Tonkawan Tribes
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FOUR
DIRECTIONS INSTITUTE
Tonkawan Tribes |
| Ethnie: | TONKAWAN TRIBES |
| Language: | Tonkawa |
| Family | Toinkawa |
| Stock: | Coahuiltecan |
| Phylum: | Coahuiltecan |
| Macro-Culture: | Texas |
|
| The Tonkawa were a language group of affiliated semi-sedentary hunter/farmer tribes of the southern plains. They were located in central Texas from Cibolo Creek on the southwest to within a few miles of the Trinity River on the northeast. They had conflicts with Whites as well as other tribes, and suffered from the later settlers. They were reported to have practiced cannibalism of captured enemies. |
| Aboriginal Locations (Tribes) |
| TX Coyabegux, Mayeye, Tenu [?], Tetzino, Tohaha, Toho, Tonkawa, Tucara, Tusolivi, Yojuane, Yprande [?] |
|
| Year | History |
| 1536 | Probably visited by Cabeza de Vaca |
| 1689 | Smallpox epidemic |
| 1691 | Mentioned by Francisco Casanas de Jesus Maria as enemies of the Hasinai |
| 1714 | Destroyed the main fire temple of the Hasinai |
| 1746 | Gathered into mission on San Xavier River |
| 1756 | Mission abandoned |
| 1758 | Assisted in destruction of San Saba Mission established for the Lipan Apache |
| 1779 | Smallpox epidemic |
| 1782 | El Mocho, Apache turned Tonkawan, failed in an attempt the unite the two tribes against the Spanish |
| 1839 | Smallpox epidemic |
| 1855 | Put, with other tribes, on a reservation on the Brazos River; began scouting for Texas Rangers against Comanche |
| 1859 | Fled Texans to Oklahoma |
| 186X | Scouted for the South in the Civil War |
| 1862 | Surprise attack by body of Delaware, Shawnee, and Caddo Indians who killed 137 of tribe, 160+ members of tribe wandered for several years before gathering at Fort Griffin, Texas for protection against their enemies |
| 1884 | Placed on Oklahoma reservation |
| Year | Total Population | OK | TX | Source | |
| 1690 | 1,600 | 1,600 | Mooney est. | ||
| 1700 | 1,000 | 1,000 | NAHDB calculation | ||
| 1778 | 1,000 | 1,000 | Spanish estimate | ||
| 1779 | 500 | 500 | Survivors after smallpox epidemic | ||
| 1800 | 400 | 400 | NAHDB calculation | ||
| 1828 | 300 | 300 | Swanton | ||
| 1884 | 92 | 92 | Reservation roll | ||
| 1900 | 50 | 50 | NAHDB calculation | ||
| 1908 | 42 | 42 | Swanton | ||
| 1930 | 48 | 48 | Census | ||
| 1937 | 51 | 51 | US Indian Office | ||
| 1981 | 1,265 | 1,265 | BIA | ||
| 1989 | 763 | 763 | BIA | ||
| 2000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | NAHDB calculation |
| Other speakers of the same language: |
| None |
Last updated 04/13/05 Copyright © 2005 by Four Directions Press