Karankawa Tribe Essay

The Karankawa Indians originated along the Texas coastline which is known as present day Victoria, Texas. Their area started on the west end of present day Galveston and continued down the coast to Corpus Christi, Texas. The Karankawas were very good fighters. Most European settlers were scared to come near them. The Karankawas had an interesting lifestyle as they differed from other tribes. They primarily targeted a few different main foods in their area along the coastline. The Karankawas had an interesting lifestyle. The way they dressed separated them from the rest. Most of the men wore enough clothing to cover their bottom halves. It may have been hides from deer or even cloth. The women often wore grass skirts that gave enough protection from animals and insects. As weird as it may sound, neither gender wore tops in the Karankawa tribe. What they often did was cover their upper body parts in …show more content…
The constant search for food was the primary reason for the Karankawa to travel throughout southeastern Texas. Karankawa generally traveled by dugout canoe as well as by foot. Myth has it that the Karankawa practiced cannibalism, however it was true that they would often catch an enemy chief or warrior to kill and eat them. The reason for this was not for food but instead to capture the power within the chief or warrior. The Karankawa ate a diet consisting of berries, plant roots and other edible plants, as well as wild deer, turtles, rabbits, turkeys, oysters, clams, drum and redfish. The food the women gathered made up more food than the men's hunting. The men of course hunted enough for the family to eat but the women gathered most of the food on a day to day basis. Alongside gathering all the food, the women also cooked the food, cleaned the tee-pee’s, and took care of the kids. When it came time to move the women would take down the tee-pee and put it