Caddo

The Caddo are a Native American people of the Southeastern United States. Historically they inhabited a broad region that includes present-day East Texas, northern Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas, and parts of eastern Oklahoma. They organized as a loose confederacy of autonomous towns and groups and were known for their agricultural economy, extensive trade networks, and ceremonial life, including mound-building centers such as Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma.

European contact began with Spanish explorers in the 16th century and intensified with French traders in the 17th and 18th centuries. Over the following centuries, disease, displacement, and U.S. removal policies reduced their population and relocated many Caddo to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. Today, the Caddo Nation is a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma, with enrolled members in several states and its own government and cultural programs.

Linguistically, the Caddo language belongs to the Caddoan branch of the Siouan language family and is now endangered, with revival efforts underway among tribal members. Caddoan heritage continues in material culture, ceremonial practices, and place names, including Caddo Parish in Louisiana and Caddo Lake on the Texas–Louisiana border. The legacy of the Caddo is also preserved in museums and cultural centers that document their history, art, and enduring connection to the lands they historically inhabited.