomadswere nomads who who lived in lived in temporary houses temporary houses called wigwams.called wigwams.

Karankawa wigwam

The Karankawa did not need much clothing. Their clothes were made out of deerskin or grass or moss. Men would pierce pieces of sharpened bone through their lips and chest to show how macho they were. To keep the insects away, they rubbed alligator fat and dirt into their skin. Some reports say they were cannibals (eating human flesh!).

Taller Indians so they carried bows that were up to 6 feet tall.

The KarankawasThe Karankawas

• In the 1820s, when North In the 1820s, when North American settlers moved into the American settlers moved into the area, fighting with settlers area, fighting with settlers erupted.erupted.

• By the By the mid-1800smid-1800s, almost all , almost all Karankawas were displaced or Karankawas were displaced or killed.killed.

Why would Gulf culture Indians disappear more quickly than some of the other cultures?

• The The AtakapansAtakapans livedlived along the coast along the coast between between Galveston Bay and Galveston Bay and thethe Sabine River. Sabine River. Very similar Very similar to the Karankawa, though to the Karankawa, though some were farmers.some were farmers.

• In the 1820s the In the 1820s the CherokeesCherokees moved to moved to East Texas East Texas from parts of the U.S. and from parts of the U.S. and adopted the ways of adopted the ways of the “white man”the “white man” by by learning English and taking learning English and taking English/American namesEnglish/American names..

• Between 1795 and 1816, the Between 1795 and 1816, the Alabama-CoushattaAlabama-Coushatta nations moved to East Texas and settled on a nations moved to East Texas and settled on a reservationreservation near near LivingstonLivingston..

Other SE/Gulf Other SE/Gulf GroupsGroups