The Caddo Nation were Native Peoples in the area near Dallas County. They have a history in this area for over a thousand years. The four allied villages Cadohadacho, Hasinai, Natchitoches and Nanatsoho (all have various spellings) consisted of interconnected tribes with a common language and shared conditions, lived in parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. Cadohadacho, the formal name of the nation, is known for kinship and strove to work well with their neighbors. The Caddo word “teysha” means friend and the derivative “tejas” from the Spanish influence is how Texas got its name and state motto, “friendship”. The land they lived on was called Black Prairie and was filled with rich black soil. The Caddos were agricultural people and stayed in one place to raise crops like corn, beans and pumpkins. The lived in tall, dome shaped, grass houses that the entire community participated in building. The house had shelves with woven baskets, and raised, bunked beds with a woven rug in an arch over the top for privacy. They made intricately decorated earthenware pots that were uniquely decorated for domestic and ceremonial use. Atole, a cornmeal mush, was made in ceremonial pots and served at special occasions. A caddi, the religious leader and chief, also served as the designated governor of a tribe. Their responsibilities included acting as judge, hosting feasts after harvest, overseeing the relationships between tribes and creating buffer boarders with friendship pacts. The caddi was carefully trained in politeness.

Ancient Caddos built ceremonial mounds as part of their religious practice. The belief was that the soul, buried with things that would help make the journey, went to another house until all were gathered and life would begin anew. These mounds still exist today.

Caddo Nation past is in two parts; prehistoric with no written records and historic with the accompanying written accounts. Like many Native peoples, the Caddo passed down their traditions through oral stories, teaching the younger generations. The Europeans who began contact with the Caddos in the 16th century, recorded their experiences and observations in diaries. One Caddo leader explained, “God gave special ways to the white man and special ways to the Indian-they are different. We don’t know why, but they are. The White man writes things down for other to read and learn; the Indian tell what has happened and expects his children to listen and remember.” 1

Jill Lepore in her book These Truths: A History of the United States, comments, “To write something down doesn’t make it true. But the history of the truth is lashed to the history of writing like a mast to a sail…To write something down is to make it a fossil record of a mind. Stories are full of power and force; they seethe with meaning, with truths and lies, evasions and honesty. Speech often has far more weight and urgency than writing. But most words once spoken are forgotten, while writing lasts.” 2

In the 16th century, when Spanish missionaries contacted the Caddo, the Caddo remained friendly but unreceptive to a change in religion. The Spanish priests were invited to live with the caddi, an example of the culture of the friendly Caddos. They declined but built a church nearby in hopes that the Caddo would become baptized Catholics. Several missionaries wanted the Caddos to not only change their religion but make a vow to the King of Spain as his vassals.

The next Europeans to contact the Caddos were the French. They were more interested in trade which suited the Caddo just fine. There is evidence of copper being used in the Caddo nation that does not derive from their southwest locale. It can be assumed that French traders who moved goods up and down the Mississippi River may have traded with nations from the north and brought items like copper to the Caddos.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Spanish recognized the land was plentiful and wanted to build settlements and presidios to protect from future encroachment of the French. Using the friendliness of the Caddos both European nations attempted to make pacts with the Caddo that would ensure their cooperation in land disputes. By the end of the 17th century diseases such as smallpox had a devastating effect on the populations of the Caddo nation tribes. In the late 18th century, the Osage from the north attacked and forced the remaining Caddo to relocate down the Red River to Tso’to Lake, today called Caddo Lake near Marshall, Texas.

Another group of people, Americans from the east, were moving west in large numbers. The Americans were not interested in religion or trade; they wanted land. During the early part of the century, they forced other Native Peoples off of their land by force and by making written treaties which only benefitted the Americans. Taking advantage of the friendly nature of the Caddos, in 1835, emissaries from the American government made a treaty with the remaining Caddo people that stated they sold their land and were never again to return as a nation.

Over the next years the Caddo left their home but remain a small tribe near Binger, Oklahoma. Caddo culture has resurged with the work of Chase Kahwinhut Earles and Jeri Redcorn and the efforts of the Caddo nation. Caddo Mounds State Historic Site in Alto, Texas operates a museum and offers culture days throughout the year.

1   Carter, Cecile Elkins. Caddo Indians: Where We Come From. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma. 1995. p. 8

2   Lepore. Jill. These Truths: A History of the United States. 2018, p. 12