The Caddo chiefdoms
Subtitle: Caddo economics and politics, 700-1835
By: David La Vere.
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Lincoln
Language: eng
Number of pages: 198
Subjects: Caddo Indians -- History; Caddo Indians -- Politics and government; Caddo Indians -- Economic conditions; Chiefdoms -- Louisiana -- History
Description: For centuries, the Caddos occupied the southern prairies and woodlands across portions of Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Organized into powerful chiefdoms during the Mississippian period, Caddo society was highly ceremonial, revolving around priest-chiefs, trade in exotic items, and the periodic construction of mounds. Their distinctive heritage helped the Caddos to adapt after the European invasion and to remain the dominant political and economic power in the region.

New ideas, peoples, and commodities were incorporated into their cultural framework. The Caddos persisted and for a time even thrived, despite continual raids by the Osages and Choctaws, decimation by diseases, and escalating pressures from the French and Spanish. This study offers the most complete accounting available of early Caddo culture and history.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [179]-188) and index.