In 1601, the Tonkawa people lived in what is now northwestern Oklahoma. The Tonkawa, long thought to have been prehistoric residents of Texas, are now thought to have migrated into the state in the late 17th century. Their arrival in Central Texas is believed to have been just before or during the early European contact period.
18th century By 1700, Apache and Wichita people had pushed the Tonkawa south to the
Red River, which forms the border between current-day Oklahoma and Texas. In the 16th century, the Tonkawa tribe probably had around 1,900 members. Their numbers diminished to around 1,600 by the late 17th century due to fatalities from European diseases and conflict with other tribes, most notably the
Apache. In the 1740s, some Tonkawa were involved with the
Yojuanes and others as settlers in the San Gabriel Missions of Texas along the
San Gabriel River. In 1758, the Tonkawa, along with allied
Bidais,
Caddos,
Wichitas,
Comanches, and Yojuanes, went to attack the
Lipan Apache in the vicinity of
Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá, which they destroyed. The tribe continued their southern migration into Texas and northern
Mexico, where they allied with the Lipan Apache.
19th century While the Tonkawa often allied with Texans against other tribes, conflicts with the Texans did occur. Correspondence of
Stephen F. Austin to
Jose Antonio Saucedo, May 19, 1826, provides explanation for an attack made by Texans of
San Felipe, Texas, on the Tonkawa that year: "...[the Tonkawa] had stolen from the settlers 20-odd hogs, and a large quantity of corn. A small party of neighbors went to the Indians' villages to arrest the thieves; the Indians presented their arms and refused to give up the guilty persons." Those who had lost the property came to Austin with their complaints and Austin intervened, sending for Tonkawa Chief Carita and telling him the Tonkawa "must keep out of the settlement [San Felipe de Austin] and deliver up the thieves for punishment by flogging, otherwise they should be shot; after this understanding they [the Tonkawa] withdrew from the settlement. This took place about 18 months since [i.e. 1824]." Austin goes on to explain that this did not resolve the issue completely, and subsequent claims of theft resulted in more conflicts between San Felipe de Austin's colonists and the Tonkawa. In 1840 at the
Battle of Plum Creek and again in 1858 at the
Battle of Little Robe Creek, the Tonkawa fought alongside the
Texas Rangers against the Comanche. March 5th, 1842, the Mexican Army under
Ráfael Vásquez (general) marched into Texas and seized San Antonio. Months later in support of the
Republic of Texas, the Tonkawa and Lipans were mustered for an expedition against the Mexican invasion: "We understand that the whole tribe of Lipans and Tonkewas (sic) have been ordered to move to the vicinity of Corpus Christi, to accompany the army on its march to the Rio Grande". While the capital city of Austin north of San Antonio was partially evacuated in response to the Mexican invasion, no credible evidence has been found to support claims that residents of Austin invited the Tonkawa to camp at today's Republic Square for mutual protection from Comanche raids, thereby saving Austin from destruction. By 1838, the Tonkawas' main camp was near
Bastrop, Texas, east of Austin. The camp was on the east side of the
Colorado River, below
Alum Creek, on lands claimed by General
Edward Burleson. William Bollaert, English writer, geographer, and ethnologist traveled through Texas in 1842 to 1843 visiting the Bastrop camp August 22nd, 1843. He met with "Chief Campos (sic)" and visited a dry-goods store, where Tonkawa were busy trading with residents of Bastrop. Campo had recently returned from a buffalo hunt, and later that year planned to "visit the coast .. to see the ocean and hunt mustangs and deer". Bollaert's eye-witness account of the tribe in Bastrop shows a people still confident in their ability to move about. Earlier that year, news arose of a split in the tribe, one group heading to the
Rio Grande, raising Texas' concern of an alliance with Mexico, but as was reported, "The main body of the tribe is still in the vicinity of Bastrop, and the chiefs profess to be still faithful to our Republic of Texas government". The group that split from the main tribe was described as "10 camps or families" comprising about "30 or 40 warriors". In 1859, the United States forcibly removed the Tonkawa and other Texas Indian tribes to the Wichita Agency in Indian Territory, and placed them under the protection of nearby
Fort Cobb. After the attack on the Tonkawa, by the summer of 1863, some survivors began migrating back south into Texas, some going as far as Central Texas, including Austin. As the capital of a Confederate state, Austin during the Civil War was fortified anticipating Union attack, so provided a refuge for the pro-Confederate tribe. After the Civil War, Texas being a Confederate state, Union forces occupied Texas, and in 1867, as many as 135 Tonkawa were escorted back north from Austin to Jacksboro, Texas, by the Indian agent for the United States. That same year, the Tonkawa were then resettled on a reservation near Fort Griffin in Shackelford County. Later, in 1884, the Tonkawa were forced to move from
Fort Griffin in Texas to the Oakland Agency in northern Indian Territory, present-day
Kay County. They arrived on June 29, 1885,
20th century By 1921, only 34 tribal members remained. Their numbers have since increased to close to 950 as of 2023. The Tonkawa Tribe of Oklahoma incorporated under the
Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act in 1938. near Gause, in Milam County. The mountain figures into a number of tribes' histories and is along
El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail near the site of Rancheria Grande. The tribe knows it as "Red Mountain" and is a part of their origin story. The tribe partnered with El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association with plans to make it into a historic park. == Government ==