The Caddo tales here presented were collected
during the years 1903-1905, under the auspices of the Carnegie
Institution of Washington, and form part of a systematic
investigation of the religious system and ceremonial
organization of the tribes of the Caddoan stock.
The Caddo, numbering 530 in 1903, are of Caddoan stock, and
since 1859 have lived in western Oklahoma between the Washita
and Canadian rivers, where they have been closely associated
with the Wichita. They retain practically nothing of their
ancient culture. Their early home was in Louisiana, on the lower
Red River. Later they migrated toward the Texas border, and
still later to Brazos River in Texas. They met the whites as
early as 1540, and throughout their history have maintained a
friendly attitude toward the whites. Like the Wichita, their
early habitations were conical grass lodges, and they were
agriculturists, hunting the buffalo only within comparatively
recent times.
The comparison of the Caddo tales with those of other
tribes is deferred until the completion of the present
investigation.
Source: Traditions of the Caddo,
by George A Dorsey, 1905, Published by
Carnegie Institution of Washington
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