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The Caddo were a loose confederation of Indian groups who shared
a common language. Although they shared a Mississippian
way of life, their location on the southwestern fringe of that
cultural universe offered them a degree of political and cultural
independence. Their distinctive cultural traits have been identified
at sites dating to about AD 900, when they occupied an area
which included present-day eastern Oklahoma, western Arkansas,
northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana (the
Caddoan Archaeological Area). The climate was moderate,
and the land varied from wooded mountains to alluvial flood
plains. A large variety of plant and animal resources were available,
and the many rivers in the region provided easy access to the
various sections of their homelands.
Miniature Vessels, ca. 600–1400
CADDOAN
By the year
1000, the Caddo lived in small family groups. Their house clusters
lay scattered along low terraces bordering watercourses. Their
dwellings were constructed of grass or reed thatch over a framework
of sticks and poles and were surrounded by patches of corn,
beans, squash and other vegetables. They supplemented their
diet by hunting a variety of wild game. Examples of their outstanding
pottery are among the best-preserved objects that can be identified
as “Caddoan”. They may also have excelled at woodcraft,
but few Caddo wood objects have survived.
At the time
of Hernando De Soto's expedition in 1542, their population is
estimated to have been close to 20,000. Over the next several
hundred years, disease and warfare caused a considerable decrease
in their numbers. Settlements were concentrated in western Louisiana
and eastern Texas, with fringe populations in eastern Oklahoma
and southwestern Arkansas.
Bowl,
ca. 1500–1800 CADDOAN
Competing
French and Spanish interests affected their lives, but the Caddo
traded freely with both, while maintaining their farming lifestyle.
After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the Caddo became victims
of the politics of the United States, the interests of Spanish
Mexico, and the independence movements in Texas. They first
moved to the Brazos River area in Texas, but in 1837, one year
after Texas won its independence, they were sent to live with
distant relations (the Wichita) in Oklahoma Indian Territory.
Today, about 4000 descendants of the Caddo still live in western
Oklahoma, centered in Binger.
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