Location: The Caddo lived in the Midwestern United States. Their territory included Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
History: Living in such a vital section of the continent wasn't as good as it seemed to be. Their nation was constantly under the influence of outside nations including other tribes, France, Spain, Mexico, and the United States in the form of the Texas Republic.
The Caddo Indian Nation was a very influential group of Indian tribes in the mid western United States. The Caddo was formed from many tribes, the principal few being the Nashitosh, Yatasi, Adai, Kodohadacho, Assinia, Nakohodotsi, and Hai-ish. These were descendents of nomadic hunters who had gathered wild seed and berries before developing their own domesticated crops. The Caddo was developed soon after 500 A.D. and mainly built around waterways such as the Red River.
The Spanish, French, Mexican, and even the republic of Texas tried to control or at least gain friendly relations with the Caddo. The Caddo at this time numbered about ten thousand. At first they allowed the missionaries in, accepting their promise of heavenly life on earth. Not all was well. The missionaries brought with them illness, which caused a major epidemic that winter, cutting the Caddo Nation down by about one third. They did not forgot their teachers, and soon invited them back. The Caddo again fell under epidemic. The small pox disease brought their numbers down to about one thousand. The Texans now felt they could control the Caddo, and forced them to leave their native lands to go to a promised land in Oklahoma where the Caddo still live today.
Daily Life: The Caddo lived in grass thatched houses that were communal. They cultivated abundant crops of corn, beans, and pumpkins. The women of the tribe were masters at pottery and mat weaving. They organized into ten clans, each with the name of a sacred animal, except for the sun clan. The animal from which the clan was named was considered sacred to them, and no clan member would dare kill his clan's sacred creatures. The eagle was an exception; it might be killed, for its feathers, only by the regularly appointed priest and after certain propitiatory ceremonies. The descendent line was not male dominated. Instead, the family name went from mother to daughter instead.
Myths: The Caddo thrived on myths and stories that had been passed down for thousands of years from father to son, mother to daughter. These stories were lessons in life. They taught the cultures morals and values. Commonly they expressed earthly actions, some even described how they ascended from their original home beneath the earth. One such myth follows:
Mooney (1896:1093-1094) gives us the Caddo origin myth
They came up from under the ground through the mouth of a cave in a hill which they call Cha kani na, 'The place of crying,' on a lake close to the south bank of Red River, just at its junction with the Mississippi. In those days (the story continues) men and animals were all brothers and all lived together under the ground. But at last they discovered the entrance to the cave leading up to the surface of the earth, and so they decided to ascend and come out.
First an old man climbed up, carrying in one hand fire and a pipe and in the other a drum. After him came his wife, with corn and pumpkin seeds. Then followed the rest of the people and the animals. All intended to come out, but as soon as the wolf had climbed up he closed the hole, and shut up the rest of the people and their animals under the ground where they still remain.
Those who had come out sat down and cried a long time for their friends below, hence the name for the place. Because the Caddo came out of the ground they call it 'ina' (mother) and go back to it when they die. Because they have had the pipe and the drum and the corn and pumpkins since they have been a people, they hold fast to these things and have never thrown them away.
From this place they spread out toward the west, following up the course of Red River, along which they made their principal settlements. For a long time they lived on Caddo Lake, on the boundary between Louisiana and Texas, their principal village on the lake being called Sha'childi'ni, 'Timber Hill.' "
Rituals: The Caddo had many rituals to commemorate agriculture, birth, death, warfare, housebuilding, and other important individual and community events. One of such ceremonies was called the Turkey dance. This dance was to be held during the day, and must be finished before the sun sets. This was a very old dance where the men sing and use drums, and the women and children dance and sing. This dance was used for entertainment, as well to help with mental stress, physical endurance, confidence, and promote well being.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on the Caddo nation.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL.
If you belong to the Caddo nation, your feedback is much appreciated.
This page was created by Chris Pomarico. Last updated 08/14/2004.