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The Tula were a Native American group that lived in what is now western
The Tula were possibly a Caddoan people, but this is not certain. Based on the descriptions of the various chroniclers, "Tula Province", or their homeland, may have been at the headwaters of the Ouachita, Caddo, Little Missouri,
''Caddo Indians: Where We Come From''.
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001. * Perttula, Timothy K
''The Caddo Nation: Archaeological and Ethnohistoric Perspectives.''
Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997. . * Sturtevant, William C., general editor and Raymond D. Fogelson, volume editor. ''Handbook of North American Indians: Southeast''. Volume 14. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution, 2004. . * Swanton, John Reed
''Source material on the history and ethnology of the Caddo Indians''.
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1996. . {{authority control Caddoan peoples Native American history of Arkansas Native American tribes in Texas Native American tribes in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...
.Sturtevant, 617 The Tula are known to history only from the chronicles of Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto's exploits in the interior of North America.
History
The Tula were possibly a Caddoan people, but this is not certain. Based on the descriptions of the various chroniclers, "Tula Province", or their homeland, may have been at the headwaters of the Ouachita, Caddo, Little Missouri, Saline
Saline may refer to:
* Saline (medicine), a liquid with salt content to match the human body
* Saline water, non-medicinal salt water
* Saline, a historical term (especially US) for a salt works or saltern
Places
* Saline, Calvados, a commune in ...
, and Cossatot Rivers in Arkansas.Swanton, 29 They are also thought to have lived in the northern Ouachita Mountains
The Ouachita Mountains (), simply referred to as the Ouachitas, are a mountain range in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. They are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thr ...
in the Petit Jean and Fourche valleys.Perttula, 23
De Soto entered Tula territory on September 30, 1541 near present-day Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area ...
and violently clashed with the tribe multiple times during the beginning of October 1541. His secretary, Rodrigo Ranjel described the Tula as, "the best fighting people that the Christians met with." A statue was erected in the late 20th century to commemorate the Tula, but de Soto scholars suspect that the location of the statue does not correspond with the Tula's actual homeland. The Tula are thought to be the first Caddo band to encounter Europeans.
The 16th century Spanish chroniclers wrote that the Tula practiced cranial deformation
Artificial cranial deformation or modification, head flattening, or head binding is a form of body alteration in which the human skull, skull of a human being is deformed intentionally. It is done by distorting the normal growth of a child's skull ...
and tattooed their faces. They fought with large spears.
An archaeological site, Bluffton Mound Site (3YE15), 35-40 southwest of the Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United S ...
is associated with the Tula. The site is a Caddoan Mississippian culture mound
A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher ...
center.
It was suggested by Swanton that the Tula assimilated into other Kadohadacho tribes, meaning their descendants would be enrolled in the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma today.
Synonymy
The word "Tula" is not a Caddo word. The tribe and province are also known as Tulia.Swanton, 30See also
* List of sites and peoples visited by the Hernando de Soto ExpeditionNotes
References
* Carter, Cecile Elkins''Caddo Indians: Where We Come From''.
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001. * Perttula, Timothy K
''The Caddo Nation: Archaeological and Ethnohistoric Perspectives.''
Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997. . * Sturtevant, William C., general editor and Raymond D. Fogelson, volume editor. ''Handbook of North American Indians: Southeast''. Volume 14. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution, 2004. . * Swanton, John Reed
''Source material on the history and ethnology of the Caddo Indians''.
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1996. . {{authority control Caddoan peoples Native American history of Arkansas Native American tribes in Texas Native American tribes in Arkansas