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