The Karankawa Indians - Page 2
The Mitole was a ceremony performed to celebrate a great victory. It lasted three days and three nights. Some believe cannibalism was practiced at this ceremony. Although these rumors of cannibalism abound, it has never been proven. If, in fact, cannibalism was practiced, it would have been for ritualistic purposes not as a dietary preference.
The Karankawa used a canoe, known as a dugout, to travel the waterways. They took a twenty-foot long tree trunk, and used hot coals and an adze to hollow it. They would then propel themselves by hand or by the use of a crude sail constructed from animal hides. They were fit only to travel in the shallow waters of the inlets and lagoons in the area. They could not be used for travel in the rougher waters.
Their homes were simple structures made from willow sticks and hides, grasses, palm fronds or leafed branches. The structure was called a ba-ak. They were nomadic and rarely took their homes with them. They made simple crafts, such as flutes and rattles. Their pottery was thin and coated with asphaltum, the natural tar that washed ashore on the beaches. They used the same material to line the insides of baskets to make them waterproof.
They disappeared sometime in the early 1800s. In 1840, only about 100 Karankawa were left. By the year 1860, on the eve of the American Civil War, the Karankawa had completely disappeared. The only evidence that they ever existed comes from early accounts of explorers and settlers, plus the artifacts that have been excavated at their campsites.
