Tonkawas
Indians of Central Texas
The Tonkawas are descended from a prehistoric tribe or Paleo-Indians that lived before them. These prehistoric tribes camped on burnt rock middens. A midden is an archaeological term for deposits earlier peoples left that may include utensils, pottery shards, bones, and other artifacts that provide clues to the manner in which they conducted daily activities.
Tonkawas originally lived in
Central Texas along the streams and rivers, though no record
shows boat-making within the culture. The name Tonkawa is from
the Waco Indian word "Tonkaweya" meaning "they all
stay together." The Tonkawas called themselves
"Tickanwatic" which means the Most Human of People.
There were several tribes that used the name Tonkawa and several
groups made up a tribe. They were all buffalo hunters and
gatherers. Shelter in the northern range of the Tonkawas was
usually in buffalo hide teepees. The scarcity of buffalo hides at
the southern regions brought a need to use brush and tree
branches in the construction of teepees. Dogs were used to assist
in the transport of belongings from site to site. Tonkawa
developed a complex social organization, primarily based on
maternally related kinship units, but included both civil and
military leadership.
Tonkawas lived in the area roughly marked by the Edwards Plateau to the coastal plains of Texas and along the Brazos River and its tributaries. In the period that they inhabited Central Texas, small game and berries were plentiful. Buffalo herds roamed the plains. Deer lived in the small meadows. The climate was temperate and water was abundant year round. The Tonkawas were nomadic, rebuilding their teepees as needed. As a people, members of the group gathered as they moved, hunting small game individually. Larger game demanded group effort. Diet was varied, but included buffalo, deer, turkey, rabbits, squirrels, rats, skunks, and turtles. Fish, crayfish, snails, clams were gathered from the river. Rattlesnake was a staple in the diet. Roots, herbs, nuts, berries, and leaves were gathered daily.
AD 1600 is known as the beginning of the end of native cultures in Texas. These tribes are described by DeSoto in 1542 and Cabeza de Vaca in 1535. Tribes in Central Texas had changed dramatically from those discovered at the time of the Spanish missions. Stephen Austin found still another group of tribes. There are several reasons for these changes.
The Tonkawas realized the need to form a peaceful relationship with the settlers in the region. Members of the tribe became scouts for the army. Tonkawa fought with the Army and the Texas Rangers against other warring Indians, such as the Apache and Comanche. By the time the German settlers arrived in the early and mid-1880s, the Comanche controlled the Edwards Plateau. The warring Apaches had been removed or killed. The Tonkawa tribe, now one smaller unit, had moved from North East Texas into the Central Texas region just east of the plateau.
The tribe was now a small band, with few warriors remaining. Tonkawas were late to acquire firearms and the use of horses. By the mid 1800s, buffalo was gone, white settlers were farming the land, and game became scarcer as demand increased. In 1859, prior to the beginning of the Civil War, the remaining Tonkawas were removed to a reservation in Oklahoma.
In 1862, warriors from the Delaware, Shawnee and Caddo tribes united to attack the Tonkawas. One-hundred and thirty-three (133) out of the remaining 309 Tonkawas were killed in the massacre. At the conclusion of the Civil War, and with the increased need for open land in Oklahoma, the Tonkawas were moved back to Texas. They again served as scouts for the United States Army. No open land remained; few provisions were made for the tribe by the government. Tonkawas became destitute and were forced to beg and steal for necessity. Alcoholism was now a formidable enemy of the Tonkawa. The life span of the Tonkawa at this time was no more than thirty-five or forty years of age. In the late 1870s, the Tonkawas were again moved to Oklahoma, near Ponca City. This reservation, as cited in Texas public record, was listed at thousands of acres "of natural, hunting land for all times." In reality, the acreage was measured at under 100 acres for the remaining 146 Tonkawas.
Less than fifteen families remain on the reservation today. The rest have been assimilated into the white man's culture. The Tonkawas lived as a people for more than five hundred years in peaceful existence with nature. They developed a complex social structure, organized for the benefit of the whole family, group, or tribe. The Tonkawa tribe and its heritage serve as an example of the affects of societal change within the Central Texas region.
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