#tonkawa

[unteriors]

N 6th Street, Tonkawa, Oklahoma.

[lee-romee]

Saw the post about supporting businesses from Native nations from your area, but I'm having trouble finding one. The primary group that lived in the Austin, TX area when settlers arrived was the Tonkawa, and they were forced to a reservation in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding Tonkawa-owned businesses. I found the tribal website, but it didn't really help. (I mean, their newsletter was a neat read. It was cool to find out that they recently reacquired part of their ancestral lands near Red Mountain in Milam County, TX and are now sponsoring archeological research there. Didn't really help find a business, though.) Do any of your followers know of any Tonkawa-owned businesses that I can support?

i do love the website! right up front they have their language app which is so awesome

i also struggled to find businesses to support, so i am hoping other people have some good resources! i did find a few people/websites you might be interested in:

Jeana Rush is a Tonkawa beadworker & seamstress. i was only able to find her facebook page, but she does also mention the Tonkawa Travel Plaza off of I35 as a place where she sells some of her work

April Holder is a mixed media artist, a citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, and with Tonkawa and Wichita heritage. she has some beautiful prints for sale on her page

the u.s. department of the interior has a list of native artisans, & while their search-by-tribal-affiliation is not working, searching by area does work, so there are Texas-based artisans that you can support (& those based in Oklahoma would be a good bet too!), though i couldn't find any that specifically stated they were Tonkawa

you can donate to the Art Center of Tonkawa, located in Tonkawa, OK, & they offer classes and support local artists

Sharps Indian Store is not native-owned, but they do give back to nonprofits, one of those being Tonkawa Athletics. they sell regalia, moccasins, home goods, & supplies like beads, needles, thread, etc

buying directly off the reservation, if you live nearby, is also a really good option!

(the left image is beadwork done by Jeana Rush, & the right image is a 12x12 print by April Holder)

[yessoupy]

Tonkawa Tribe reacquires Sugarloaf Mountain in Gause with intent to open to the public

Sugarloaf Mountain, historic site in Gause, returns to native hands

I've known Dave for over 30 years. he's had a 'save sugarloaf mountain' bumper sticker on his fridge that whole time. The Tonkawa have some of their land back this week! Pretty cool.

[thebigkelu]

Sentele, Also Called Grant Richards, with His Wife, Winnie Richards, Tonkawa, Both in Partial Native Dress with Ornaments, One with Breastplate and Hair Charm and Holding Fan - Frank A Rinehart - 1898

[wyldgallery]

Scout by Kiowa Tonkawa Apache artist David Williams (1933-1985)

[rafamonzo]

Tonkawa

http://rafamonzo.tumblr.com   / http://tanaka-clan.tumblr

[bulkbinbox]

mary richards, tonkawa, frank a. rinehart

[interpretingtexas]

Portrait of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca [source]

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

Shipwrecked Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was one of the first Europeans to set foot in Texas. After the Narváez expedition was blown off course by a hurricane, the survivors created rafts to try to get back to Mexico. The rafts were separated and only a few of the men made landfall on the Texas coast. Of these, only four men, Cabeza de Vaca, Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, Alonso del Castillo Maldonado, and Estavanico, an enslaved Moroccan, finally made it back to Mexico.

Surviving and Exploring Texas The local Native American tribes took the men in (Cabeza de Vaca says enslaved, but there’s some historical debate about that), and taught Cabeza de Vaca and the others their languages, customs, and how to survive. Cabeza de Vaca would eventually take on the role of faith healer, using Christian prayers and rudimentary first aid to effect his “miracles.” After several years on the coast, Cabeza de Vaca and the survivors began the long trek southwest to Mexico City, earning food and help from the various Native Americans with his healing. They finally arrived in Mexico City in 1536, more than ten years after they set out on the expedition.

Telling the Story In 1537, Cabeza de Vaca returned to Spain and wrote his Relación, the story of his adventures in Texas. In the Relación, he describes many of the Native groups of Texas in a very sympathetic light and would go on to advocate for fair treatment of the Native peoples of the New World. He also described the climate, flora, and fauna of the region, providing the first written accounts of what would come to be Texas.

You can read the entirety of the Relación online, in Spanish here, or in English here.