The Native American Tribes of

Arkansas

by Catherine Jones

Hernando de Soto

• First encounter with Europeans in 1541, by Hernando de Soto.

• Found Indians growing groves of nut and fruit trees and extensive fields of corn.

• Systems of roads and trails connected the towns and cities to one another

Rivers and Streams were an

essential source of travel and

use for transportation of traded

items

French Trading Arkansas Post was the first

and most significant

European Establishment in

Arkansas

Henri de Tonti received land

from a trading concession at

the juncture of the Arkansas

and the Mississippi Rivers

Arkansas Post was

established to exchange

beaver furs with the French

Three Main Tribes of Early

Arkansas

1.Quapaw

2.Osage

3.Caddo

Quapaw – people who live

downstream Quapaw natives were highly

sophisticated agrarian

cultures that lived along the

rivers in the eastern part of

the state, they are called the

Mississippian Tribes too.

Quapaw communities were

larger than other native tribes

of Arkansas

Our state is named after the

Quapaw Natives

Quapaw Distinctions Native Americans had tattoos

depending on their tribe and

distinction, the tattoos had

religious distinctions

Native Americans believed in

animism which meant that

spirits and deities cans from

plants, animals, and the

earth. Thunder was s

significant God.

Quapaw Children Quapaw Children were

carried around on a

cradleboard so the mothers

could tend to their work,

sometimes the cradleboard

caused the head of the

babies to become flat and

elongated.

Children did many chores but

got to play with dolls and

play games – cricket is a

worldwide sport that was

originally Native American

Quapaw Pottery

Quapaw Homes Homes of the Quapaw were

sophisticated, they took time

to build and were made of

wood, vine, river cane, and

had a thatched roof of grass

or tree bark.

Communities were fortified

with fencing to keep

neighboring rivals out of the

Quapaw villages

Quapaw Distinguishing

Characteristics The Quapaw were masters at pottery making, they

used clay and shell to make there arts and vessels used for utilitarian reasons and for funeral rites

The Quapaw used dogs to travel by using a sled or travois or sled when traveling with heavy loads

They ate corn, beans, squash, and small game, bear and buffalo.

Storytelling was the primary source of passing along historical lineage, they unfortunately had no written language and much history is unknown because of this.

Caddo Natives of Arkansas The Caddo Indians lived in the Ouachita Mountains

Area and also inhabited parts of Texas, Louisiana,

Oklahoma, and Arkansas

Dwelling areas were not has populous as the Quapaw,

they had sustenance farms and not farming on a large

scale

Caddo were excellent weavers and potters

The rivalries among the Caddo’s were probably not as

fierce as with the Quapaw during the 1500’s

Caddo Homes Caddo homes could house

more than one family,

sometimes they could house

as many as 30 people.

The homes were tall dome

shape dwellings and made of

grasses and bark. They

looked like woven bee hives

Depictions of the Caddo

Indian

Caddo Customs

Diet of the Caddo

The Caddo diet consisted of

squash, corn, beans, and

pumpkins.

For meat they would eat fish,

small game such as deer,

fish

The Caddo also made salt

from salt water brines and

traded it for other goods

Traditions of the Caddo

The Caddo to stories handed

down from generation to

generation.

They used drums for dancing

and for religious rituals

Men wore their hair long in a

style called a scalplock.

Women wore their hair in a

bun.

Transportation

The Caddo preferred

to travel on land but

also used dug out

canoes made from

large Cyprus trees for

traveling on rivers,

Osage Indians • The Osage tribes were more

nomadic in nature and would

establish camps for shorter periods

of time.

• The Osage di have gardens, eat

corn squash, beans and pumpkins

but they were more likely to follow

herding patterns of animals.

• The Osage moved further east as

the Quapaw began to decline and

die out.

Characteristics of

the Osage • The Osage preferred to travel on

land and used a travois which is a

sled with dogs to help carry the

heavy loads

• The Osage used bows and arrows

• Osage homes were called a lodge,

and were made of elm bark

• The Osage were masters of a

native flute like instrument

What happened to the Native Americans of

Arkansas?

Much speculation has been named as to why the Native Americans disappeared. Only factor I that Europeans brought with them devastating diseases such a influenza, smallpox, measles, mumps and other diseases. Native American had no immunity to the newly introduced disease. Up to 80% of Native Americans died upon contact with the European settlers.

After the purchase of the Louisiana Territory the desire for land made men greedy for what once belonged to the Native inhabitants. Treaties pushed American Indians off of their land.

Enslavement was also not uncommon, new settlers would kidnap Native Americans and force them to become slaves.

Credits Special thanks to the Arkansas Heritage Commission for

pictures and information.

Arkansasheritage,com