About Karankawa Music

The Karankawa are a group of Native American peoples, comprised of several tribes, and have been extinct as a tribal group since 1860. The Karankawa are also known as Karankawan, Clamcoëhs, and called in their language Auia. The Karankawa were part of Texas' great history, where they lived primarily on the stretch of Texas' eastern coast. Like any Native American group, music played a pivotal role within their lives and cultures. Much of their music incorporates their history, similar to folk artists which are story tellers. Despite being a significant piece of Texas history, the Karankawan culture and history are disappearing because there are not as many Karankawan storytellers and musicians to pass them along to the next generation.

Features

Karankawa music was similar to other native American music, in that they used percussion and reed instruments. Some specific musical instruments are flutes, tom-tom drums, tambourines and other hand-shaking instruments. Hand shakers were made with beads and strings, and would create distinct sounds when shook.

Another part of Karankawa music is the accompaniment of dance. Every song had dancers who would interpret the words, giving the music action and life. Sometimes the dance was used as a method of prayer, and much of Karankawa's music was based heavily on religion.

Identification

The Karankawa represented themselves and their history through their music. Many of the songs are about the struggles that came upon them. From European settlers to famines to wars, every song reaccounted their events with spiritual entities. As with many other Native American cultures, they had strong beliefs in many earthly gods, so it was typical to have a prayer within the music, for example a prayer to the gods to make their crops grow and be bountiful, and keep their families healthy.

Significance

As every day passes, the Karankawa's history becomes a more distant thought in Texas and Native American history. It is of great importance that we spread the stories of the Karankawa by learning their music, and passing it along to the next generations. If we do not make an attempt, Karankawa's history and culture will disappear forever. When a small piece of history disappears, then so does the history of the American people and our nation.

Geography

The Karankawa were located along the eastern coast of Texas. From their geographical location, the Karankawa were excellent fishermen. A disadvantage to their location was that the area was very dry, with poor soil, and therefore they had many hardships with their crops. From stories of successful fishing to the devastation of crops, music was the Karankawa's way of expressing their thoughts and feelings of the events.

Time Frame

It is difficult to give an exact date to Karankawa music, however the Karanwakas became extinct before 1860. From this time frame, much was changing throughout the land for the Karankawas. The beginning of European settlers moving onto their territory, led to many battles and the eventual genocide of the Karankawas.

Effects

Native American music, like the Karankawa's, has strong holds throughout existing Native American communities to this day. While taking influences from hip hop, rock, and other genres, many musicians still use the stories told from the generations before.