The Texas Coast Natives Who Fought Colonization for 300 Years (The Karankawa)

Описание: The Karankawa were an indigenous group that lived along what is now the Gulf Coast of Texas and in and around many present day cities such as Galveston and Corpus Christi. At the moment of European contact in the middle of the 16th century there likely were around 8,000 Karankawa peoples. After contact with Europeans the Karankawa maintained control of the coast for centuries through the skillful defense of their lands. They first fought the Spanish and then the French, pirates, and finally Anglo American settlers whom were led by prominent figures like Stephen F. Austin. The Karankawa’s struggles even intersected with the Texas Revolution which gave birth to the Republic of Texas. After the birth of this new country the Karankawa were rapidly destroyed as a tribe by the Texans. Soon after conflict began with European settlers, the Europeans quickly became frustrated with the stiff resistance and in response concocted wild tales of the Karankawa engaging in cannibalism and being abnormally tall. These stories are seen today as mostly just propaganda to dehumanize the Karankawa and to justify their elimination as there is only one firsthand account of them practicing cannibalism and modern archaeological evidence indicates that their average height was only 5 feet 8 inches tall. Though this was taller than the average European it is far short of being 7 or even 6 feet tall. Despite the sad fate of the Karankawa many surviving Karankawa lived to teach subsequent generations about their culture and as a result many today in the 21st century identify as Karankawa. In the 21st century many of these people got together and began efforts to bring back the Karankawa language, protect burial sites, and develop educational programs to counter official Texas histories taught in school.

--------------------

Soundtrack:
All music from the YouTube Audio Library

----------------------

Sources:
https://karankawas.com/frequently-ask...

https://texashighways.com/culture/peo...

https://www.smu.edu/news/latest/smu-h...

https://www.bulbapp.com/u/the-karanka...

https://www.ljhistory.org/what-you-ll...

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/e...

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/e...

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/202...

https://thehistoryjunkie.com/5-facts-...

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/...

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/786701