The Tejas (Caddo) Confederacy represents a significant chapter in the history of Southeastern Native American tribes. This confederacy, also known as the Caddo Nation, comprised numerous affiliated groups who historically inhabited a vast territory encompassing present-day East Texas, northern Louisiana, and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. The name "Tejas," the Spanish spelling of the indigenous term, carries deep historical weight, eventually giving rise to the name of the state of Texas itself. This name, pronounced "Te-haas," translates to "those who are friends," reflecting the Caddoan people’s emphasis on kinship and alliance.
Linguistic and Tribal Affiliations
The Caddo Indians stand as the principal southern representatives of the broader Caddoan linguistic family. This family includes other distinct but related groups such as the Wichita, Kichai, Pawnee, and Arikara. The Caddo Confederacy itself was not a monolithic entity but rather a collection of several tribes or divisions, each with its own unique identity and territory, yet bound together by shared language, culture, and kinship ties.
Prior to the mid-19th century, the term "Caddo" often referred to only one of at least twenty-five distinct, yet closely affiliated, groups centered around the Red River in the region spanning Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. The name "Caddo" is derived from the French abbreviation of "Kadohadacho," a term meaning "real chief" or "real Caddo" in the Kadohadacho dialect. Early European chroniclers frequently categorized these Caddo groups into three primary "confederacies": the Hasinai, Kadohadacho, and Natchitoches. However, modern interpretations suggest that these "confederacies" were more accurately kin-based affiliated groups or bands of interconnected Caddo communities. Understanding the structure and composition of the Tejas (Caddo) Confederacy requires delving into the nuances of these regional groupings.
Geographical Distribution and Early European Encounters
The Tejas (Caddo) Confederacy occupied distinct geographical zones, each characterized by unique environmental features and resources. The Hasinai groups primarily resided in the Neches and Angelina River valleys of East Texas, a region known for its dense forests and abundant water sources. The Kadohadacho groups were centered on the Red River in the Great Bend area, a fertile floodplain that provided ample opportunities for agriculture. Finally, the Natchitoches groups occupied the Red River vicinity near the French post of Natchitoches (Fort St. Jean Baptiste aux Natchitos), established in 1714, which served as a crucial point of contact between the Caddo and European traders.
The first documented European encounter with the Caddo peoples occurred in 1542, during the expedition of Hernando de Soto. The diarists accompanying De Soto provided initial, albeit limited, descriptions of the Caddo and their way of life. These early accounts, while often biased and incomplete, offer valuable insights into the Caddoan world before sustained European influence.
Nomenclature and Tribal Diversity
The term "Caddo" itself is a shortened version of "Kadohadacho," the name the Caddo proper used to identify themselves. This term was subsequently extended by European settlers to encompass the entire confederacy. However, throughout history, the Caddo were referred to by various names by different European explorers and neighboring tribes.
For instance, the French explorer Chevalier de Tonti referred to them as "Cadadoquis," while M. Joutel, the historian for La Salle’s exploring party, called them "Cadaquis." John Sibley, an Indian agent at Natchitoches, used the term "Caddoes." Neighboring tribes also had their own names for the Caddo, reflecting their unique perspectives and relationships. The Kiowa called them "Masep," the Comanche referred to them as "Nashonet" or "Nashoni," the Wichita knew them as "Dashai," the Cheyenne called them "Otasitaniuw" (meaning "pierced nose people"), and the Arapaho referred to them as "Tanibanen." This diverse nomenclature underscores the complex web of interactions and perceptions surrounding the Caddo people.
Due to the decline in population and the loss of traditional knowledge, determining the precise number of tribes that were originally part of the Tejas (Caddo) Confederacy remains a challenge for historians and anthropologists. However, historical records and oral traditions offer glimpses into the confederacy’s diverse composition.
In 1699, Iberville obtained a list of eight divisions from his Taensa Indian guide. In 1716, Linares provided a list containing eleven names. Gatschet, in 1882, compiled a list of twelve divisions based on information gathered from a Caddo Indian. This list was later revised by Mooney in 1896, and included the following: Kadohadacho (Caddo Proper), Nadako (Anadarko), Hainai (Ioni), Nabaidacho (Nabedache), Nakohodotsi (Nacogdoches), Nashitosh (Natchitoches), Nakanawan, Haiish (Eyeish, Aliche, Aes), Yatasi, Hadaii (Adai, Adaize), Imaha, a small band of Kwaps, and Yowani, a band of Choctaw.
Two Confederacies? Bolton’s Theory
A more recent study by Dr. Herbert E. Bolton of the University of California, proposed that there were actually two distinct confederacies of Caddoan linguistic stock inhabiting northeastern Texas, rather than a single confederacy as suggested by Mooney and Fletcher.
Bolton argued that the Caddo, whose culture was similar to the Hasinai, lived along both banks of the Red River, extending from the lower Natchitoches tribe near the present-day city of Natchitoches, Louisiana, to the Natsoos and Nassonites tribes above the Great Bend of the Red River in southwestern Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. Notable members of this group included the Cadodacho (Grand Cado, or Caddo proper), Petit Cado, Upper and Lower Natchitoches, Adaes, Yatasi, Nassonites, and Natsoos. The Hasinai, on the other hand, resided along the Angelina and upper Neches rivers, comprising approximately ten or more tribes, with the Hainai, Nacogdoche, Nabedache, Nasoni, and Nadaco being the most well-known.
Core Tribes and Population Estimates
Despite the variations in tribal lists, certain tribes consistently appear as central members of the Tejas (Caddo) Confederacy. Nine tribes named by Mooney are found in the lists of 1699 and 1716. Both Mooney and Bolton included the Cadodacho, Natchitoches, Yatasi, and Adai in their descriptions of the Caddo Confederacy. Based on available evidence, it is likely that two confederacies existed during the 18th century, rather than a single unified entity.
The Yatasi, Adai, Natchitoches, Natsoos, Nassonites, and Cadodacho are among the tribes most likely to have belonged to the Tejas (Caddo) Confederacy. Identifying all the tribes that were part of the confederacy remains an ongoing challenge for researchers. Prior to European contact, the Caddo peoples are estimated to have numbered around 10,000.
Decline of Individual Tribes
The Natchitoches, who lived on the Red River near the present-day city of Natchitoches, Louisiana, experienced a significant decline in population due to wars and disease. In 1730, Du Pratz reported that the Natchitoches villages near the trading post at Natchitoches comprised approximately two hundred cabins. However, the introduction of new diseases, particularly smallpox and measles, decimated their population. By 1805, Dr. John Sibley reported that only twelve men and nineteen women remained of the Natchitoches tribe.
The Yatasi tribe, first mentioned by Tonti, originally resided on the Red River northwest of Natchitoches. In the early 18th century, St. Denis invited them to relocate near Natchitoches for protection from Chickasaw attacks. A portion of the tribe moved near Natchitoches, while others migrated up the river to the Kadohadacho, Nanatsoho, and Nasoni. At a later date, the Yatasi returned to their old village site. By 1805, Sibley reported that only eight men and twenty-five women remained of the Yatasi tribe.
The Adai village was located on a small creek near the present-day town of Robeline, Louisiana. The first historical mention of the Adai was by Cabeza de Vaca in his "Naufragios" in 1530. In 1792, a portion of the Adai migrated to a site south of San Antonio de Pejar, Texas, where they blended with the surrounding Indian population. By 1802, approximately one hundred Adai remained in their old homes at Adayes. In 1805, Sibley reported that only twenty Adai men remained.
The Cadodacho, considered the "real Caddo" or "Caddo proper," traditionally lived on the Red River of Louisiana. According to tribal traditions, the lower Red River was their original home, from which they migrated west and northwest. By 1800, the Caddo moved down the Red River near Caddo Lake.
Culture, Origins, and Lifestyle
Spanish accounts described the Caddo groups as having dense populations living in scattered settlements with abundant food reserves of corn. Archaeological investigations of Caddoan sites indicate that Caddo communities were widely dispersed throughout the stream valleys of the Caddoan area by around A.D. 800.
The Caddo are believed to be an extension of Woodland period peoples, the Fourche Maline culture and Mossy Grove cultures, who lived in the area of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas between 200 BCE to 800 CE. By 800 CE, this society had begun to coalesce into the Caddoan Mississippian culture.
Some villages gained prominence as ritual centers, with elite residences and temple mound constructions. The mounds were arranged around open plazas, which were used for ceremonial occasions. By 1000 CE, a distinct "Caddoan" society had emerged. By 1200, the numerous villages and farmsteads throughout the Caddo world had begun extensive maize agriculture. Their artistic skills and earthwork mound-building flourished during the 12th and 13th centuries.
Caddo oral history says the tribe emerged from an underground cave, called Chahkanina or "the place of crying," located at the confluence of the Red and Mississippi Rivers in northern Louisiana.
Interactions with Europeans and Subsequent Relocation
With the arrival of missionaries from Spain and France, a smallpox epidemic broke out that decimated the population. The Caddo negotiated for place with Spanish, French, and finally Anglo-American settlers. In 1835, the Kadohadacho signed a treaty with the US to relocate to then Mexico. In 1845, when Texas was admitted to the US as a state, the government forced the relocation of both the Hasinai and the Kadohadacho onto the Brazos Reservation. In 1859, many of the Caddo were relocated to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. After the Civil War, the Caddo were concentrated on a reservation located between the Washita and Canadian rivers.
Modern Caddo Nation
In 1938, the Caddo organized as the Caddo Indian Tribe of Oklahoma, marking a significant step towards self-governance and cultural preservation. The Tejas (Caddo) Confederacy , though diminished in size and scattered across a different landscape, continues to thrive as the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a testament to the resilience and enduring spirit of its people.