Caddo - An Indian tribe whose members were of dark complexion and medium height.  They pierced their noses, wore rings in them, and practiced tattooing.  Their grass lodges were conical shaped.

Originally of the Red River section of Louisiana, the Caddo moved to the extreme Southern Plains area, where they became buffalo hunters.  They were the leading tribe of what the white man termed the Caddo Confederacy, which included the Wichita, Kichai, Tawakoni, and Waco.  They obtained horses early from the Spaniards and traded these animals as far north as Illinois.

At one time the Caddo were known to the Spaniards as the Tejas or Texas Indians, but this term was applied to many tribes in the Southwest as it meant simply "friends."  The Caddo remained loyal to the Federal Government during the Civil War and sought refuge in Kansas.  In 1902 each man, woman, and child was given an allotment of land and was also made a citizen of the United States,.

The name has been given to a parish in Louisiana, a county in Oklahoma; to Caddo Gap in Arkansas; villages in Oklahoma and Texas; and to Caddo Mills, in Texas.

Related Information within this Site
[ Confederation ][ Texas ][ Wichita ]