Padre Poem by bobby beddoe

Padre

Sociology prof said in class,
Aztec, only a few, not in mass,
Were first Indians on Padre;
But, that was just a maybe;
For, like in all other pantheons,
They adopted ancient persons
That stretch back twenty
Thousand YA of Ice Age obscurity,
Were spread out 'tween Mexico,
Corpus Christi and Bay Copano.
Anthropologists do know, though,
That Coahuiltecans 2900 YA,
Were followed by the Tonkawas,
Comanches, then Karankawas.
Karankawas: Primitive, tall,
Slinder, treacherous, dirty - gall,
Said to be greatest bowmen
Of all Texas Indians since age ten!
Their women, on the other hand,
Seldom spoke, even to husband.
They were squat, fat, disagreeable,
And bowed from work unbearable.
Women wore their coarse hair long,
Down to their waist - right or wrong.
As Nomadic fishermen-gatherers,
Kronks, th' last o' th' latecomers,
Scant few Historians say tribals
Undeserved reputation as "Cannibals"!
Enemies, all - irrespective:
The natives would tie the captive
To a stake, dance around him,
Darting in, slicing off a piece of skin,
And roastin' the flesh piece in front
Of the victim. Then eating it - nonchalant!
Archaeology prof said in field class,
Kronks would kill, then burn carcass
To a crisp, leaving only chard bone,
Which was th' only thing shown
Many eons after.
But wasn't dinner!
Like every other Indian tribe,
Kronks believed in afterlife - jibe,
So, to atone him from Great Spirit.
They'd incinerate body on exit,
'Twas like sending enemy to hell
With no chance for bail!
The Karankawas were apparently
As repulsed b' th' idea o' eatin' frequently
Oth'r humans as today's folks are.
An' would much rath'r Red Fish caviare!
Kronks spent winter on the mainland
By travelin' to the Island's north end;
And, at a ford, crossin' th' bay,
Lat'r, back t' th' Island for summer stay.
Said to have raided Spanish Missions
Without respect to pious religions!
Huts, seven feet tall, dome shaped,
Covered with deer skins, loosely draped,
Compl'te with Sea grape, reeds an' brush,
Oft mov'd easily when in a rush.
Both decorated themselves with tattoo
And body piercings, did their kids, too!
Bows and arrows, fashioned snug,
Out o' Cedar, an' deer sinew - strung,
Arrows were yard long, bark-striped,
Glue-gummed Gul feathers and chert tipped.
Clothing: typical fo' th' aboriginal,
Young kids - nothing at all!
Food, most cooked in clay bakes:
Fish, crabs, rodents, and snakes.
Mesquite beans. Perhaps carrion
After inspection discretion!
And, contrary, t' popular belief,
Enemy nor fellow tribesmen beef
Not on Kronk's menu for stew.
And all th' Conquistadores said, "Whew"!
Piqued to the white's salvo,
Kronks began filtering into Mexico,
Starting in the early 19th century,
Thus, forever losing their identity!
Tons of treasure bound for Spain
Were lost i' th' 1554 Hurricane.
When three Spanish naos (ships
Similar to Columbus's ships)
Bound for the Padre shore,
Sank and were seen no more!
A salvage operation in 1967
When the remains of the ships - rotten,
Were turned over to the National
Park Service in Corpus; and, et al,
Where they are on display
For all to view; and - there to stay!
From time-to-time, a gold artifact,
Will wash up on the beach, in fact,
there's still tons of Spaniard's offshore
Gold silently waiting for its encore!
Francisco Pizarro killed
All of the Incas Chiefs and filled
His naos with 20 tons of gold and silver,
And Hernan Cortes, aft'r Aztec encounter,
Also with Maya's treasure...
Well, get the picture?
Around 1804, A Spanish Priest,
Padre Nicolas Balli, from th' East,
Established the first settlement,
On the southern tip - was permanent.
So a grant by King Charles IV,
Due to Balli's struggle and labor,
King honored him by naming Island
Balli's religious designation:
"Padre" - Padre Island