Karankawa

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Karankawa

• Created By
• Riley Brown and Micah Beasley
• MB

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III. How they Lived

• The Karankawa were very strong Natives who could
  withstand hunger and thirst.
• They could also withstand the cold and the
  harshness of the sun.
• Not enough animals lived in the area to feed all
  the Karankawa so some families would have to move
  away.
• The Karankawa were nomadic hunter-gathers.
• They would eat fish and underwater plants in the
  fall. In the winter and spring they would eat
  shellfish, especially oysters , and blackberries.
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I. Location and Government

• You may find the Karankawa between the Galveston
  Bay and Corpus Christi Bay.
• The main land of Texas is the Coastal Prairie.
• The chief was always a man because it would be
  hard to find food for a large nomadic group.
• When food was hard to find they would split up
  into small bands to find more food and smoke
  signals that would bring them back together.
• The Karankawa were made up of at least five
  groups or bands each were small and independently
  related by there fathers.
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II. Dress

• Men dressed in breechcloths made of animal skins.
• Karankawa women were considered attractive.
• The womens dresses were made of Spanish moss and
  deer skin.
• Man and women tattooed there body.
• Young women had a small stripe from there
  forehead to there chin.
• Karanawa often covered themselves in alligator
  lard and dirt to keep away the mosquitoes.
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IV. Transportation

• The Karankawa spent so much time in the waters of
  Texas Gulf Coast they were famous for there
  dugout canoes.
• They were made from hallowed out tree trunks.
• Each canoe was made to fit a whole family and
  their possessions.
• Poles moved the canoes across the water.
• The canoes and the poles were very quite.
• They were only used for small trips because they
  were not very sturdy.
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V. Homes

• Woven mats, animal skins, and willow poles made
  the Karankawas huts.
• They have a fire in the middle of their hut.
• Their huts are oval shaped.
• They were 10 -18 feet in diameter.
• Seven or eight people could fit inside a hut.
• Skin was used to sit on or for blankets.
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VI. Tools

• The Karanakawa made jars, globe shaped vessels,
  and bowls. They also made baskets.
• The baskets were coated with asphalt for
  waterproofing.
• Food was cooked in the pottery by sinking the
  bottom into ashes or hot coals.
• They through oysters in fires or hot coals until
  they opened, and they were raked out and then
  eaten.
• They used milling stones to crush seeds and nuts.
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VII. Weapons

• The Karankawa used their bows to fish and was the
  mane weapon.
• Their long bows were specially sized for the man
  who owned it.
• The bows were made of cedar and the arrow was
  made of cane with three feathers and a stone
  point.
• The bow strings were made of deer sinew.
• Warfare was very common, and made trading very
  difficult.
• The Karankawa also had clubs, lances, and
  tomahawks.
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VIII. Family, Traditions, and Beliefs

• Each child was given two names because the
  Karankawa were very fond of the children.
• One name was a nickname and to be used in secret.
• When children advanced from childhood to
  adulthood a ceremony was performed.
• A newly wed family would have to perform bride
  service.
• Bride service is when the wife's husband would
  give her father everything he fished and hunted.
• Death was more serious then marriage.
• They were buried in shallow graves except for the
  Shaman who were cremated.
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IX. Summary

• As with the Coahuiltecans the Texas Golf Coast
  was a difficult place to live.
• The Karankawa did their best they could.
• They used every resource to make their lives the
  best they could.
• They passed these skills on to their children.
• MB