The Caddos and Their Ancestors : Archaeology and the Native People of Northwest Louisiana

Taking an archaeological perspective on the past, Jeffrey S. Girard traces native human habitation in northwest Louisiana from the end of the last Ice Age, through the formation of the Caddo culture in the tenth century BCE, to the early nineteenth century. Employing the results of recent scientific investigations, The Caddos and Their Ancestors depicts a distinct and dynamic population spanning from precolonial times to the dawn of the modern era. Girard grounds his research in the material evidence that defined Caddo culture long before the appearance of Europeans in the late seventeenth century. Reliance solely on documented observations by explorers and missionaries―which often reflect a Native American population with a static past―propagates an incomplete account of history. By using specific archaeological techniques, Girard reveals how the Caddos altered their lives to cope with ever-changing physical and social environments across thousands of years. This illuminating approach contextualizes the remnants of houses, mounds, burials, tools, ornaments, and food found at Native American sites in northwest Louisiana. Through ample descriptions and illustrations of these archaeological finds, Girard deepens understanding of the social organization, technology, settlement, art, and worldviews of this resilient society. This long-overdue examination of an often-overlooked cultural force provides a thorough yet concise history of the 14,000 years the Caddo people and their predecessors survived and thrived in what is now Louisiana. Cover Contents Preface Acknowledgments 1. Archaeology and Human History in Northwest Louisiana 2. The Earliest Peoples of Northwest Louisiana (ca. 11,500–500 BC Paleoindian Life at the End of the Ice Ages Early Hunting, Fishing, and Gathering: The Archaic Period The Conly Site: An Archaic-Period Residential Camp and Cemetery 3. The Woodland Period and Early Mounds in Northwest Louisiana (ca. 500 BC–AD 900 Early Mounds in Northwest Louisiana Cultural Developments during the Woodland Period Early Ceremonial Centers 4. Beginnings of Caddo Culture (ca. AD 900–1300 Mounds Plantation: An Early Ceremonial Center Mound 5 at Mounds Plantation: A Special Mortuary The Gahagan Burial Mound and Connections to the Mississippian World 5. Organization of the Caddos in Precolonial Times (ca. AD 1300–1700 A Dispersed Village along Willow Chute Bayou Houses and Human Burials at the Belcher Site 6. Caddos and Colonials (ca. AD 1700–1760 Caddos in the Eighteenth Century The Natchitoches Cemeteries Los Adaes: The Spanish Capital of Texas 7. Transitions to Modernity (ca. AD 1760–1835 The Bayou Pierre Settlement Final Years of the Caddos in Louisiana Notes Glossary References Index Archaeology And Human History In Northwest Louisiana -- The Earliest Peoples Of Northwest Louisiana (ca. 11,500-500 Bc) -- The Woodland Period And Early Mounds In Northwest Louisiana (ca. 500 Bc- Ad 900) -- Beginnings Of Caddo Culture (ca. Ad 900-1300) -- Organization Of The Caddos In Precolonial Times (ca. Ad 1300-1700) -- Caddos And Colonials (ca. Ad 1700-1760) -- Transitions To Modernity (ca. Ad 1760-1835). Jeffrey S. Girard. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.