LA GENTE

It is important to note that most of the information on our ancestors comes from the accounts of Spanish colonizers, who often held prejudices and viewed us through scornful eyes. They viewed us as inferior barbaric beings with no sense of civilization or human nature and in dire need of salvation. Many of the documents pertaining to the Indigenous people of the Rio Grande delta were dismissive and over-generalized, but at times overly categorized and separated, with little attention paid to their lifestyles, instead heavily focused on documenting their population numbers in hopes of domesticating as many Indigenous people as possible. As a result, it is important as people reclaiming our narratives and identities, that we critically analyze colonial documentation and let our intuition guide us when coming to conclusions about ancestral knowledge.

The carelessness of the Spaniards in documenting the ancient people of the Rio Grande Valley is reflected in the documentation of names, social structures, practices, foods, and other areas of daily life that were and are still of great importance to our people and the land. Many of the bands documented had Spanish names, with the native name purposefully erased, and on several occasions they applied the same terms to bands from completely different areas, causing confusion when attempting to identify certain bands. However, it is clear from the few documentations of lifestyle, that all these bands were related and lived similar lifestyles throughout the delta and the Aridoamerica region, connecting all Chichimec people.

Along the edges of the Rio Grande, its distributaries, and the Gulf of Mexico, bands of arrowed people gathered and thrived with the land and water. Many of these bands of people were in relation to one another and practiced the same lifestyles. The overarching name for the Indigenous people of this region is the Coahuiltecans of South Texas. Within the Coahuiltecan tribe, many other bands existed, each having its own distinctive identity, but still sharing many similarities and lifestyles with the rest of the bands in the Rio Grande Valley. The Coahuiltecans would hunt and gather within the thornbrush forest, the river, and the Gulf of Mexico, migrating with the seasons. Within the Taumaulipan Scrub, the delta, and the coastline, around 49 groups were recorded, likely with many more unaccounted for. Along the Coastline the Atanagunypacam, Tugumlepem, and Somisek Estok Gna tribes resided. Along the North bank of the Rio Grande, the Mayapem, Segujulapem, Peupuetem, Pintos, Cootajanam, Sepinpacam, and Parampamatuju tribes reside. These Coahuiltecan people stood proudly within the delta and coast of the Rio Grande, people who were of good nature and in relationship with the land. Their bodies marked with tattoos, painted with symbols, and pierced. Depending on the band, some people painted themselves with red and others painted themselves with white. Lines and symbols covered their bodies, telling their stories and belonging to the land. Like many other people of the desert, they were arrowed people who gathered and partook in the Mitote ceremony– honoring the spirits of the land and dancing and singing in prayer through peyote. Their life was one of harmony and respect with one another before displacement and forced assimilation came through the Spaniard colonizer.