The Caddo Poem by bobby beddoe

The Caddo

Was eons ago when in Sociology

At Stephen F. Austin University.

Now today ‘tis my fancy here t' recall,

‘Tho not my fancy t' say I know it all;

That during academia Anthropology

Including courses in Archaeology,

That since old age, I remain undismay'd.

That said. My delving is far from complet'd;

So with rapt well whetted, from yesteryears,

Combined with gleaning o'er ensuing years,

I pen this Caddo story in a different light

T' frame Native Americans in th' spotlight:

Men were hunters and protectors of family,

Women were workers - always working busily.

Most houses were grass, beehive-shaped,

Others were earthen lodges thatched.

Villages were half-surrounded by log picket.

Reason for only ‘half' is arguable yet.

Caddo men wore breechcloths and Mohawk hair styles.

Wraparound skirts and/or ponchos for th' gals.

Made dugout canoes from hollowed-out logs

But preferred to travel by land with dogs.

Dogs carried belongings before horses

Were introduced as their locomotion source.

Corn, beans, and pumpkins were harvested,

Deer, buffalo, and small game were hunted.

Traditional foods: Cornbread, soups, stews, and fish.

And, spoke a language nothing close to English!

The Caddo Nation is a Confederacy

Whose ancestor's war and peace legacy

Began in East Texas and West Louisiana;

Thence, down south t' the Trinity delta.

The major Tejas Caddo's villages

Were in present day Nacogdoches for ages!

Speakin' of the Trinity. From Anahuac,

A land owner contacted me wanting to yak

Concerning some mounds on his place,

Was only a few miles away - so just in case

Those mounds on the Trinity were aboriginal.

‘Twas all right. Except not much of original

Remained undisturbed by vandals of past.

But, contacted University of Houston and asked

If an archaeologist would b' interested

If possible field-work might b' manifested.

An archaeologist working on her Doctor's,

Needed a project on indigenous' ancestors.

Whence Upon further analysis and final critique

For her, her conclusion was this tenable tweak:

‘Those Costal Caddo territory earthen rounds

Were Atakapan Caddo Indian burial mounds'.

We sat, half th' night long, in landowner's den;

He talked about when highway construction men

Paved the road leading to Liberty town

With shell and bone from burials around!

Atakapan and the Galveston Bay Karankawa

Were neighbors; But, to their enemies' awe,

Both tribes were cannibalistic, yet friendly

To each other, but cooked enemies thoroughly!

Now, the Tejas Caddo along the Sabine

Didn't just sit around shaping pottery pristine,

They were fierce fighters when protecting home,

Even ferocious Comanches left them alone!

By the end of the sixteen hundreds, most

Cherokees began leaving the East coast

In search for greener pastures west,

When upon the piney woods, they stopped to rest.

And looking around - decided to occupy it,

‘Cause they wanted everything - every cubit;

But, Cherokees entering Caddo's piney forest

Were never seen again - the rest losing interest!

800 YA, During Middle Caddo Period,

Pre-Nacogdoches, were burial mounds of sod.

On present North Mound Street in that city,

Was sizable Caddoan community.

Six class members including myself within,

Under Archaeologist, Dr. James Corbin,

Dug into one of the mounds, for ascertaining

The Coddoan method of mound building:

Setting up our grid, we dug a lateral

Excavation trench,1m. wide X 1m. deep, across total,

We were not going any deeper this dig,

Tho, we found a grave offering thingumajig,

Per Dr., was a highly polished stone Celt.

No doubt placed for kin's future next dwelt.

Few kilos south of Mounds is Banita Creek;

My Semester-end Paper described that week:

Mysterious semi-arc marks on trench' side

Resulted from basket loads of creek soil applied.

Today the Caddo have attained the current age;

Gone, the days of Native American ravage

Slain by feral from yon Old World's power,

Unseen - too late, they came to devour!

Yet, in spite of it all, Caddo still remain,

Federally recognized, and gone is their pain!

‘Tis home! In Oklahoma for Caddo Nation.

With margin of plenty for Tribe expansion.