Karankawa

see also: Etymology of Karankawa

The tribes Amerindian born karankawa played a central role for one important period of the history of the Texas. The direction of the word Karankawa can induce in error; indeed, this name was used to indicate various Amerindian groups, which had the same dialect and the same culture. These people were the Capoques ( Coaques , Cocos ), the Kohanis , the Kopanes ( Copanes ), and the Karankawa ( Carancaquacas ). They lived the coast of the Gulf of Mexico of Galveston Bay in south-west to good beyond Corpus Christi Bay. All spoke a called ignored language Karankawa. Hardly a hundred words arrived to us. It is generally allowed that the word Karankawa means “amateurs of Chien S” or “stockbreeders of dogs”. This interpretation is credible, since Karankawa had pedigree dogs close to the Renard S or coyotes. Their culture was of wandering type, they migrated in a seasonal way between the interior of the grounds and the barrier of islands off the continent.

Karankawa carried out this wandering existence when the Spanish , carried out by Alvarez de Piñeda, reached the coast of Texas in 1519. The governor of the Jamaica, Francisco de Garay, had charged it with exploring the coast of the Gulf of Mexico of the Florida to Veracruz.

Karankawa, these largely tattooed nomads, bored and painted, dominated most of the islands of the south of Texas. Their territory probably extended from the west of the island of Galveston to the mouth of the Río Grande, and inside the grounds over widths varying between 40 and 100 km. Cannibals, large Hunting the USSR, fishing, warlike and experts of the Shooting to the arc, Karankawa were powerful enemies for whoever tried to seize their hunting grounds.

They made very strong impression with those which wrote on their meetings with these tribes. The men were remarkably tall; they were described like measuring between 1 m 80 and 2 m 10. They were tattooed, carried jewel X of Coquillage S, and lubricated the body with Huile of Foie of Requin in order to push back the Moustique S and others Insecte S prickles.

The origins of these people are unknown to date. Some believe that Karankawa are related with a tribe d'" Indians géants" located off the coast California at the same time; the existence of this bond is justified by their size quite as astonishing.

Others think that they are related to alive native-born people in the area of Big Bend millenia ago, the binder with the Homme of Abilene, the oldest skeleton discovered in Texas.

However, the majority of the researchers agree to think that Karankawa were related to the tribes carib are islands the Caribbean. These conclusions are justified by the resemblance of their Dialecte S, the possession by the two tribes of dogs which did not bark, their respective sizes and their rites cannibals. A largely shared opinion affirms that they emigrated towards the peninsula of Florida, having joined the coast to avoid the harassing of the other tribes. They would have then reached other grounds, undoubtedly the Louisiana or the extreme is coast texane. In a similar way, they would have finally arrived on the uninhabited coast texane in its greater part. Karankawa, the Coahuiltecan, the Tonkawa, and the people Caddo of the east of Texas had all many common points. Karankawa were known to be the principal enemy of frightening the Comanche S.

One generally affirms that the language karankawa belongs to the Coahiltecan family, people living in the south-west of the territory karankawa.

The Indian tribes living along the coast texane of the island of Galveston to a place largely in the south of Corpus Christi (Texas) endured the anger of the elements. The bays, the Lagoon S and the Bayou S were their hunting grounds and of harvest. The high funds of bays made it possible to the men to fish with feet with Harpon S or arcs and arrow S, whereas the older men, the women and the children collected edible crabs and others Crustacé S, Huître S, moulds and turtles. Certain accounts tell that of Karankawa were seen in Eagle Lake (Colorado County), with nearly 160 kilometers of the coast, but there does not exist proof that there were permanent camps at this place.

Some their campings were discovered these last years, giving us indications on their daily life and their activities. The Disease S, the “purchases of ground”, the problems with the new immigrants, the wars and the general Génocide condemned them to the extinction before 1860.

One knows today that they spent the winter around bays, nourishing Mollusque S, shellfish and of Poisson S. Lasting the summer months, the consumption of oysters, Palourde S and other shells being risky, and the fish carrying out their annual migration, the tribal bands migrate in the same way towards the interior of the grounds. The tropical Storm S and the hurricanes of the summer justify certainly also this decision.

Karankawa crossed bays in Canot S dug in tree trunks, and lived in Hutte S rounds covered with thatch. Some their campings gathered several hundreds of people. The shells of clams and oysters formed enormous monticules around the camps. Their preferred hunting weapon was the large arc, whose certain models exceeded 1 m 80, with arrows of 90 cm, which made them easier to find in the high funds. Inside the grounds, their principal game were the Gazelle and the Bison, as the many remainders of these animals discovered in their campings prove it. They also collected the roots, the bays and the local Noix.

In 1768, a Spanish priest provided the details of the ritual ceremony of cannibalism of Karankawa. The “savages” attached a prisoner to a post then, while dancing around the victim, jumped towards him, sliced a piece of flesh with a well sharpened blade, then roasted it in front of the victim, thanks to a campfire envisaged for this purpose. Then they devoured it, and the victim attended horrified consumption at its own flesh. In fact, a slow and terrible death.

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