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Background: The RISD Online Resource:
CultureGram states: "Several tribes inhabited the large area that is now
Texas years before the first Spanish explorers arrived. The Hasinai, Caddo,
Karankawa, Apache, Wichita, and Comanche were some of the primary tribes.
The Comanche occupied a large swath of land stretching from the north to the
south across the middle of Texas. Their land was bounded on the east by the
Wichita and on the west by the Apache. The Comanche and Apache were buffalo
hunters, and when the Spanish brought horses to the area, it changed the way
they hunted. The Karakawa lived along the coast of what is now the Gulf of
Mexico. They sailed in canoes to catch fish, oyster, clams, and shellfish
for food. The Hasinai and Caddo were related and lived in the eastern
valleys. When the first Spanish explorers arrived, the Hasinai called them
by the word techas, meaning “friend.” The Spanish pronounced it “tejas,”
a word that later became the name of the state."
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