Caddo Mounds State Historic Site
Summary
TLDRThe script narrates the history of the Caddo people, who around 1200 years ago, established a thriving village near the Natchez River in East Texas. It flourished as a ceremonial center with trade, agriculture, and crafts, developing a complex social structure. Despite the decline and eventual abandonment of the site, the Caddo culture persists, with modern efforts to preserve traditions like pottery and language. The site, now a historical landmark, offers insights into Texas's rich past.
Takeaways
- 🏰 Around 1200 years ago, the Haciene Caddo established a village on the banks of the Natchez River in East Texas, which became a major ceremonial center.
- 🛣️ The village's location provided access to extensive trade routes and fertile lands rich in resources, supporting a population of 600 to 900 people.
- 🌾 Corn became a major crop, and the bow and arrow replaced the spear for more efficient hunting, while pottery was created for daily use and artistic expression.
- 🏔 Three mounds were constructed to mark important ceremonial areas, including a burial mound for community leaders and two temple or ceremonial platforms.
- 🏡 The village likely had over 150 houses, with extended family groups living in each, and it served as a hub for trade with other groups.
- 🔄 The Caddo traded items like bowdark wood, pottery, salt, and corn for stone objects, shells, copper, and ceremonial objects from distant regions.
- 📉 After five centuries, the Caddo political system declined, and the site was abandoned, with the people dispersing into smaller villages.
- 🚶 The Spanish later used existing Caddo trade routes, including one known as El Camino Real de los Tejas, or the Royal Road of the Tejas Indians.
- 🔍 Archaeological research, including the use of a magnetometer, has revealed much about the early Caddo, including the size and density of the settlement.
- 🏞️ The Caddo Mounds site, now preserved and open to the public, offers a glimpse into the social structure and culture of this earlier time.
- 🔗 Despite cultural disruption and the lack of written records, elements of Caddo culture have survived, including pottery, language, and traditional dances.
Q & A
Who were the Haciene and Caddo, and what did they establish around twelve hundred years ago?
-The Haciene and Caddo were Native Americans who established a village on the banks of the Natchez River in East Texas around twelve hundred years ago. This village later developed into a major ceremonial center.
Why was the location of the Caddo village significant?
-The location provided access to extensive trade routes and lands rich with fertile soil, abundant game, fish, and water, which contributed to the village's growth and prosperity.
What developments occurred during the 500 years of the village's flourishing?
-During this time, an elite class of spiritual and political leaders emerged, governing a population of 600 to 900 people. Corn became a major crop, the bow and arrow replaced the spear for hunting, and pottery was created for everyday use and artistic expression.
What were the three mounds constructed in the village for?
-The three mounds were constructed to mark important ceremonial areas. One was a burial mound for community leaders, and the other two were temple or ceremonial platforms used for religious activities and community gatherings.
How did the Caddo village's trade system function?
-The Caddo village was a hub for trade with other groups. They traded items such as bowdark wood, pottery vessels, salt, corn, and other goods for exquisite stone objects, shells, copper, and ceremonial objects from as far away as Illinois.
Why was the Caddo political system eventually abandoned?
-It is not known exactly why the Caddo political system waned after five centuries, but the site was abandoned, and the Caddo people dispersed into smaller villages.
How did the Spanish use the existing Caddo trade routes?
-The Spanish used the existing Caddo trade routes as their roads through the region, with one such route becoming known as El Camino Real de los Tejas, or the Royal Road of the Tejas Indians.
What was the significance of the first excavation at the site conducted by the Federal Works Progress Administration?
-The first excavation, conducted between 1939 and 1941, involved the excavation of the high temple mound, uncovering ceramic and stone ceremonial artifacts, and recording the site as the George C. Davis site.
Who led the most significant exploration of the site, and what were the outcomes?
-Archaeologist Deanne Story from the University of Texas at Austin led the most significant exploration from 1968 through 1970, during which thousands of artifacts were excavated and analyzed.
How has modern technology contributed to the understanding of the Caddo village site?
-A machine called a magnetometer, which uses sensors to measure magnetic anomalies beneath the ground surface, has been instrumental in locating structures and cultural features at the site without digging.
What efforts are being made by the Caddo Nation today to preserve their traditional practices?
-The Caddo Nation in Winger, Oklahoma, is working to preserve traditional Caddo practices, including the revival of pottery traditions that were lost for over a century, and the teaching of the Caddo language to the younger generation.
Outlines
🏰 The Flourishing Caddo Village and Its Cultural Evolution
This paragraph details the establishment and evolution of a Caddo village in East Texas around 1200 years ago. The village, strategically located along the Natchez River, became a major ceremonial center due to its access to trade routes and fertile lands. It flourished for 500 years under the governance of an elite class, reaching a population of 600 to 900 people. Technological advancements such as the bow and arrow and pottery for daily use and artistic expression were adopted. The village also constructed three mounds for ceremonial and burial purposes, which grew over time. The Caddo engaged in extensive trade, exchanging goods like wood, pottery, salt, and corn for stone objects, shells, copper, and ceremonial items. Despite its prosperity, the village was eventually abandoned after five centuries, and the Caddo dispersed into smaller settlements. The mounds still stand as a testament to their social structure.
🛣️ The Legacy of the Caddo and Preservation of Their Culture
The second paragraph discusses the impact of European colonization on the Caddo people, leading to their displacement and eventual resettlement in what is now Oklahoma. Despite cultural disruptions and the lack of written records, elements of Caddo culture have survived to the present day. Phil Cross, a Caddo Indian, reflects on the connection between his current culture and the distant past. The Caddo Nation in Oklahoma is actively preserving traditional practices, with the rare Caddo language being taught to younger generations. Traditional dances are still performed, and a lost pottery tradition has been revived. Jerry Redcorn, a Caddo Indian, shares his experience in reviving the pottery tradition. The remaining mounds serve as a reminder of the Caddo's thriving and complex culture, offering an opportunity to tell their story as part of Texas's rich history.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Haciene Caddo
💡Ceremony
💡Trade Routes
💡Mounds
💡Population
💡Technological Advancements
💡Pottery
💡Archaeological Research
💡Magnetometer
💡Cultural Preservation
💡Colonization
Highlights
The Haciene and Caddo established a village 1200 years ago in East Texas with access to trade routes and fertile lands.
The village flourished for 500 years as a major ceremonial center governed by an elite class of leaders.
A population of 600 to 900 farmers, hunters, and craftspeople lived in the village at its peak.
Corn became a major crop, and the bow and arrow replaced the spear for hunting, while pottery was used for everyday purposes and artistic expression.
Three mounds were constructed for ceremonial areas and burial of community leaders, growing in height over time.
The village had over 150 houses, with extended family groups living in each.
Caddo Mounds became a hub for trade with other groups, exchanging goods like wood, pottery, salt, corn, and ceremonial objects.
The Spanish used existing Caddo trade routes, known as El Camino Real de los Tejas, as their roads through the region.
Archaeological research at the site began in 1939 with the Federal Works Progress Administration.
Deanne Story led a significant exploration of the site from 1968 to 1970, uncovering thousands of artifacts.
The site was acquired by the state in 1974 for preservation, research, and public access.
A magnetometer and aerial photography have been used to map the site without excavation.
European settlers colonized the area and expelled the native people, leading to the Caddo's resettlement in Oklahoma.
Despite cultural disruption, elements of the Caddo culture have survived, including bowl making and traditional dances.
The Caddo Nation in Oklahoma works to preserve traditional practices and the Caddo language.
Caddo potters have revived a pottery tradition that was lost for over a century.
The mounds serve as a reminder of the thriving and complex native culture and contribute to Texas's rich history.
Transcripts
hello
around twelve hundred years ago native
americans known today as the haciene
caddo established a village here on the
banks of the natchez river in east texas
the location provided access to
extensive trade routes and to lands rich
with fertile soil abundant game fish and
water
this village developed into a major
ceremonial center and flourished for the
next 500 years
at its height an elite class of
spiritual and political leaders governed
a population of 600 to 900 farmers
hunters and crafts people
during this time corn became a major
crop
the bow and arrow which allowed for more
efficient hunting replaced the spear
and pottery was created to serve
everyday purposes and artistic
expression
as the village grew three mounds were
constructed then marked important
ceremonial areas
the burial mound where community leaders
were interred grew over time
as each generation of religious and
political leaders died and were buried
the mound grew in height
the two other mountains were temple or
ceremonial platforms used for religious
activities and community gatherings they
were also built up slowly over time
all three of the mounds were
considerably larger at the end of the
cattle occupation of the site than they
are today
there may have been more than 150 houses
in the village and extended family
groups may have lived in each of them
the location of caddo mounds made it a
hub for trade with other groups
the caddo traded bowdark wood used to
make bows
pottery vessels salt and corn for
exquisite stone objects shells copper
and ceremonial objects from as far away
as illinois
it is not known why after five centuries
the caddo political system waned and the
site was abandoned
the cattle lived on in the area but they
were widely dispersed into smaller
villages
the mounds remained on the open prairie
as a witness to the elaborate social
structure of an earlier time
when the spanish arrived in the area
they used existing caddo trade routes as
their roads through the region
one such route became known as el camino
real de los tejas or the royal road of
the tejas indians which is what the
spanish called the caddo indians of the
region
today visitors to the site can still
walk the remnants of the camino real
that run within view of the mounds
much of what is known about the early
caddo has been learned from the
archaeological research carried out at
the site
the first excavation at the site was
conducted by the federal works progress
administration between 1939 and 1941.
the high temple mound was excavated
uncovering ceramic and stone ceremonial
artifacts and the site was recorded at
the george c davis site named after the
landowner at the time
thirty years later archaeologist deanne
story from the university of texas at
austin led the most significant
exploration of the site from 1968
through 1970
thousands of artifacts were carefully
excavated and analyzed by dr story
the site was acquired by the state in
1974 for preservation and ongoing
research and opened to the public in
1982
more recently new information has been
obtained about the village without
digging by using a machine called a
magnetometer which employs sensors to
measure the strength and direction of a
magnetic anomaly beneath the ground
surface the magnetometer is used to
detect subtle changes in the earth's
magnetic fields that are result of human
occupation when we pull it across the
site we're able to use it to map the
various activities that have taken place
on an archaeological site
the magnetometer has been instrumental
in locating hearts houses and other
cultural features at the site
this data combined with aerial
photography has allowed archaeologists
to generate a clearer idea about the
size and density of this once thriving
settlement
over time europeans settled and
colonized this area and ultimately
expelled the native people of texas from
their homelands
in
1859 after being displaced for decades
less than 1 000 remaining caddo were
permanently resettled in the region
known as indian territory which is now
oklahoma
my name is phil cross i'm caddo indian
i've made both all my life despite the
disruption of their culture and an
absence of written historical records
elements of their culture have survived
into the present
cattle indians have a heritage of bowl
makers i just feel like i'm linked from
very distant lands and culture to my
current culture as i'm sitting here
carving it and there's no better feeling
today the caddo nation in winger
oklahoma works to preserve traditional
caddo practices
although rare cattle language is still
spoken by a few elders and is also being
taught to the younger generation
has hello my name is shoni we are caddo
kumbakia hatsine
kumbakiya
kumbakiya nati
oh
traditional dances are still performed
and enjoyed by the entire community
caddo potters have recently revived a
pottery tradition that was lost for over
a century
i'm jerry redcorn i'm cattle indian
and my cattle name is riverwoman
about 20 years ago i saw a demonstration
making cattle pottery so i
started making little pots and
and researching and getting better and
better
i would think wow it would be great if
there was a whole village of cattle
women here and we were sitting around
talking and gossiping and making pottery
the mounds that remain here today are an
enduring reminder of an earlier thriving
and complex native culture
they provide an opportunity to tell the
story of people who lived worked and
worshiped in this area centuries ago
as part of the rich history of texas
oh
hey
you
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