Native American Heritage is observed in November. McCarter Museum has an interesting collection of pictures and items representing the Tonkawa Tribe.
The Waco (Wichita) name for the Tonkawa Tribe is “Tonkaweya”, meaining “They All Stay Together.” The Tonkawa Tribe belonged to one of the sub-tribes that lived in an area that extended west from South Central Texas and Western Oklahoma to Eastern New Mexico. The Tonkawas had their own unique language. They were a warlike tribe that endured two centuries of conflict with their enemies, the Spanish explorers and later, the American settlers.
Being nomadic in their early historic period, the tribe moved often. The Tonkawas were great hunters of buffalo and deer. They became skilled riders and owned many good horses in the 18th century. By 1837, the tribe had drifted toward southeastern Texas.
In October, 1884, the Tonkawa Tribe of 92 persons was removed from Fort Griffin, Texas to near Stroud, Oklahoma. Wintering at the Sac-Fox Agency, they then traveled the last 100 miles by wagon to the Ponca Agency and and finally to ‘Oakland’, Kay County on June 30, 1885. This was known as the Tonkawa ‘Trail of Tears.’
Today, the Tonkawa Tribe Annual PowWow is scheduled on the last weekend in June to commemorate their historic arrival in Oklahoma Territory.
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