It is the closing of the semester, and a bitter sweet feeling, Alex and I have sprinkled the finishing touches onto our website, “Moment in Migration, Congolese Community in Kirksville, MO.” Over the winter break, we will be giving ourselves a much-needed reprieve from school.
However, COPLAC Cultural Crossroads class has been such a worthwhile endeavor, that we will say <<À bientôt>>, or “see you soon” instead of <<Au dieu>>, or a permanent goodbye. Alex and I would like to continue building our website as a community tool next semester. We plan on collecting more interviews, both in English and in French. Something that we have learned from this process is that building something amazing is a community effort. In the future, we also hope to involve one of the French translation classes in building a French version of our website in order to increase its audience range.
We look forward to improving and updating our website next semester. Until then, see you soon.
What follows is a perusal of the project website and editorial comments. Most of these things must be corrected (Grammar, spelling, or punctuation for example) though some things are optional (prose or esthetic issues).
Comments here are from Dr. Dunn…
Home page
THIS PROJECT’S GOAL IS TO IDENTIFY WHERE THE WICHITA INDIANS RESIDED BEFORE THE 20TH CENTURY IN RELATION TO THE TEXAS NORTHERN FRONTIER IN ORDER TO DOCUMENT THEIR MIGRATION PATTERN, ONE THAT CHANGED DRASTICALLY THAT DRASTICALLY CHANGED OVER TIME.
THINK ALONG THESE LINES ^ AS FAR AS EDITORIAL AND COMPOSITION EDITS AND STREAMLINING GO.
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION TO CONSIDER IN REGARDS TO MIGRATION IS WHAT AND HOW THE TERM MIGRATION IS DEFINED.
THIS IS AN EXTREMELY LONG SENTENCE – CAN YOU BREAK IT UP? “SUCH FACTORS CAN INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE SETTLEMENT OF A NEW, MORE POWERFUL GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS INTO AN AREA WHERE A LESS POWERFUL GROUP CURRENTLY LIVES AND FORCES THE WEAKER GROUP TO MOVE ELSEWHERE, THE CLIMATE IN REGARDS TO GOVERNMENT FACTIONS AND INFLUENCES THAT MAY AFFECT A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS, INTRASTATE OR CIVIL WARS, OR SIMPLY ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITATIONS OR CHANGES.”
THE WICHITA INDIANS PAGE
This cultural tie to the Caddoan language was not unique sole to the Wichita;
Often referred to as the “Grass-house People”, the Wichita [ The comma should be placed inside of the quotation – “Grass-house People,” ]
What is the attribution for the grass-house photographs? The other photographs on the page?
This week has ended on a wonderfully positive note; my presentation has been given, therefore the most nerve wracking component of the course has been completed. I’m very grateful to have had the support of all my friends and family, and even those who took the time to view my project when I presented on Thursday. To be quite honest, I was incredibly nervous to present although I was in a room all alone, and everyone else was in their respective locations. That’s the weird thing about this class; a majority of the people who I have met through this course will never meet me face to face since this class was indeed digital. I never saw myself taking a course like this, because it definitely put me outside of my comfort zone and forced me to get into the routine of logging into class and getting acquainted with people from across the country through Zoom, including my professors.
Since I shared my script with you all the day of my presentation (Thursday, Nov. 30) you all know exactly what I said and what the presentation entailed: simply explaining the importance of the research and the purpose of the website. Ultimately, the experience within itself was a remarkable one, since I finally got to share with everyone what I had been working on so diligently all semester long. To my surprise, my university President Dr. Shipley tuned into the Zoom session to view my work. Her overall presence and support really did help a lot, but it also added to my nerves.
My presentation ran smoothly, I didn’t exceed my time limit of 15 minutes, and I had enough time to discuss questions if my classmates or anyone else had them. I was relieved no one asked me where my partner was; I was worried I’d have to explain that I was doing this project alone, although I was never sure how I would express that part of the experience to someone since I didn’t want to share information that was not mine to share. The person who had been assigned as my partner of course has the right to keep that part private since it was part of his experience. But all in all I would like to think the presentation went well. All I have left to do is make the changes to the website Dr. Dunn will suggest in the next few days to come, and submit the final website on Monday Dec. 11 for grading purposes. We shall see how this goes, and I look forward to working on the site to improve it in the next few days to come.
Until next time, Maria.
Please feel free to take a look at the digital COPLAC contract, which I have taken the time to perfect it from its initial form and includes a formal research proposal as well.
Here you will find my working thesis: “The Native American group known as the Wichita Indians suffered through immense forced migration during the 19th and 20th century due to Anglo – American influences in Northern Texas; hence the lack of current representation in places such as Wichita Falls, Texas.”
Today I present my project website: The Wichita Indians: Tracking Migration Over Time; the following is the script of what I will be saying verbatim. You may utilize this script to guide you through a tour /mini presentation of the site while you view the site at your leisure. Follow the instructions in red to go through the presentation in order.
Instructions for Dr. Dunn: Will appear in red and italicized.
Dr. Dunn: Begin on Home Page and remain on the image (header image).
Good afternoon everyone, my name is Maria and I am a senior at Midwestern State University, where I will be graduating with a major in political science and a minor in history. Today I will be sharing with you my semester’s research project, which has taught me the importance of diligent research and has strengthened my appreciation for the preservation of Native American history.
When selecting a research project in regards to cultural migration, I found the shift of Native American influences on the Northern Frontier of Texas known as the Red River, and how it was specifically documented and preserved in cities such as Wichita Falls, interesting.
While conducting my research, I discovered that there was little to no mention for the city of Wichita Falls available in any of our archives, libraries, or museums in regards to the Wichita Village that existed before Anglo American settlement.
For me, this became a key element of the project.
I wanted to help illustrate the importance, and identify the location of the Village that was located here in Wichita Falls as well as the rest of the Northern Frontier and further understand how cultural migration can include the concept of forced migration.
Dr. Dunn: Begin scrolling down to the text available on the bottom of the page.
This idea is explained here on the home page, and introduces the goal of the project.
The layout of the website provides next and previous page buttons to continue throughout the site in order.
Dr. Dunn: click on the next page button.
The next page titled, “The Wichita Indians” provides information about who the Wichita were. As many of the plains based natives, the Wichita shared the Caddoan Language, which culturally tied them together with other tribes such as the Caddo and Pawnee Indians.
Dr. Dunn: click on the first grass house picture. Then slowly pan through the three images.
The Wichita were known as the Grass house people because of the incredible structures that they created for homes; these images I have provided show what the grass houses look like, where we additionally see the Wichita constructing them.
Dr. Dunn: exit gallery and scroll down to show the image of the Chief.
The rest of the page continues to describe the lifestyle of the Wichita, as well as explaining their form of government. Although they did have Chief’s who presided over each Village, each Wichita Village was politically independent. Here I continue to explain how the Wichita had no set governmental structure, and how the concept of the matriarchal society influenced their lifestyle.
Dr. Dunn: scroll down and click the next page.
The next page titled, “Identification of the Wichita” features the official seal of the Wichita.
This page includes information about the Wichita’s ancestors.
My research led me to uncover that before the Wichita were identified by this name, they were known as the Quivira.
Dr. Dunn: scroll down and click on the first map and remain on the first image in gallery mode.
The Quivira were natives to the Plains that are know the state of Kansas; these next three images show the change in the Quivira’s territory. The first shows that before the introduction of the Spanish in 1541 through Coronado’s expedition, their territory incorporated most of the plains area which included parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Dr. Dunn: click on the second map in gallery mode.
The next map shows the loss of their territory; due to the fact that the Tribe dispersed to a multitude of locations after the introduction of several stronger settlers such as the Spanish and even the Comanche Indians, there was no centralized location.
Dr. Dunn: click on the third map in gallery mode.
The final map shows where the Wichita territory is established in the mid 19th century in the state of Oklahoma.
Dr. Dunn: exit gallery, scroll to bottom of the page and select next page.
Dr. Dunn: Click on story map js and pan through the slides slowly as I talk.
The next page titled, “Identification of Forced Migration” provides an interactive map that illustrates the many locations the Wichita could be found in reference to the Northern Frontier of Texas after being displaced.
It should be noted that migration is defined as Forced Migration after the introduction of stronger settlers or Tribes with this map and each slide in this map explains why. For example, specifically in the city of Wichita Falls where my university is located, a Wichita village was located here in 1841; the village was specifically located in what is now known as the Wichita Gardens Neighborhood of today.
It should be noted, that the migration that occurred had an everlasting impact on each location they settled on migration even if it was poorly documented; such examples can be found with the naming of cities or terrain such as Wichita Falls and the Wichita Mountains.
Dr. Dunn: exit map and scroll down to the table provided.
The rest of the page provides a table where I illustrate the affects of forced migration on the Wichita’s identity further, and how displacement from their native land in Kansas affected identification of the Tribe overall. This is a key element of what not only made this project difficult, but exciting especially when one discovers that the Wichita have been names and identified differently by different groups of people they interacted with over time.
Dr. Dunn: scroll down and click on next page.
Dr. Dunn: scroll down and to the map in the middle of the page.
The next page titled, “Patterns of Forced Migration” provides the migration pattern I identified based upon the locations that were visited periodically after being displaced from Kansas.
Here I explain that regardless displacement, they continuously attempted to travel back to their native land over time.
Dr. Dunn: scroll down and click on next page.
The next page titled, “Significance of the Northern Frontier” defines the significance of the Northern Frontier and how the Wichita impacted the state of Texas along its northern. Here I explain what the Northern Frontier of Texas is, and define it as the Red River and its relation to Wichita Falls. I additionally explain that the Wichita County of Texas and the Cotton County of Oklahoma are divided by this frontier. It should be noted that the remaining influence the Wichita had on places such as the city of Wichita Falls could not be found culturally, but could be found in examples of names such as the name of the city itself, or the Wichita Mountains as well. Migration for the Wichita was clearly defined for them due to the relationships that had been established when new groups were introduced into the area.
Dr. Dunn: scroll down and click on next page.
On the next page titled, “States Significance to Migration” I illustrate the importance of the rivers and mountains that enabled the pattern of migration from Kansas, and led them to the southern state of Texas after displacement.
Dr. Dunn: scroll through the page until you reach the state of Texas map.
Each Wichita Village was located next to a river after displacement; take this Texas Map of the major rivers located within the state for example. Although my research project does not incorporate migration of the Wichita throughout the entire state of Texas, it should be noted that at some point in time throughout history, villages of the Wichita were located further south. If the project is continued, this is an avenue that could essentially be explored for the future.
Dr. Dunn: scroll down and click on next page.
Dr. Dunn: click on the first photograph.
This next page is dedicated to photographs that can be found throughout the site, as well as additional images. Most of these images show examples of their grass houses, or things that were important to their livelihood such as the squash the Wichita harvested, or rivers that were normally used by them.
Dr. Dunn: exit gallery and click on next page.
Dr. Dunn: click on first image on page, “member of the Wichita” and slowly pan through the images until you reach the 5th image: Wichita mother and her child while I talk.
The next page is titled, “Portraits of the Wichita” Here I have compiled portraits ranging from members of the Tribe in their ceremonial attire as well as an image of a Wichita mother and her child.
Dr. Dunn: click through the gallery until you reach the 11th image titled, “Chief Esodawa” and stop.
More images including Wichita elders, and even an image of a Chief can be found on this page as well.
Dr. Dunn: exit gallery mode and click next page.
The next page provides a glossary of terms that can be found throughout the site with their respective definition.
Dr. Dunn: scroll down and click the next page.
The next page features the bibliography, where the entire list of sources utilized to make this project possible can be found.
Dr. Dunn: scroll down slowly, and then click next page.
The next page is the about COPLAC page, where a link to the course’s site, as well to the COPLAC website can be found. Additionally, a link is provided for the course blog where documentation and progress of the project in its entirety can be found.
Dr. Dunn: click next page.
The next page is the about author page, that features myself.
Dr. Dunn: click next page.
The next page features the cultural crossroads contract.
Dr. Dunn: scroll down and click next page.
And the final page on this site is a Research Proposal I wrote to establish future progress of the project.
Today we started class promptly at 3:00 (4:00pm EST); Dr. Dunn gave a small introduction explaining the course, and briefly explained the purpose of today’s meeting.
This week we will all be presenting our work to COPLAC, and anyone else who would like to view the presentation. The purpose of this is to showcase our work, and share what we have been doing throughout the semester. Each team from the universities that have taken a part of this course will have about 15 minutes to present, and 5 minutes for questions and answers. It’s important to stay on top of our time so we don’t run too late, or take up someone else’s time since we only have 3:00 – 4:15 to get through 3 presentations today and 3 on Thursday (Nov. 30).
As I have stated in my previous post, I present on Thursday; I’m somewhat nervous, especially after seeing how well everyone did today. Of course everyone has their flaws; some of the teams ran too long and others ran too short, but in the end it all worked itself out and everyone did an awesome job. I really like how each team gave each member the opportunity to speak, and explain what the project meant for them individually. These types of projects really exemplify the meaning of scholarship, and I truly believe that they all did an excellent job in that regard.
With these presentations, the significance behind it is greater than simply showcasing our work to others; it additionally prepares us for the end of the course. This presentation, and the one that I am to give on Thursday, is essentially the climax of our journey together. This is what we have all been working towards; creating a site based off of the extensive amount of research that we have done, and presenting it. Afterall, this course and this project is digitally based.
I personally still have to do a run through of my presentation tomorrow (Wed. 29 @ 6:30) with Dr. Dunn and practice the flow and overall verbal component of the presentation I am to give. I have finished the script that I am utilizing for Thursday; this is one of the requirements we need before presenting. I will share an excerpt of it here and post the final draft of it on Thursday.
Until next time, Maria.
Please feel free to take a look at the digital COPLAC contract, which I have taken the time to perfect it from its initial form and includes a formal research proposal as well.
Here you will find my working thesis: “The Native American group known as the Wichita Indians suffered through immense forced migration during the 19th and 20th century due to Anglo – American influences in Northern Texas; hence the lack of current representation in places such as Wichita Falls, Texas.”
Presentation day is nigh upon us as we put some finishing touches on Mecca for Motorists. It has been a trying semester, and I am certain we will still have plenty of touch ups left to do before the final site is submitted, but we are happy with how our project has turned out From now until presentation we will spend our time double checking footnotes and the bibliography, ensuring all images can be enlarged (something that I was struggling with), and double checking links. Tonight’s practice presentation also went as well as we’d hoped for. We clocked on at an almost perfect time and feel we thoroughly—albeit quickly—covered all the necessary information that we would like our audience to be aware of.
This entry is a good deal shorter than my others but at this point there isn’t much to say. I am sure I’ll have plenty to ponder after the presentation is over and we get feedback, but until then we will be focusing on making both the website as well as the presentation as perfect as we possibly can.
This Thanksgiving break has been very productive, but exhausting. I traveled home for the week long break after class on Tuesday, Nov. 21, and I feel like I haven’t really had much of a break. I can’t really begin to describe how overwhelmed I felt at the beginning of the week, especially seeing how much work was left to be done. Progress on the site for the remainder of the week before I present will simply be limited to adding information I have left out so that the website has some sort of substance to it. With each and every day that passes I wish I had had better luck this semester in general; I can’t help but continuously remind myself that I am doing the best that I can to keep this project, and myself together despite the rough beginning where I found myself partner-less. This break has served as a great opportunity to get a lot of work done, and catch up on some things for this project.
I have occupied all of the pages now with some form of information, whether it be a chart, map, photo gallery or with actual information (words). So for now I will continue to add images and information to the site so that it flows smoothly and it looks great overall. I do hope to get some sort of critique eventually, where one of my professors (Dr. Dunn or Turner) take the time to go through the entire site. This way I know what needs to be changed, added, or removed before we submit the site for final review on Dec. 11. I did forget to finish some of the charts at some point such as the one with the vocabulary words (the glossary) so I finished that as well. I will it below.
Term
Definition
American Civil War
From 1861 to 1865 this intrastate Civil War occurred in the United States, where two separate factions fought against one another: The Union (the United States) and the Cofederate States of America.
Andrew Jackson
Serving as the 7th President of the United States throuh the Democratic - Republican Party in the early 19th century, President Jackson initiated the Indian Removal Act from 1838 to 1839.
Anglo Americans
Individuals who are from European, typically of British, decent who migrated to the United States or were born in the United States due to this process of migration are referred to as Anglo Americans.
Bands
A Band refers to a smaller group of Indians who live in a certain location together and that belong to a much larger, culturally unified group overall.
The Caddoan Indians
This group of Native Americans is comprised of several Southeastern groups who were primarily located in the state of Texas.
The Comanche Indians
The Comache Indians are a group of Native Americans who once lived in the areas ranging from the southern Great Plains throughout western Kansas to northern Texas, but are now located in the Oklahoma.
The Coronado Expedition
Led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado y Luján, the Coronado Expedition took place from 1510 - 1554. This expedition explored parts of Mexico to Kansas as well as other parts of the southwestern region of the United States.
Forced Migration
The term forced migration is used to describe the movement of refugees or internally displaced people who are affected by conflicts within their countries borders. Forced migration is not limited to instrastate conflict, but can be affected by natural disasters, among others such as nuclear, chemical, and environmental disasters for example.
Fort Sill
Military post located north of Lawton, Oklahoma.
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal act was authorized and signed into law in 1830 by President Andrew Jackson. The Indian Removal Act essentially called for the removal of the Indians who currently inhabited the land within existing states borders, and were to relocated to territories west of the Mississippi River. Some of the Indians moved willingly, while others did not and were essentially forced to move.
Indian Reservations
An Indian Reservation is a federally protected area, or territory, that belongs to Native Americans. This land can be found in areas of the United States, the most commonly known is that of the area located in the state of Oklahoma.
Jean Baptiste Benard de la Harpe
Jean Baptiste Benard de la Harpe was a French officer, trader, and explorer.
Migration
Migration is the process of moving from one geographical location to another and should not be confused with immigration since this process takes place within the boundary lines of one specific state or country, and does not cause flow into a foreign area.
Native Americans
Native Americans are the indigenous people of the United States.
Northern Frontier
The Northern Frontier typically refers to what can be considered a the border land that often distinguishes one state's land from another for example.
Red River
The Red River is a waterway that flows from Texas and Oklahoma into the Mississippi River.
Santa Cruz de San Saba Mission
The Santa Cruz de San Saba Mission was one of the Spanish Missions that was located in the state of Texas.This was the only mission that was completely destroyed by Native Americans.
Santa Fe Expedition
The Santa Fe Expedition was an expedition that was started by the President of Texas in 1841; its purpose was to further develop trade relations between Texas and New Mexico.
Settlers
A settler is an individual who installs themselves into a location that previously has little or no current population to be accounted for in that area.
Trail of Tears
As a result of the Indian Removal Act, the Trail of Tears was the route that designated the forced path of migration to be utilized by the Indians. The Indians were forcibly removed from their land and consequently traveled on foot to land west of the Mississippi River, which was their new designated land of residence.
Tribes
A Tribe is unified by the social, cultural, or blood related identities created by their communities. A tribe is additionally what sets apart a group of Native Americans from another. For example, the Caddoan Tribes and the Wichita Tribes differ in many aspects of their respective cultures.
Village
A village is a group of homes or buildings that create a community for a specific group of people to live in; villages were incredibly important to the Indian population in the sense that this was what could be compared to a small town.
The Wichita Indians
The subjects of our study, the Wichita Indians were a confederation of the Midwestern Native Americans. This group of Native Americans are indigenous to the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
The Wichita Mountains
Located across the state of Oklahoma and a small fraction of Northern Texas, the Wichita Mountains is home to a large range of wildlife, mountain ranges, lakes, and represent an important part of the terrain in Oklahoma.
Until next time, Maria.
Please feel free to take a look at the digital COPLAC contract, which I have taken the time to perfect it from its initial form and includes a formal research proposal as well.
Here you will find my working thesis: “The Native American group known as the Wichita Indians suffered through immense forced migration during the 19th and 20th century due to Anglo – American influences in Northern Texas; hence the lack of current representation in places such as Wichita Falls, Texas.”
As we approach the final week of this course before we present, I can feel time slip through my fingers ever so slowly. Today in class we were assigned our time to present; I present on Thursday, November 30 at 3:30pm (4:40EST). I am very grateful to present towards the end of the week, since it gives me time to keep making final changes and finish adding the information I need for my site to be complete.
As I had hoped, I met with Lean last week on Friday, and received more images that I hope to share on the site. I have also created more tools for the map, some as simple as keys for the tools I am going to be using. I will share them below; this key will specifically be used on the page where I will have the Storymap JS published.
Key to Navigate Map
Description
Beginning of Map
Located on the left hand corner of the map, selecting this feature will redirect you to the first page of the Storymap presentation.
Map Overview
Located on the left hand corner of the map, selecting this feature will redirect you to an outstretched view of the entire map provided.
Marker Selection
By clicking on the green marker, you will be able to view the migration pattern that was created by the Wichita Indians over time.
Storymap Arrow
Located in the middle of the right hand side of the map, selecting this feature will enable the story feature of the map, and take you page by page of the presentation in order.
Two Fingers on the Map
By using two of your fingers, you can zoom in and out of the map by creating a pinching motion on the screen. This enables a closer or farther view on the map depending on your preference.
Final recommendations for the site have been given to me during class today, and I am to visit with Dr. Turner a week from now on Monday, November 27 to discuss the end result of my project. This means I have to work really hard during the Thanksgiving break to finish not only editing the website design, bibliography, tables and maps, but as well as finish adding the information I need for the website to have legible content. So far I’ve gotten a few things down on the website, and I have successfully caught up with my blog site as well! I feel rather accomplished in this sense although I do feel like I’m running out of time. I remain optimistic and look forward to this productive week.
Until next time, Maria.Please feel free to take a look at the digital COPLAC contract, which I have taken the time to perfect it from its initial form and includes a formal research proposal as well.
Here you will find my working thesis: “The Native American group known as the Wichita Indians suffered through immense forced migration during the 19th and 20th century due to Anglo – American influences in Northern Texas; hence the lack of current representation in places such as Wichita Falls, Texas.”
This week I made some progress on the “Economy and Culture” page. I adding some more text to “Culture” concerning the Folk Arts Center. This particular institution was designed by the Southern Highland Crafts Guild to help promote, sell, and conserve Appalachian arts and crafts. I also added a few pictures to the “Natural” page under Locals and to the “Economy and Culture” page and fixed the text around the YouTube video! That particular issue gave me quite a bit of trouble, so I’m relieved to finally have it fixed. After reading one of Leah’s comments in Slack, I activated the Jetpack plugin in hopes that it would let me modify the CSS code as the main issue seemed to be WordPress rejecting the code I put in to make the text wrap around the video. I’m not sure if that’s what finally made it work, but it looks much better now!
There is still PLENTY of work to do before presentations. My next step is to finish with the “Economy” portion of the page and fix citations. I don’t foresee this step taking a very long time. From there I will turn to the “Land” page where I will put up more information about buying and selling and (hopefully) add a nice image of one of the maps showing private property that was effected by the placement of the BRP.
At this point we probably have missed a few of our milestones. Nevertheless, we feel like we are making good progress and will have the site done in time. I can personally speak for the many roadblocks (pun may have been intended) I have run into as I have built my pages, but many of these issues have turned out to be a blessing. The website is turning out quite differently than I had imagined it would, but it is far better than I had anticipated. I look forward to showing you all the end result!
Dr. Dunn shared with me the notes he made in regards to my working website yesterday (Wed. Nov. 15) via email, which I then took as the directions to edit my website. I for one am very grateful for the time that was dedicated to look at the pages I had up, and note little things here or there that could be changes. Additionally, we met today via Zoom to discuss the notes he had, and to answer any questions I may have in regards to the progress of the site. We discussed in length several suggestions I sincerely plan on implementing on my site, as well as discuss real goals I should set for myself and reach in the next two weeks before we present.
I feel rather calm at this point; openly optimistic. I’ve taken the time to look at everyone’s sites and can say without hesitation that I am very impressed with everyone’s’ work and partnership. It inspires me when I view their blogs or websites, and entices me to work towards similar goals so that my site is just as good as everyone else who has a partner. I also feel as if I need to continue constant maintenance of this blog site to make up for the lack of having a partner, so I can document every little step I make to make this project successful.
As for the website for my project, I have changed the titles of the pages.
I now have a total of six (6) main pages, which each have drop down boxes to subpages.
I added “next” and “previous” page buttons to each page to facilitate the use of the websites order.
I’ve removed unnecessary wording on most of my pages, as well as fixed more grammatical errors.
I’ve added a page to thank the COPLAC /Mellon collaboration.
Fixed my bibliography and shared the document with Dr. Turner.
Added a few more tables, such as the continuing work I’ve been doing to add a glossary as well as one that identifies the Wichita Indians chronologically.
I’ve created citations for footnotes for my pages (to be put on the site soon.)
I have been working on a table that identifies the Wichita Indians over time, and I will share the table below. This table used to be in alphabetical order, but Dr. Dunn recommended I put it in chronological order since it would help emphasize the change in rhetoric. It looks different on this theme, as it will on the theme for the project website.
Year
Term
Origin
Before the 16th Century
Kitikiti'sh / Kirikirish
There are various definitions or meanings that can be used to interpret this term; one definition explaining it as, "racoon eyes" while others have defined this term as, "pre - eminent men" or "paramount among men". This was the first term used to identify the Wichita Indians, and is derived from the Wichita's ancestors. During this time, the Wichita lived in the fertile valleys of the south - central plains that are now known as Kansas and Oklahoma.
1541
Quiviras
In 1541, Francisco Vazquez de Coronado led the Coronado Expeditions and consequently visited parts of what is now known as the state of Kansas. The name that was given to the Indians Coronado encountered during this time was later on archeologically and historically validated as the Wichita Indians.
1719
Ousitas
A french business trader by the name of Jean Baptiste de la Harpe recognized a band of Indians in Oklahoma he referred to as the Ousitas; this group was later on historically identified as a band of the Wichita Indians.
1750
Wichita
Anglo - American settlers in the state of Texas used this name to identify the Wichita Indians, and it was one of the first instances that a band of Wichita Indians was identified correctly by Anglo - Americans.
1772
Quedsitas
Athanese de Mézières was the commandant of a Spanish post that was located in Natchitoches, Louisiana and he visited a band of Indians along the the upper Brazos River. This group of Indians was later on historically identified as a band of the Wichita Indians.
1805
Wicheta
A mispronunciation of the name, "Wichita", Anglo - American Settlers in the state of Texas used the term to identify this band of Indians that were specifically located along the Red River.
1850
Towiach / Tawehash
In reference to various groups of Indians located along the Wichita and Brazos River, the name was used to identify these smaller bands, and later on identified as Wichita Indians historically.
Another obstacle I have faced is that of coming up with images for my site; I am supposed to meet Lean, a graduate student here at MWSU, who will help with that part. So I am very grateful, and hope that our schedules don’t conflict too much so that I can begin working on this part of my project.
Until next time, Maria.Please feel free to take a look at the digital COPLAC contract, which I have taken the time to perfect it from its initial form and includes a formal research proposal as well.
Here you will find my working thesis: “The Native American group known as the Wichita Indians suffered through immense forced migration during the 19th and 20th century due to Anglo – American influences in Northern Texas; hence the lack of current representation in places such as Wichita Falls, Texas.”