Tribal flag

Wichita camp, 1904

The Wichita are a tribe of Native Americans, indigenous inhabitants of North America, who speak Wichita, a Caddoan language. A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States Wichita is a moribund Caddoan language spoken in Oklahoma. Only one fluent speaker remains and hence it is almost certain that Wichita will soon become The Caddoan languages are a family of Native American languages. The tribe was most populous in the Southwestern United States.

The Wichita formed a loose confederation on the Southern Plains, including such tribes as Panis Piques, Taovayas, Guichitas, Tawakonis, Kichais, and Wacos, and they lived in fixed villages notable for domed-shaped and grass-covered dwellings. "Tawakoni" redirects here&mdashfor the Texas communities see West Tawakoni Texas and East Tawakoni Texas The Towakoni The Kitsai (also Kichai) language is an extinct Caddoan language. The Wichita were successful hunters and farmers, skillful traders and negotiators. They ranged as far south as San Antonio, Texas to as far north as Great Bend, Kansas. Great Bend is a City situated along the Arkansas River in the southwestern part of Barton County, located in central Kansas, in the Central A semi-sedentary people, they occupied northern Texas in the early 1700s and were involved in trade with other Southern Plains Indians on both sides of the Red River and as far south as Waco. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Plains Indians are the Indigenous peoples who live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. For other uses see Red River. The Red River is one of several rivers with that name. Waco (ˈweɪkoʊ is a city in and the County seat of McLennan County, Texas. The Wichita lived in huts made of forked cedar poles cover by dry grasses, but would abandon them in the winter to go hunt American Bison. The American bison ( Bison bison) is a Bovine Mammal, also commonly known as the American buffalo.

The Wichita were known to tattoo their faces and bodies with solid and dotted lines and circles. A tattoo is a permanent marking made by inserting ink into the layers of Skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons They called themselves "raccoon-eyed people" (Wichita Kitikiti'sh) because of the tattooed marks around their eyes. The raccoon ( Procyon lotor) (sometimes spelt as racoon) also known as the common raccoon, North American raccoon, northern raccoon They wore clothes made of tanned hides, the women often decorating their dresses in elk teeth. The elk, or wapiti ( Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest Species of Deer in the world and one of the largest Mammals in

First Contact

The Wichita's population at the time of first contact with the Europeans was estimated to be 200,000. Spanish explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado encountered several villages in the area now known as Kansas. Francisco Vázquez de Coronado y Luján (Born in 1510 &ndash Died on September 22 1554 was a Spanish Conquistador, who visited New Mexico and other Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " Coronado said:

"There are not more than twenty-eat meat raw like the Querechos [the Apache] and Teyas. They are enemies of one another. . . These people of Quivira [later known as the Wichita] have the advantage over the others in their houses and in growing of maize". Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica

By 1719 the Wichita had largely migrated southward to Oklahoma. Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. During the Civil War they moved back to Louisiana and established a village at the site of present-day Wichita, Kansas. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Wichita (ˈwɪtʃɪtaː is the most populous City in the US state of Kansas, and the county seat of Sedgwick County. Their numbers dwindled rapidly upon contact with people of European descent. In 1790, it was estimated that there were about 3,200 total Wichita. By 1868, the population is recorded as being 572 total Wichita. By the time of the census of 1937, there were only 100 Wichita officially left.

Origins

Numerous archaeological sites located in Kansas share common traits and collectively are known as the Great Bend aspect. Radiocarbon dates from these sites range from A. D. 1450 to 1700. Great Bend aspect sites are generally accepted as ancestral to the Wichita peoples described by Coronado and other early European explorers. The discovery of limited quantities of European artifacts such as chain mail and iron axe heads at several Great Bend sites appears to support a connection with early Spanish exploration ^[1].

Archaeological evidence suggests Great Bend aspect peoples practiced a subsistence economy including a mixture of agriculture, hunting, gathering, and fishing. Villages were located on the upper terraces of rivers, and crops appear to have been grown on the floodplains below. Primary crops were maize, beans, squash, and sunflowers. Gathered foods included walnut, hickory, plum, hackberry, and grape. Faunal remains (bones) recovered during archaeological excavations have included bison, elk, deer, pronghorn antelope, and dog ^[2].

geophysical image depicting the subsurface archaeological footprint of a Great Bend aspect council circle

Several village sites are distinctive in that they contain the remains of unusual structures called council circles. Council circles occur near the center of these sites, and previous archaeological excavations have suggested they consist of a central patio surrounded by four semisubterranean structures. The function of the council circles is unclear. Waldo Wedel^[3] has suggested they may be ceremonial structures, possibly associated with solstice observations. Recent analysis suggests that many non-local artifacts occur exclusively or primarily within council circles, implying the structures were occupied by political and/or ritual leaders of the Great Bend aspect peoples^[4]. Other archaeologists leave open the possibility that the council circle earthen works served a defensive role^[5].

U. S. Recognition

The United States Bureau of Indian Affairs officially recognizes the tribe, and circa 2003 the officially recognized name is, Wichita and Affiliated Tribes (Wichita, Keechi, Waco & Tawakonie), Oklahoma. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the History Although the bureau which was called the Office of Indian Affairs was formed in 1824 similar agencies had existed in the U Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Tribe offices are located in Anadarko, Oklahoma. Anadarko is a city in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6645 at the 2000 census. The Affiliated tribes include the Caddo and Delaware Indians. The Caddo are a nation or group of tribes of Southeastern Native Americans who in the 16th century inhabited much of what is now East Texas, western The Wichita tribal lands are centered today around Gracemont, Oklahoma. Gracemont is a town in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States.

Sources

• A Native American Encyclopedia : History, Culture, and Peoples

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0195138775

• Native America in the Twentieth Century : An Encyclopedia

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0815325835

References

1. ^ Wood, W. Raymond (1998). Archaeology of the Great Plains University of Kansas Press.
2. ^ Hoard, Robert J. and William E. Banks (2006). Kansas Archaeology. University Press of Kansas
3. ^ Wedel, Waldo (1967). The Council Circles of Central Kansas: Were They Solstice Registers? American Antinquity 32, 54-63
4. ^ Vehik, Susan C. 2002. Conflict, Trade, and Political Development on the Southern Plains. American Antiquity, 67(1), 37-64
5. ^ Hollinger, Eric (2005). Conflict and Culture Change in the Late Prehistoric and Early Historic American Midcontinent. Unpublished PhD Dissertation. University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign