Tawakoni
Wichita and Affiliated Tribes |
The Tawakoni (also Tahuacano and Tehuacana) are a
History
At the beginning of the 18th century, the Tawakoni lived in villages in what is now
In Texas, the Tawakoni were closely allied with the
In 1853 an Indian reservation was established on the upper Brazos River in Texas, but settlers ultimately forced the tribes off the reservation. In August 1859, 258 Tawakoni people were forced to relocate to Indian Territory. With the Wichita, Waco, Caddo, Nadaco, Kichai, and Hainai tribes, the Tawakoni settled on a reservation in 1872 between the Canadian and Washita Rivers.[3]
Although these tribes resisted the allotment policy outlines in the Dawes Act, their reservation was broken into individual allotments, and "surplus" lands were opened to non-Native settlers on August 6, 1901.[3]
In 1894, 126 Tawakoni people were recorded.[3] Under the 1934 Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act, they joined other Wichita peoples in organizing a new tribal government.[2]
Name
The Tawakonis' name translates to "river bend among red sand hills."[3] Their name has been also spelled as Touacara, Tahwaccaro, Tahuacaro, or Towoccaro, Tehuacana,[3] as well as Towakoni. Some French explorers called them the "Three Canes" or Troiscanne.[4]
Namesakes
Lake Tawakoni in Texas was named for this tribe. East Tawakoni, West Tawakoni and Quinlan, Texas are cities around this large lake. Also out of its dam comes the Sabine River which flows through northeast Texas and even works as the eastern border of Texas (From Center to Port Arthur, Texas). Tehuacana Creek, Tehuacana Hills, and Tehuacana, Texas are also named for this tribe, though using a Spanish spelling.
References
- ^ Paul Gately, "Native Americans chose Waco for water and abundance, like others", 10 KWTX (8 July 2018).
- ^ a b c d "Wichita Memories: In the Beginning: 1540-1750." Archived 2010-07-02 at the Wayback Machine Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (retrieved 1 May 2010).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bennett-Jones, Julie. "Tawakoni." Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. (retrieved 28 Nov 2018)
- ^ a b c "Tawakoni Indian Tribe." Access Genealogy. (retrieved 2 May 2010)
- ^ Quiscat Handbook of Texas