From: http://www.somosprimos.com/sp2004/spnov04/spnov04.htm#TEXAS Texas State Library & Archives Commission http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/indian Indian Nations of Texas Texas was home to hundreds of tribes of American Indians. They are listed alphabetically with information on each tribe. Text examples. The following tribes are discussed on this website: Alabama-Coushatta, Anadarko, Apache, Arapaho, Biloxi, Caddo, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chickasaw, Coahuiltecan. Coahuiltecan is the name given to hundreds of small Indian groups who lived in northern Mexico and south Texas. These simple hunter-gatherers found themselves caught in the middle between Spanish colonizers and Apache raiders. Due to these pressures and disease, their population went into a steep decline during the early Spanish period, and little is known of their culture or way of life. A large number of the survivors gathered in Spanish missions for protection from the Apaches. By 1800, most of the remaining Coahuiltecans had merged with other tribes or intermarried with the Hispanic population: Comanche, Delaware, Hainai, Jumano, Karankawa, Kichai, Kiowa, Kickapoo The Kickapoos originated in the Great Lakes region. By the time of the Republic of Texas, a number had migrated to Texas and allied themselves with the Cherokees. As Cherokee allies, they were caught up in the violence of President Lamars attempt to expel most Indians from Texas. The Kickapoos fled to Mexico, where they formed an alliance with the Mexican army and conducted continuous harassing raids into South Texas. During the Civil War, Kickapoos from Kansas and Indian Territory (Oklahoma) journeyed across Texas to join their kinsmen in Mexico. On January 8, 1865, three bands of Kickapoos were attacked by Confederate cavalry on Dove Creek, a tributary of the Concho River. The Kickapoos successfully fought off the attack and continued to Mexico, where the Dove Creek battle fueled Kickapoo anger and led to even more aggressive border raiding. In 1873, Colonel Ranald Mackenzie led an expedition against the Kickapoos. Mackenzie captured forty of the tribes women, children, and elderly and took them to Fort Gibson in Indian Territory. These people served as hostages to compel the Kickapoo warriors to surrender and begin reservation life. Most refused and continued to live at El Nacimiento in northern Mexico, which remains the home for most Kickapoos today. They are notable for their adherence to their traditional way of life: Pakana Muskogee, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Tawakoni, Tigua The Tiguas are descended from refugees from the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, in which the Pueblo tribes of New Mexico united to fight the Spanish. In 1751, the king of Spain granted the Tiguas land near present-day El Paso, a claim that was recognized by the subsequent governments of Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the United States. However, both legislative acts and unscrupulous land traders eventually robbed the Tiguas of their land. In the 1960s, the Tiguas organized and won recognition from the state as a tribe, then filed a claim for their original grant and other traditional lands in the area. Today they occupy a 26-acre area which contains housing and bingo gambling. ________________________________________________________________ Juno Platinum $9.95. Juno SpeedBand $14.95. Sign up for Juno Today at http://www.juno.com! Look for special offers at Best Buy stores.