Geography

• The Karankawa lived along the Gulf of Mexico in southern Texas, and were a nomadic people, migrating from the coast to inland areas to hunt, fish and gather food. The swampy land they lived on was unsuitable for any type of agriculture. The weather was semi-tropical, hot and humid most of the time, with several months of cool to warm temperatures in the winter.
  
  

Types

• In the winter, the Karankawa did extensive fishing in the bays and lagoons, using dugout canoes to travel between the barrier islands. Large schools of fish moved into these areas during cooler weather, and it was also the one time of year when the people considered oysters, clams, scallops and mollusks to be safe for eating.
  
  When the weather grew hot, they moved inland and traveled about looking for food. In both areas, they hunted deer, bear, small game and birds such as turkey and ducks. They gathered fruit, seeds and nuts.
  
  

Features

• In winter, the Karankawa lived in semi-permanent circular huts made of a wooden pole framework, one end of each pole inserted into the ground and the tops bent and tied together. This construction was then covered with woven grass mats or palm leaves, or sometimes with animal hides. The floors also were covered with grass mats.
  
  In the summer months, when the Karankawa were traveling, they would stay in temporary lean-to shelters made of tree limbs set against each other and covered with palm leaves or grass mats.
  
  

Considerations

• European settlers moving into Texas were not happy about the Karankawa. The Karankawa people were imposing in apperarance, often over six feet tall, with an abundance of tattoos and piercings. They smeared themselves with alligator grease and dirt to keep mosquitoes and other bugs away. They were quick to do battle with other tribes and also participated in cannibalism. The Europeans viewed them as violent, dangerous, dirty and smelly, and apparently could not imagine any way to live alongside them.
  
  

Significance

• Disease (smallpox in particular), colonization and battles with European settlers, all led to the extinction of the Karankawa people. They became scattered along the coast and some moved into Mexico, but eventually were forced back. The last known remaining band of Karankawa was living in the area of Rio Grande City in the late 1850s, where they were wiped out by a group of armed Texans.