1 - Native Americans of Texas

Jumano Indians Shelter

Way Of Life Fun The farming Jumano Indians had cool houses. These homes are
called pueblos. Pueblos were built with adobe bricks made from
The Jumano Indians had a very interesting way Fact! clay and dry grass. The houses were low and square. The
of life. They were hunters in West Texas.
Some were nomads hunting for buffalo. The The Jumano roofs were flat and very
Jumano Indians that farmed used nearby rivers were known as strong. Half the house
streams for irrigation. Irrigation is the use of was built below ground to
a “striped keep it cool in the hot
canals, ditches, or pipes people.” They summers. The hunting
to carry water to dry had stripes on Jumano Indians lived in rock
places. They traded their faces and cliffs or teepees as they
meat and animal hides followed the buffalo.
for things they needed. bodies to Pueblo
They lived in the indicate their
tribe. These Rock Cliff
Mountains and Basins stripes were
region of Texas and tattoos, paint, Teepee
mysteriously
disappeared after the or scars.
Europeans settled in
Texas.

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Appearance Breechcloths

The Jumano Indians were very clean and Many American Indian men wore breechcloths, With all the
neat. The men’s hair was about 2 inches horse riding and running around they did, it was not
long and looked like a cap on their heads. practical to wear things that were tight and restricting. A
The women had long hair tied in the back. breechcloth kept them covered, but didn’t get in the way.
Buffalo skins covered their bodies. Wom-
en wore deerskin ponchos and skirts. The Food
men wore a long breechcloth. The Jumano
Indians were good at making clothes. The Jumano Indians hunted and farmed for food. They
were very smart people. They used irrigation to bring
water to their crops. Some of the crops they railed were
corn, squash, and other vegetables. It was hard work

raising crops in this hot, dry
climate. They hunted deer, bear, and buffalo. They
carried meat and hides back to their villages.

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Food Lipan Apache

The Lipan Apache had a variety of sources for food Way of Life
to eat. They hunted buffalo, deer, and antelope. They also
gathered food and sometimes farmed, raising maize, beans The Lipan Apache were fantastic people.
and squash. The Lipan Apache specialized their They were excelent horsemen. Horses were
work. The women farmed, and the men hunted. used for transportation, warfare, and hunting
While hunting, they would roam across the Hil buffalo. The Lipan Apache were great

Country of Texas. The warriors. They
Lipan Apache also traded painted their horses with
meat and hides with other symbols to honor battles. Their
American Indian groups for primary weapon was the bow
corn, blankets, and turquoise and arrow. They lived in the
Central Plains of Texas and
Did you know? were nomads, moving from place to
place in search of food. They had
To carry their teepees and other items when they moved, the Apache a great way of life.
used something called a travois. The travois was a sled that could be
filled with items and then dragged by a dog. When the Europeans Ruiz's History Hub
brought horses to the Americas, the Apache started using horses to
drag the travois. Because horses were so much bigger and stronger,
the travois could be bigger and carry a a lot more stuff. This also al-
lowed the Apache to make larger teepees.

Shelter Appearance

Lipan Apache made their homes Lipan Apache clothing was made from parts of the animals
from buffalo hides and tal poles. they hunted. The men wore breechcloths, leggings, and
They would tie the poles moccasins. Men cut their hair on the left side above the ears
together at the top to form a cone and let the hair on the right side grow long. The women and
shape. Then the buffalo hides were girls wore colorful clothing, bracelets, necklaces, and rings.
thrown over the tal poles. There was Women wore knee length deerskin skirts
a hole at the top to let out smoke and shirts, leggings, and high moccasins.
from campfires. Inside, the ground was Young girls wore dresses made of
beaded buckskin. Their clothing was
covered with soft hides. quite pretty.
When the tribe moved to
a new camp site, they Fun Fact!
took the hides and poles
down to be used in the Lipan Apache were very spiritual people. In
new camps. The homes addition, many times the shaman, or
were easy to move. These medicine man, was a woman.
homes that the Lipan
Apache lived in were
caled teepees, or tipis.

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Caddo Indians

Way Of Life Did you know?

Many people consider Caddo The Caddo Indians were accomplished artists.
Indians to have the most They made beautiful potery and baskets.
advanced way of life in Texas. The
name Texas came from the Caddo Food
word “teyshas”, which means
friend. The Caddo Indians were farmers who lived in Caddos got their food from a variety of
settlements on fertile land in the woods of East Texas. sources. The Caddo Indians were great farmers.
They grew beans, squash, corn, pumpkins,
They also traded with other Indian watermelons, peaches, and figs. They also gathered
tribes. Their villages were built nuts and different kinds of wild plants. Bows and
around large temples, or religious arrows were used to hunt bear, deer, turkey, and
buildings. The Caddos gathered in small animals. The Caddo were excellent fisherman
temples to practice their religion, who fished in the streams
or set of beliefs, about their God and rivers of East Texas.
or gods.

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Shelter Appearance

The Caddo Indians lived in dome shaped huts, which looked The Caddo Indians were tall. They
like tall beehives. Their houses were amazing. They tied bundles decorated their bodies with tattoos.
of dried grass to a circle of tall cedar Women wore blouses and skirts
poles which were tied together at the made of deerskin. Colorful seeds
top. Each family had one large hut were sewn along the bottom of their
for their home. Each had enough blouses and skirts. The men wore
space for sleeping, storing food, breechcloths made of buckskin or straw. In the winter, they wore
grinding maize, and keeping a fire. A leggings and fur caps. Women braided their hair in one long braid
Caddo house did not have a hole for down their backs, and men often shaved their hair
smoke to escape. Instead, smoke on either side to create a Mohawk.. Both men and
just worked its way out through the women wore moccasins.
grass roof. They made their clothes
Caddo villages from animal hides and other
usually had natural resources.
20 or more
of these Fun Fact!
“beehive”
houses. The city of Nacogdoches, TX originates from the Caddoan language.

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Karankawa Indians Food

Way Of Life The Karankawa ate fish, oysters, and turtles. They also ate wild plants. To
find their food, they often traveled to barrier islands just of the Gulf Coast. The
The Karankawa Indians had a great way of life. They lived along the Gulf dug outs helped the Karankawa gather food along the shore. They also hunted.
Coast of Texas. This area was hot and humid, and the soil was wet and It must have been hard work to find their food.
sandy. This made life difficult for them. They did not have good land to farm, Because of this, Karankawa moved from place to
so the Karankawa spent much of their time moving from place to place in place searching
for things to eat.

search of food. This means they were nomads, or people without a

permanent home. They groups they traveled in were smal groups of 30-40

people. A single leader headed each group. They made canoes caled “dug

outs” from tree trunks that were holowed out. To protect themselves from

mosquitos, they smeared aligator grease over their bodies.

Fun Fact!

Many people think the word Karankawa
means “dog people.” They raised dogs

that looked like foxes.

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Fun Fact! Shelter

The Karankawa loved to Karankawa houses were easily made. They were made of branches
gather in ceremonies that with animal hides or grass mats thrown over the top. When the weather
involved dancing and drinking a was warm, people kept parts of the frames uncovered. This alowed
black drink made from the breezes from the Gulf of Mexico to cool their homes. These houses could
leaves of the yaupon tree. be built quickly. This was necessary because the Karankawa were
The men also enjoyed using nomads, and their shelters had to be easy to move.
these events to practice and
show off their wrestling skills.

Appearance False!

The Karankawa were very tal, wel -built people. These Indians painted The Karankawa have always
and tatooed their bodies. The men wore breechcloths, or nothing at al. The had the reputation of being
men also pierced a piece of cane through holes in their lower lips and on mean, and most people think of
each side of their chest. The women wore clothes made of deer skin and them as cannibals. This is not
Spanish moss. Their clothing was simple and light for the hot, humid weather true. Karankawa Indians
in the Gulf Coast area. appeared scary to early
European settlers because they
were VERY tall, tattooed, pierced,
and often reeked horribly of
alligator grease. They were
also very stealth and seemed

to come out of nowhere.

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Food Comanche Indians

The Comanche hunted for Way Of Life
their food. They rode horses
to help them hunt. Their The Comanche Indians lived in the Texas Panhandle, which is
main source of food was in the Great Plains region. Comanche lived by hunting and
buffalo. They usually hunted for buffalo by driving them gathering food. During the late 1600s, the Comanche
off cliffs. This was very dangerous. In addition to learned to ride mustangs. They became excellent riders,
buffalo meat, Comanche Indians also ate rabbits and fished hunters, and warriors. Using horses allowed them to hunt
more buffalo. The larger
in lakes and rivers. Some other foods supply of food allowed for
that they ate were nuts and wild berries. them to live in larger
groups. They had an
Guess What? excellent way of life.

The Comanche tribe once raided a fort in Texas and took several hostages. Ruiz's History Hub
One of these hostages was a litle girl named Cynthia Ann Parker. She lived
with the Comanche for over 24 years and married their chief. Her son,
Quanah Parker, was the last great Comanche chief.

Chief Quanah Parker

Shelter Appearance

The Comanche Indians lived in tipis. These were The Comanche Indians wore beautiful clothing
made out of tall poles that are tied at the top, and made of the buffalo they hunted. Women wore
buffalo skins. These tipis were easy to make. leggings, moccasins, and fringed dresses made of
Comanche used these as houses because they were easy buffalo hide. The men wore breechcloths,
to take down and put up. They often had to move moccasins, and leggings. Many
around to follow the migrating buffalo. Tipis had holes in Comanche men wore long headdresses made of
the top to let feathers. The men wore their hair in two long
out smoke from braids, and women wore their hair free and
the fires they flowing.
would have
inside.

There are many elaborate works of art depicting
the Comanche Tribe. Some examples are shown on

the right.

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