November is Native American Heritage Month, a perfect time to honor and recognize the history of the Tonkawa Tribe. A very informative booklet was created and designed by Donald L Patterson and Miranda “Nax’ce” Allen and it is from this memoir that I share a portion of their history this week.This will be a five part series covering the history, culture and strength of the Tonkawa Tribe. In Oct., 1884 the Tonkawa were removed from Fort Griffin, TX and transported by railroad to a temporary stop at the Sac-Fox Agency near Stroud, Oklahoma. (A child born on the way was named “Railroad Cisco” ) The tribe wintered there until Spring, then traveled the last 100 miles by wagon through a thick, muddy and rainy terrain.They reached the Ponca Agency on June 29th and then finally to “Oakland” on June 30, 1885. This was the Tonkawa “Trail of Tears” -a time in Tribal history that should always be commemorated and never forgotten. It is because of this historical date that the annual Tonkawa Pow-Wow is held on the last weekend in June. The men of the tribe were famous warriors and their chiefs bore many scars of battle.They were skilled riders and were known to be great hunters of buffalo and deer, using a bow and arrow for weapons, along with some firearms secured from early Spanish traders.The Tonkawa women were also strong physically with master skills in creating beautifully beaded bison hides and wolf skins. In preparation for battle the warriors put on headdresses of horns, feathers and red flannel.The warriors painted themselves and their horses with stripes. Certain individuals had the privilege of painting in a certain way, and this pattern could be only used by the individual if it were transferred to him.The Tribal name in Tonkawa language means: “Real People” Pronounced “Titch-kun-wha-titch” The McCarter museum houses some early photos of members of the Tonkawa Tribe. Visit our Tonkawa Historical society Facebook page to view them!
