The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926 Page: 265
330 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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A Trip to Texas in 188 265
appointed spies come out and dance; and after they have finished,
the center squad dances, while all the rest sing until they have
returned to their place with the same ceremony as the others.
Then the fijos [single men of the tribe] come out and go through
a dance, after which, all retire silently and sleep until next day
when they start on their campaign.
It is said that there are silver deposits in some of the haunts
of these Indians, but they will not reveal their location because
they believe that they will die if they reveal the secret. I do not
know the truth of this report.
It seems impossible to establish a lasting peace with this nation
because of the different families that make it up, all of which are
independent, and each of which believes it can harass the Mexicans
while the others are at peace with them. It also seems very diffi-
cult to civilize them, due to their excessive laziness of which they
cannot be cured as long as they have the means of subsisting in
comparative ease and abundance without working. If they are
not amenable to reasonable proposals, it would be advisable to de-
stroy them, because as long as they remain in their actual condi-
tion they will be a serious menace to the Mexicans and to other
peaceful tribes who are able to cultivate the lands they have but,
at present, are continually being attacked, robbed, and persecuted
to death by these barbarians who are useless with their present
customs and habits.
The Tahuacanos and Wacos, who formerly were known as
Tahuacanos, make up a tribe of two hundred and sixty families,
allies of the Comanches. The Wacos live in a delightful country
on the western bank of the Brazos, sixty leagues from Austin's
settlement, and the Tahuacanos live on the opposite bank of the
river twelve leagues below the Wacos. Both have two kinds of
houses, one of straw and grass, where they make their permanent
quarters, the other of buffalo skins, which is moveable. Those of
straw are conical in shape, about twenty-five feet in height and
forty feet in diameter. The floor is covered with small bundles of
grass, leaving a part uncovered in the center for the hearth or
fireplace which is directly under an opening left in the top of the
house. The close alliance which exists between them and the
Comanches allows them to hunt the buffalo and the bear on which
they depend for a living in addition to the crops raised by the
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926, periodical, 1926; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117141/m1/291/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.