Known as the "Lone Star State," Texas became the 28th state of the Union on December 29, 1845. The Texas flag is known as the "Lone Star Flag" and was introduced to Congress by Senator William H. Wharton on December 28, 1838. Within one month, the flag was known as the final national flag of the Republic of Texas. Unlike the "Lone Star Flag" named for Texas, no such flag has ever been named for the Karankawa tribe, a group of Native American Indians who were indigenous toTexas prior to Spanish settlement.
History
Karankawas refers to a group of Native Americans Indians who spoke Karankawa and lived in southeastern Texas until the mid-nineteenth century. According to data collected at the Calhoun county museum, Karankawa ranged from Galveston Bay to Corpus Christi Bay and approximately 100 miles inland, principally near bays and offshore barrier islands.
Within the Karankawa nation, there were three distinct tribes of Karankawa Indians---the Coaques, the Copanes and the Carancaquacas.
Time Frame
The Calhoun County Museum affirms the following timeline for the Karakawa people in Texas. Karankawa first came into contact with survivors of the Narvey Expedition in 1658. Killings and attacks persisted for years and in 1688, Karankawa attacked Ft. St. Louis. Settlers attempted to introduce Christianity to the Karankawa by building a mission at Ft. St Louis called Neustra Senora de Espiritu de Zuniga and Nuestra Senora de Loreto. However, tensions between the settlers and the Indians increased, leading up to a confrontation with Francisco Xavier Mina at Matagorda Bay in 1817. Deaths followed until final peace treaties were made in 1821, 1822, 1824 and then again in 1827. In 1840, Mexico granted the Karankawa the right to relocate south of the Rio Grande. However, by 1858 the Indians were rejected by the Mexican government and made to return back over the border. Juan Cortina and his men murdered the remaining Karankawa indians when they returned. None remain today.
Expert Insight
The Karankawas did not fly an official flag nor was one ever constructed in honor or memorial of the extinct tribe. However, the Karankawas were influential in the early history of Texas and continue to be one of the most celebrated nations of the Texas Indians. The Karankawa were exterminated by European settlers and disease infestations (brought by European settlers) by as early as the 1850s. Spanish settlers did not provide pictorial illustrations of a Karankawa flag, nor is there any other evidence or recorded accounts from this era that connect a flag to the Karankawa nation.
Features
The Karankawa used poles and animal skins to construct huts, most of which were set up by the ocean. The Karankawa Indians largely choose to live along the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico to ensure daily fishing expeditions would lead to adequate food for the tribe. Evidence of scattered bands (or inter-tribes) along the coast give some insight into their roaming patterns. However insufficient recordings about the Karankawa Indian has limited the information that is available.
Considerations
Very little is known about the Karankawa religious beliefs except for evidence of the Mitote festival, a ceremony performed after a great victory in battle. This and other festivals were performed under a full moon. Successful hunting or fishing expeditions usually required the Karankawas to gather in a large circle around a fire in the chief's tent. Spanish settlers did not record any observations about flags or banners being used during these ceremonies.
Identification
The Karankawa had a strong admiration for the children of the tribe. It is believed that the tribe would mourn every day for a year, at dawn, noon, and sunset after a child passed away. Mourning rites were strictly observed and were encouraged by each memnber of the tribe to honor the deceased. For sons or brothers who died to save another family member, the spared relative would have to mourn for a month in seclusion and without food. However, there is no evidence of any kind of flag to have been raised in honor of any slain man, woman or child.
Theories/Speculation
The Karankawa tribe were a strong nation of robust people with impressive hunting skills and systemic leadership and cultural traditions that influenced the everyday life for Karankawa Indians. According to the AAA Native Art organzation, "Karankawa men were expert hunters and fisherman. The Karankawas crafted pottery, baskets and weapons, including the long bow. The bow and arrow was their primary weapon for hunting and warfare." The Karankawa Indians heavily pierced and tattooed the face and body as part of cultural identification and celebration rituals. These rituals and traditions were not marked with a flag or symbolic fabric to designate a gathering location or to rally the tribe. Based on all accounts, markings were limited to those made on the body in the form of paintings and tatoos.
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