This tremendously enjoyable, thought-provoking book should be read by anyone interested in the history of the state of Texas, the archeology of the Plains, and the past social and cultural interactions among peoples living within this region during this time period. Arnn provides a concise framework for his theme in his introduction:  This book presents a model of late prehistoric and early historic Texas that was also extremely dynamic and diverse and suggests that as early as A.D. 1300 aboriginal peoples living in this region may have also recognized a broader sociocultural identity.  ... Overall, Arnn does a fine job explaining the intricacies of the archeology of Central Texas, the Southern Plains, and the  Classic Toyah Culture Area

Cast, Robert

English

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and
Social Sciences Great Plains Studies, Center for
Fall 2012
Review of Land of the Tejas: Native American Identity
and Interaction in Texas, A.D. 1300 to 1700. By John
Wesley Arnn III. Foreword by Tom D. Dillehay.
Robert Cast
Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Caddo Nation of Oklahoma
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch
Part of the American Studies Commons, and the Geography Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It
has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences by an authorized administrator of
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Cast, Robert, "Review of Land of the Tejas: Native American Identity and Interaction in Texas, A.D. 1300 to 1700. By John Wesley Arnn
III. Foreword by Tom D. Dillehay." (2012). Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences. 1244.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch/1244
Book Reviews 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Land of the Tejas: Native American Identity and Interac-
tion in Texas, A.D. 1300 to 1700. By John Wesley Arnn III. 
Foreword by Tom D. Dillehay. Austin: University of Texas 
Press, 2012. xiii + 300 pp. Illustrations, maps, photographs, 
bibliography, index. $55.00 cloth. 
This tremendously enjoyable, thought-provoking book 
should be read by anyone interested in the history of the state 
of Texas, the archeology of the Plains, and the past social and 
cultural interactions among peoples living within this region 
during this time period. Arnn provides a concise framework for 
his theme in his introduction: "This book presents a model of 
late prehistoric and early historic Texas that was also extremely 
dynamic and diverse and suggests that as early as A.D. 1300 ab-
original peoples living in this region may have also recognized 
a broader sociocultural identity." 
Throughout the book, Arnn refers to the East Texas Caddo 
or "Caddoan." And rightly so, for he need look no further than 
to Caddo archeology to find a similar (and successful) holistic 
approach to archeology that has been developed over the past 
50 years. Although archeologists have used the term "Caddoan" 
loosely to try to define a material culture, the fact remains 
that it is a linguistic term for a common language stock of the 
Wichitas, Arikaras, Pawnees, and Caddos. Wallace Chafe has 
suggested that sometime around 3,000 years ago these groups 
may have spoken a "common" language. "Tejas" was not sim-
211 
ply a "Caddoan" word, therefore, but derives from the Hasinai 
Caddo language in the form of"Teysha," meaning "friend." 
Arnn does an exceptional job of providing his readers with 
the background of archeological thought pertaining to sociocul-
tural identity and what he refers to as the "Classic Toyah Cul-
ture Area." He goes so far as to say, "if history and prehistory 
must be divided: 'Tejas I' for the prehistoric and 'Tejas II' for 
the Historic Period." Arnn may not have thought about the con-
sequences of using these terms, however, since there is already 
a strong push for state and federal recognition of a specific 
group of people (not an "alliance" or "coalition") identifying 
themselves as "Tejas Indians" led by Chief Blackjack Pruett 
(see http://www.tejasindians.info/). 
Arnn's discussion of Perdiz points is intriguing. Yet I won-
der why he never attempts a study of bilateral symmetry or 
asymmetry in the stem-barb notches of these points when this 
seems to be such an important aspect of defining this regional 
identity. 
Overall, Arnn does a fine job explaining the intricacies of 
the archeology of Central Texas, the Southern Plains, and the 
"Classic Toyah Culture Area." 
ROBERT CAST 
Tribal Historic Preservation Officer 
Caddo Nation of Oklahoma 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© 2012 Center for Great Plains Studies. University af Nebraska-Lincaln 


Review of \u3ci\u3eLand of the Tejas: Native American Identity and Interaction
in Texas, A.D. 1300 to 1700. \u3c/i\u3eBy John Wesley Arnn III.
Foreword by Tom D. Dillehay.

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - LincolnDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - LincolnGreat Plains Research: A Journal of Natural andSocial Sciences Great Plains Studies, Center forFall 2012Review of Land of the Tejas: Native American Identityand Interaction in Texas, A.D. 1300 to 1700. By JohnWesley Arnn III. Foreword by Tom D. Dillehay.Robert CastTribal Historic Preservation Officer, Caddo Nation of OklahomaFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearchPart of the American Studies Commons, and the Geography CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Ithas been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences by an authorized administrator ofDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.Cast, Robert, "Review of Land of the Tejas: Native American Identity and Interaction in Texas, A.D. 1300 to 1700. By John Wesley ArnnIII. Foreword by Tom D. Dillehay." (2012). Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences. 1244.http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch/1244Book Reviews                 Land of the Tejas: Native American Identity and Interac-tion in Texas, A.D. 1300 to 1700. By John Wesley Arnn III. Foreword by Tom D. Dillehay. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2012. xiii + 300 pp. Illustrations, maps, photographs, bibliography, index. $55.00 cloth. This tremendously enjoyable, thought-provoking book should be read by anyone interested in the history of the state of Texas, the archeology of the Plains, and the past social and cultural interactions among peoples living within this region during this time period. Arnn provides a concise framework for his theme in his introduction: "This book presents a model of late prehistoric and early historic Texas that was also extremely dynamic and diverse and suggests that as early as A.D. 1300 ab-original peoples living in this region may have also recognized a broader sociocultural identity." Throughout the book, Arnn refers to the East Texas Caddo or "Caddoan." And rightly so, for he need look no further than to Caddo archeology to find a similar (and successful) holistic approach to archeology that has been developed over the past 50 years. Although archeologists have used the term "Caddoan" loosely to try to define a material culture, the fact remains that it is a linguistic term for a common language stock of the Wichitas, Arikaras, Pawnees, and Caddos. Wallace Chafe has suggested that sometime around 3,000 years ago these groups may have spoken a "common" language. "Tejas" was not sim-211 ply a "Caddoan" word, therefore, but derives from the Hasinai Caddo language in the form of"Teysha," meaning "friend." Arnn does an exceptional job of providing his readers with the background of archeological thought pertaining to sociocul-tural identity and what he refers to as the "Classic Toyah Cul-ture Area." He goes so far as to say, "if history and prehistory must be divided: 'Tejas I' for the prehistoric and 'Tejas II' for the Historic Period." Arnn may not have thought about the con-sequences of using these terms, however, since there is already a strong push for state and federal recognition of a specific group of people (not an "alliance" or "coalition") identifying themselves as "Tejas Indians" led by Chief Blackjack Pruett (see http://www.tejasindians.info/). Arnn's discussion of Perdiz points is intriguing. Yet I won-der why he never attempts a study of bilateral symmetry or asymmetry in the stem-barb notches of these points when this seems to be such an important aspect of defining this regional identity. Overall, Arnn does a fine job explaining the intricacies of the archeology of Central Texas, the Southern Plains, and the "Classic Toyah Culture Area." ROBERT CAST Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Caddo Nation of Oklahoma                         © 2012 Center for Great Plains Studies. University af Nebraska-Lincaln 

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2245&amp;context=greatplainsresearch

Review of \u3ci\u3eLand of the Tejas: Native American Identity and Interaction in Texas, A.D. 1300 to 1700. \u3c/i\u3eBy John Wesley Arnn III. Foreword by Tom D. Dillehay.

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