Bows were made of red cedar and reached from the eye or chin level to the foot of the bearer. The chief weapon of the tribe, for both hunting and warfare, was the long bow and arrow. Karankawas crafted baskets and pottery, both of which were often lined with asphaltum, a natural tar substance found on Gulf Coast beaches. Large enough to accommodate seven or eight people, the structure consisted of a willow pole frame that was covered with animal skins and rush mats. Upon the Spaniards’ introduction of horses, these coastal Indians maintained their own herds along the coast.Ī portable wigwam, or ba-ak, provided shelter for the coastal people. The Karankawas also traveled overland by foot, and were often described as powerful runners, as well as expert swimmers. Each canoe was spacious enough to carry an entire family along with their household goods. Those dugouts, unsuited for deep, open water, were used primarily in the relatively shallow waters between the islands and the mainland. The Karankawas’ principal means of transportation was the dugout canoe, a watercraft made by hollowing out the trunk of a large tree. Bison, deer, and fish, were staples of the Karankawa diet, but a wide variety of animals and plants contributed to their sustenance. They obtained this food by a combination of hunting, fishing, and gathering. Their movements were dictated primarily by the availability of food. The Karankawas were a nomadic people who migrated seasonally between the barrier islands and the mainland. The significance of the name Karankawa has not been definitely established, although it is generally believed to mean 'dog-lovers' or 'dog-raisers.' That translation seems plausible, since the Karankawas reportedly kept dogs that were described as a fox-like or coyote-like breed. All of these Indians spoke a language called Karankawan, of which around 500 words are preserved. Those groups, identified in early historic times, included the Carancahuas, Coapites, Cocos, Cujanes, and Copanes. The name Karankawa became the accepted designation for several groups of coastal people who shared a common language and culture. The Karankawa Indians are an American Indian cultural group whose traditional homelands are located along Texas’s Gulf Coast from Galveston Bay southwestwardly to Corpus Christi Bay.

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