Karankawan Indians

Karankawan Indians

Many Native American civilizations are well known. However, many stereotypes are created based on the belief that all Native Americans were similar. There is one native tribe that has the most controversy revolving around it. That was the culture of the Karankawas. Until just recently most known information came from words of mouth, and there were many distorted views on this great nation.

Unlike most other Native American tribes in the southwest region of Texas, the Karankawas held one thing in their society that was different to their neighbors of the north and south -- they were non-nomadic. This nation built semi permanent homes near the coast and only moved inland during the summer, do to fact that their main food source moved out to sea -- fish. They lived in a structure known as the wickiup. It was constructed simply of drift wood or mesquite covered in mud and animal skins. It provided great protection from the surrounding environment, given this regions dry status. The home that they lived in was not meant for anything other than sleep, and very few personal belongings were actually kept by a single family. The tribes were very communal when it came to belongings. Everyone in the society had their jobs and specific roles and kept to them. When one person could not perform their duties, or became to old, they were either held as a revered seer, depending on how old and wise a person was, or they were put to death. Cruel and inhumane by today's standards, however, death held a higher meaning in this society. It wasn't a disgrace to be killed, it was actually meant to be a great honor. It was believed that if your life role was complete, then you could move on to a more divine role in the heavens. Leading them to have very secretive and sometimes almost unknown burial practices. Anthropologists know very little about this tribe do to their secrecy.

Another thing that our society brandishes as being absurd and somewhat "evil" in nature, would be that this tribe did practice human sacrifices and cannibalism. However, this was not for some dark ritual that can not be explained. It was a belief that the only way another tribe or that tribe's leader could be released into the heavens was through the consumption of what was impure on earth.