LA GENTE

It is important to note that much of the information on our ancestors and histories comes from the accounts of Spanish colonizers, who often held prejudices and views through scornful eyes. They viewed us as inferior, barbaric beings with no sense of civilization or human nature - conveniently in dire need of salvation. Much of the documentation recorded on our ancestors of the Rio Grande Delta was dismissive and over-generalized. Still, at times the innate connection and synchronicity between our people, languages, cultures, and practices was not acknowledged when some recordings were overly categorized and separated. Attention was often heavily focused on documenting their population numbers in an effort to domesticate as many Indigenous people as possible. It is important as people reclaiming our narratives and identities to 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. On several occasions, documents note the same terms for bands from completely different areas, confusing when attempting to identify certain bands. However, it remains clear that arrowed people have gathered and thrived with the land and waters along the edges of the Rio Grande River, its distributaries, and the Gulf of Mexico for ages. Many of these bands of people were related to one another and practiced similar lifestyles throughout the Delta and the broader Aridoamerica region, connecting all Chichimec people.

Chichimekah is the broader name for our people prior to colonial contact. Coahuiltecan is a name created by Mexican linguists for our northernmost Chichimec relatives of this region, generally referring to Natives of south Texas. Within these very broad umbrellas, many bands existed, each having its own distinctive identity, but still sharing many similarities and lifestyles amongst all peoples of the Rio Grande Valley. The Coahuiltecans lived among the thornbrush forest, the river, and the Gulf of Mexico while moving and trading through the land’s seasons. Living among these lands, 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 River, the Mayapem, Segujulapem, Peupuetem, Pintos, Cootajanam, Sepinpacam, and Parampamatuju tribes resided. These people stood proudly within the Delta and coast of the Rio Grande, 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 of belonging to the land. Like many other people of the desert, they gathered and partook in the Mitote ceremony – honoring the spirits of the land through dancing and singing in prayer with peyote. Their life spoke of harmony and respect for the land’s beings and cycles before displacement and forced assimilation came through colonial rule.