mooney] SKETCH OF THE CADDO 1093 



There are still a few living with the Caddo, but they retain only the 

 name. It will be remembered that when the Caddo lived in eastern 

 Louisiana the Arkansas or Kwapa were their nearest neighbors on the 

 north, and these Imaha may have been a part of the Kwapa who lived 

 " up stream" ( U'maiihan) on the Arkansas. The Caddo call the Omaha 

 tube by the same name. 



Yowa'ni — originally a band of the Heyowani division of the < Ihoctaw. 

 They joined the Caddo a long time ago, probably about the time the 

 Choctaw began to retire across the Mississippi before the whites. 

 fc-'ome few are still living with the Caddo and retain their distinct 

 language. There is evidence that some Koasati ( Cooshatties) were 

 mixed with them. 



The Ka'dohada'cho seem to be recognized as the principal Caddo 

 division, and the generic term Hasi'nai by which the confederates desig- 

 nate themselves is sometimes regarded as belonging more properly to 

 the three divisions first named. According to their own statements 

 some of the dialects spoken by the. several divisions were mutually 

 unintelligible. At present the Kadohadiieho and Nadako are the rul- 

 ing dialects, while the Nabaidacho, Nakohodotsi, Hadai'-i, and Ilai'-ish 

 are practically extinct. The Kichai, Bidai, and Akokisa, who for- 

 merly lived near the Caddo on the eastern border of Texas, did not 

 belong to the confederacy, although at least one of these tribes, the 

 Kichai. is of the same stock and is now on the same reservation. 



The Caddo have ten gentes: Na'wotsi, Bear ; Tasha, Wolf; Ta'nahu, 

 Buffalo; Ta'o,Beaver; /"/.Eagle; Oat, llaccoon; Ka'g'aih, Grow, Ka'gd- 

 hdnin, Thunder; Kishi, Panther; Sulco, Sun. The Bear gens is the most 

 numerous. The Buffalo gens is sometimes called also Koho' or Alliga- 

 tor, because both animals bellow in the same way. These of a partic- 

 ular gens will not kill the animal from which the gens takes its name, 

 and no Caddo in the old times would kill either an eagle or a panther, 

 although they were not afraid to kill the bear, as are so many of the 

 western tribes. The eagle might be killed, however, for its feathers by 

 a hunter regularly initiated and consecrated for that purpose. 



The original home of the Caddo was on lower Red river in Louisiana. 

 According to their own tradition, which has parallels among several 

 other tribes, they came up from under the ground through the mouth 

 of a cave in a hill which they call Cha' kani'na, '-The place of crying," 

 on a lake close to the south bank of Red river, just at its junction 

 with the Mississippi. In those daysmen and animals were all brothers 

 and all lived together under the ground. But at last they discovered 

 the entrance to the cave leading up to the surface of the earth, and so 

 they decided to ascend and come out. First an old man climbed up, 

 carrying in one hand fire and a pipe and in the other a drum. After 

 him came his wife, with corn and pumpkin seeds. Then followed the 

 rest of the people and the animals. All intended to come out, but as 

 soon as the wolf had climbed up he closed the hole, and shut up the 



