Indigenous Cultures of Texas

Karankawa

• Lifestyle involved mobility with easy-to-move round houses.
• Nomadic hunters utilized dogs for transportation.
• Diet included fish, turtles, lizards, oysters, grasshoppers, deer, rabbits, plants, and cactus.
• Used shark oil as a natural mosquito repellent.
• Engaged in weaving their own clothing.

Coahuiltecan

• Relied on a diet of deer, beans, corn, buffalo, pumpkins, sunflowers, and salt.
• Developed sedentary villages characterized by tall, cone-shaped huts, furnished with rooms.
• Utilized dogs for carrying possessions.
• Structured as a matrilineal society.
• Known for craftsmanship in basketry and pottery, using both plant and animal hides.

Caddo

• Primarily engaged in agriculture, cultivating corn and beans, along with hunting deer and buffalo.
• Constructed elaborate settlements with cone-shaped huts.
• Maintained a matrilineal social structure.
• Produced pottery and woven goods, showcasing cultural sophistication.

Tonkawa

• Depended on buffalo, berries, deer, fish, and various fruits and nuts.
• Lived in tipis and beehive-shaped wickiups as mobile dwellings.
• Renowned as expert horsemen, following bison herds for sustenance.
• Adapted clothing from buffalo hides.

Apache, Wichita, Kiowa, Comanche

• Share a diet rich in buffalo, berries, deer, fish, fruits, and nuts.
• Followed a nomadic lifestyle in search of food sources.
• Built tipis and wickiups for shelter.
• Mastered horsemanship and relied on buffalo hide for clothing.

Tigua

• Harvested crops such as corn, beans, and squash, along with deer, antelope, and berries.
• Constructed apartment-like adobe brick buildings for habitation.
• Artisans in pottery production, emphasizing their cultural heritage.
• Matrilineal society highlighted by distinctive striped facial markings.
• Engaged in trade with surrounding cultures, fostering economic connections.

Jumano

• Sustained themselves on corn, beans, squash, deer, antelope, bear, and berries.
• Built multi-family apartment-like dwellings from adobe.
• Known for their pottery and intricate designs.
• Organized as a matrilineal society, indicating importance of maternal lineage.
• Established trade networks with diverse cultures, enhancing their social and economic status.