Karankawa Indians Long before the first white settlers arrived in Texas, Karankawa Indians roamed the coast, traveling inland at least as far as what would become Bee County, making their home at intervals over the territory. The Karankawas have been referred to as the only tribe that resided much of the time in this area, although other tribes made frequent visits. They formed one of the least ferocious of the four tribes making history here, the other three being the Lipans, Tonkawas and the Comanches. The Comanches, a vicious tribe, visited the Bee County area only on fierce marauding raids. The meaning of the name, “Karankawas”, is not clear. Some say that it means “carrion crows” or buzzards. Another authority says that the name means “dog lovers”. The latter seems more likely since this tribe was unusually fond of dogs. The Karankawa men stood six feet and more, some reaching the seven foot status. The women were a bit shorter. Their appearance was not flattering, however. Although, while on the coast, they kept themselves clean by diving and swimming in salt water, they carried very repugnant odors due to putting alligator grease over their bodies to ward off mosquitoes. Wearing only breech cloths, and without moccasins, they moved through thorns and briars without harm. They were said to wear tattoos, and were generally painted in fierce, warlike patterns. Their movements have been described as “sluggish” and their faces ugly. A non-agricultural group, the Karankawas earlier roamed from Louisiana to the Rio Grande River, almost as far north as San Antonio and occasionally into the northern states of Mexico. Later, a decimation of their race limited their travel range from Galveston through the section of the Gulf Coast, occasionally through San Antonio to the Rio Grande, and into Mexico only when pursued. The Karankawas were primarily fishermen who lived on the islands on the coast, near present-day Corpus Christi. They had canoes which they handled expertly. They were able to move their water craft so well as to avoid even the vicious, hated Comanches. They left the gulf fishing area during the winter to hunt for other game, such as buffalo. Traces of their names can still be found on county streams, such as Papalote, Talpacote and Aransas. They are believed to have been cannibalistic, but only in the observance of religious rites. Unlike some of the other tribes, they are not believed to have eaten people merely “for the fun of it” nor because they liked the taste of human flesh. Their “mounds” of ash and arrow heads have been found, evidence of their camping places. Not elevated portions of ground, as some suppose, their “mounds” are found in the form of fire burnt or ash deposited soil, containing arrow heads, pot shards, whistles (stone) and fist axes. The
Lipan-Apaches also hunted in this area. At the end of the 18th century,
Comanche warriors
made raids, taking scalps as they went. They fought the Karankawas at every
opportunity. At times, the latter tribe gave the Comanches a run for their
money, putting up stiff and devastating resistance. The Comanches, however,
were far more warlike and generally more successful in inter-tribal battle.
There were a number of recorded battles between the Karankawas and white
frontiersman, posses and even the army. Progressively, the red men got the
worst of the conflicts, and their numbers lessened until only a handful
remained. |
