Every day this month in honor of Native American Heritage Month, I am dedicating time in my Instagram stories to learning about a Tribal nation.
These are fun mini-lessons that I get to share with my followers, and will also be sharing a few of them here on the powwows website.
Caddo Indian Nation From Oklahoma
Today's mini-lesson is on the Caddo Nation in Oklahoma. While the Caddo reservation is in Oklahoma, traditional Caddo territory covers the Southeast part of Oklahoma, the North East corner of Texas, the Northwest corner of Louisiana, and the western half of Arkansas.
The Caddo people were extremely organized when it came to trade. They had boats with giant sails that could bring their trade ships upstream. Their villages were filled with hundreds of people.
In 1803, with the Louisiana purchase, the Caddo people were forced to move eastward into Texas. From Texas, they were again forced to flee for their lives to Oklahoma where the tribe now resides, now known as the Caddo Indian Tribe of Oklahoma.
Similar to the Kiowa people, the Caddo have dances that are strictly ceremonial and not done for a competition at powwows. The Turkey dance is one of them. It tells the Caddo story of creation, as well as the nation's history and trials.
The Caddo people are also known as “Mound People.” It is believed that the Caddo people created the Mounds in Oklahoma, the Spiro Mounds.
These mounds are among the oldest archeological finds in the United States. They were religious sites and sacred to the Caddo people.
That concludes your mini-lesson for the day!
Tune in tomorrow to learn about an entirely different culture and people of these Native United States.
Last Updated on February 15, 2024 by Paul G
Holly Gomez
says:I really enjoyed reading this , I am Apache, blended , and love learning everything bout all tribes .the one solid I have found out is that in all creation stories , WATER is the center of all tribes. Water the giver of life . In the Apache , creation story , and there are various versions of them for each band , the one I love the most is the BLUE LADY that rose out of the water and created life for the Apache people .