Description
The origin of the Tonkawa name is unknown, but a Waco term meaning "they all stay together" is the accepted translation. Tonkawa warriors served as U.S. Army scouts. Tonkawa people are enrolled in the federally recognized Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. Recent research indicates that as of 1601 the tribe inhabited what is now northwestern Oklahoma. By 1700, Apache and Wichita enemies had pushed the Tonkawa south to the Red River which forms the border between current-day Oklahoma and Texas. In the 16th century, the Tonkawa tribe probably had around 1,900 members.
Language
Their language was unique to themselves and is no longer spoken.
Culture
They were a matrilineal society of extended family clans forming two moieties, whose leaders where eventually replaced by a single chief. Their religion was a mixture of beliefs, but they resisted Christianity. Because of their horsemanship and fighting spirit. Before colonization, the Tonkawa were nomadic bison hunters; their mobile villages of tepees were dispersed across the southern Plains landscape. They were notable warriors, whose offensive weapons included bows, arrows, and spears. In battle they wore leather jackets and caps decorated with horns and brilliant plumage.