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{{short description|Historic Native American tribe of eastern Texas}}
The '''Bidai''' were a band of [[Atakapa]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] from eastern [[Texas]].<ref name=s659>Sturtevant, 659</ref>
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = <!-- (defaults to {{PAGENAME}}) -->
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image = File:Tribute to Bidai Tribe in Huntsville, Texas.jpg
| image_caption = A tribute to the Bidai tribe, in Huntsville, Texas
| image_alt =
| image_upright =
| population = Extinct as a tribe,<br/>descendants merged with the [[Caddo]]<ref name=swanton/><ref name=hodge/>
| total_year = <!-- year of total population -->
| total_source = <!-- source of total population; may be ''census'' or ''estimate'' -->
| total_ref = <!-- references supporting total population -->
| genealogy =
| regions = Eastern [[Texas]], U.S.
| languages = Bidai language
| religions =
| related_groups =
| footnotes =
⚫
}}
The '''Bidai''', who referred to themselves as the '''Quasmigdo''',<ref name="Zamponi 2024"/><ref>Hodge, p. 146</ref> were a tribe of [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indians]] from eastern [[Texas]].<ref name=s659>Sturtevant, 659</ref><ref name=swanton>John Reed Swanton, [https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Indians_of_the_Southeastern_United_S/0XJ5cioqeB8C?hl=en&gbpv=0 ''The Indians of the Southeastern United States''], page 96.</ref>

The name ''Bidai'' is [[Caddo language]] term for "brushwood".<ref name=hodge>{{cite book |last1=Hodge |first1=Frederick Webb |title=Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico |date=1911 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |page=145 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ze4YAAAAYAAJ |access-date=23 December 2023}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
Their [[oral history]] says that the Bidai were the original people in their region.<ref name=hodge/>
Their oral history says that the Bidai were the original peoples in their region.<ref name=gene>[http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/caddo/bidaiindiantribe.htm "Bidai Indian History."] ''Access Genealogy''. (retrieved 14 March 2010)</ref> Their central settlements were along [[Bedias Creek]], but their territory ranged from the [[Brazos River]] to the [[Neches River]].<ref name=s659>Sturtevant, 659</ref> The first written record of the tribe was in 1691, by Spanish explorers who said they lived near the [[Hasinai]]. French explorer [[François Simars de Bellisle]] described them as agriculturalists in 1718 and 1720.<ref name=tx>[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/bmb7.html "Bidai Indians."] ''Texas State Historical Association.'' (retrieved 14 March 2010)</ref>
=== 17th century ===
Their central settlements were along [[Bedias Creek]] that flows into the [[Trinity River (Texas)|Trinity River]],<ref name=swanton/> but their territory ranged from the [[Brazos River]] to the [[Neches River]].<ref name=s659>Sturtevant, 659</ref> The first written record of the tribe was in 1691, by Spanish explorers who said they lived near the [[Hasinai]].


=== 18th century ===
⚫
They had three distinct villages or bands in the 18th century. The Deadose were the northernmost band of Bidai, who broke off in the early 18th century.<ref name=s659/> The 18th century population of Bidai is estimated to be 600, while 200 additional Deadoses.<ref name=s662>Sturtevant, 662</ref>
French explorer [[François Simars de Bellisle]] described them as agriculturalists in 1718 and 1720.<ref name=tx>[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/bmb07 "Bidai Indians."] ''Texas State Historical Association.'' (retrieved 14 March 2010)</ref> He wrote that they were allied with the [[Akokisa]].<ref name=swanton/>


⚫
They had three distinct villages or bands in the 18th century. The Deadose were the northernmost band of Bidai, who broke off in the early 18th century.<ref name=s659/> The 18th-century population of Bidai was estimated to be 600 with 200 additional Deadoses.<ref name=s662>Sturtevant, 662</ref>
⚫
In 1770, the band colluded with French settlers to sell guns to the [[Lipan Apache people|Lipan Apache]]s, as all parties were enemies with the Spanish.<ref name=tx/>


⚫
In the mid-18th century, some Bidai settled at [[Mission San Francisco Xavier de Horcasitas]].<ref name=swanton/> In 1770, the Bidai colluded with French settlers to sell guns to the [[Lipan Apache people|Lipan Apache]]s, as all parties were enemies with the Spanish.<ref name=tx/>
⚫
The Bidai suffered several epidemics during 1776-77, reducing their population by at least half. The survivors joined neighboring tribes, such as the [[Akokisa]]s and [[Koasati]]. Some settled on the [[Brazos Indian Reservation]] in present day [[Young County, Texas]] and were removed with the [[Caddo]] to [[Indian Territory]].<ref name=tx/> Those that remained formed a village twelve miles from [[Montgomery, Texas]], growing corn and picking cotton for hire in the mid-19th century.<ref name=gene/>


The Bidai suffered several epidemics during 1776–77, reducing their population by at least half, from about 100<ref name=swanton/> to 50. The survivors joined neighboring tribes, such as the [[Akokisa]]s and [[Koasati]].
⚫
Andre Sjoberg published an ethnohistory of the Bidai in 1951.<ref name=s663>Sturtevant, 663</ref>

⚫
=== 19th century ===
⚫
Some settled on the [[Brazos Indian Reservation]] in present-day [[Young County, Texas]], and were removed with the [[Caddo]] to [[Indian Territory]].<ref name=tx/><ref name=hodge/> The remaining Bidai formed one village about 12 miles from [[Montgomery, Texas]],<ref name=swanton/> growing corn and picking cotton for hire in the mid-19th century.<ref name=hodge/>

=== 20th century ===
⚫
Ethnographer [[John Reed Swanton]] identified one Bidai descendant in 1912.<ref name=swanton/> Andre Sjoberg published an ethnohistory of the Bidai in 1951.<ref name=s663>Sturtevant, 663</ref>


==Lifeways==
==Lifeways==
The Bidai hunted, gathered, fished, grew [[maize]], and bartered their surplus maize. They snared game and trapped them in cane pens. In summers they lived along the coasts, but in winters they moved inland,<ref name=s661>Sturtevant, 661</ref> when they lived in bearskin tents.<ref name=s662/>
The Bidai hunted, gathered, fished, grew [[maize]], and bartered their surplus maize. They snared game and trapped them in cane pens. During the summer months, they lived along the coasts, but in winters they moved inland<ref name=s661>Sturtevant, 661</ref> in which they lived in bearskin tents.<ref name=s662/>


Before contact, the Bidai made their own ceramics, but quickly adopted metal utensils from European trade. They still made ceramic pots into the 19th century, and they also wove a variety of baskets.<ref name=s662/> In 1803, [[Henry Hopkins Sibley]] wrote that Bidai had "an excellent character for honesty and punctuality."<ref name=gene/>
Before contact, the Bidai made their own ceramics but quickly adopted metal utensils from European trade. They still made pottery into the 19th century and also wove a variety of baskets.<ref name=s662/> In 1803, Dr. John Sibley wrote that Bidai had "an excellent character for honesty and punctuality."


The structure of their [[cradleboard]]s [[Artificial cranial deformation|altered the shape of their skulls]]. They also enhanced their appearance through body and facial tattooing.<ref name=s662/>
The structure of their [[cradleboard]]s [[Artificial cranial deformation|altered the shape of their skulls]]. They also enhanced their appearance through body and facial tattooing.<ref name=s662/>


Bidai medicine men were herbalists and performed sweatbathing. Patients could be treated by being raised scaffolds over [[smudging|smudge]] fires. While other [[Atakapan]] bands are known for their ritual [[cannibalism]], the practice was never recorded among the Bidai.<ref name=s662/>
Bidai medicine men were herbalists and performed sweatbathing. Patients could be treated by being raised on scaffolds over [[smudging|smudge]] fires. While other [[Atakapan]] bands are known for their ritual [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]],{{Dubious|date=October 2020}} the practice was never recorded among the Bidai.<ref name=s662/>


==Language==
==Language==
{{Infobox language
{{Main|Bidai language}}
[[Bidai language|Bidai]] was a possible [[language isolate]] that became extinct by the end of the 19th century.<ref name="Zamponi 2024">{{cite book |last=Zamponi |first=Raoul |title=The Languages and Linguistics of Indigenous North America |chapter=Unclassified languages |publisher=De Gruyter |date=2024 |isbn=978-3-11-071274-2 |doi=10.1515/9783110712742-061 |pages=1627–1648 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110712742-061/html}}</ref> The only attested Bidai words are:<ref>[http://www.native-languages.org/bidai_words.htm "Bidai Word Set."] ''native Languages.'' (retrieved 14 March 2010)</ref>
|name=Bidai

|nativename=
*''namah'' (one)
|region=Texas
*''nahone'' (two)
⚫
|extinct=19th century?
*''naheestah'' (three)
|family= unclassified ([[Atakapa language|Atakapan]]?)
*''nashirimah'' (four)
|familycolor=American
⚫
*''nahot nahonde'' (five)
|iso3=none
⚫
*''nashees nahonde'' (six)
|linglist=07k
*''púskus'' (boy)
⚫
}}
*''tándshai'' (corn)
Bidai was an [[Atakapa language|Atakapan language]],{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} which is now extinct. Below are some of the few Bidai words ever recorded.
{{colbegin|2}}
*Namah: one
*Nahone: two
*Naheestah: three
*Nashirimah: four
⚫
*Nahot nahonde: five
⚫
*Nashees nahonde: six
*Púskus: boy
*Tándshai: corn<ref>[http://www.native-languages.org/bidai_words.htm "Bidai Word Set."] ''native Languages.'' (retrieved 14 March 2010)</ref>
{{colend}}


==Name==
==Name==
Bidai has been spelled Biday, Bedies, Bidaises, Beadweyes, Bedies, Bedees, Bidias, Bedais, Midays, Vidais, Vidaes, Vidays. Their name could be [[Caddo language|Caddo]], meaning "brushwood", and having reference to the [[Big Thicket]] near the lower Trinity River about which they lived. Their autonym was Quasmigdo.<ref name=s663/>
Bidai has been spelled Biday, Bedies, Bidaises, Beadweyes, Bedies, Bedees, Bidias, Bedais, Midays, Vidais, Vidaes, Vidays. Their name could be [[Caddo language|Caddo]], meaning "brushwood", and having reference to the [[Big Thicket]] near the lower Trinity River about which they lived. Their [[Endonym and exonym|autonym]] was Quasmigdo.<ref name=s663/>


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}


==References==
==References==
* Sturtevant, William C., general editor and Raymond D. Fogelson, volume editor. ''Handbook of North American Indians: Southeast''. Volume 14. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution, 2004. ISBN 0-16-072300-0.
* {{cite book |last1=Hodge |first1=Frederick Webb |title=Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico |date=1911 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |page=145 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ze4YAAAAYAAJ |access-date=23 December 2023}}
* Sturtevant, William C., general editor and Raymond D. Fogelson, volume editor. ''Handbook of North American Indians: Southeast''. Volume 14. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution, 2004. {{ISBN|0-16-072300-0}}.
* {{cite book |last1=Swanton |first1=John Reed |title=The Indians of the Southeastern United States |date=1946 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |page=96 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0XJ5cioqeB8C}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://mycaddonation.com/ Caddo Nation]
*[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/bmb7.html Bidai Indians], Texas State Historical Association
*[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/bmb07 Bidai Indians], Texas State Historical Association
*[http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/caddo/bidaiindiantribe.htm Bidai Indian History], Access Genealogy
*[http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/caddo/bidaiindiantribe.htm Bidai Indian History], Access Genealogy
* [[List of Native American peoples in the United States]]

{{Native American Tribes in Texas}}

{{authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bidai}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bidai}}
[[Category:Atakapa]]
[[Category:Caddo]]
[[Category:Extinct Native American tribes]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands]]
[[Category:Native American tribes in Texas]]
[[Category:Native American tribes in Texas]]

Latest revision as of 01:41, 23 April 2024

Bidai
A tribute to the Bidai tribe, in Huntsville, Texas
Total population
Extinct as a tribe,
descendants merged with the Caddo[1][2]
Regions with significant populations
Eastern Texas, U.S.
Languages
Bidai language

The Bidai, who referred to themselves as the Quasmigdo,[3][4] were a tribe of American Indians from eastern Texas.[5][1]

The name Bidai is Caddo language term for "brushwood".[2]

History[edit]

Their oral history says that the Bidai were the original people in their region.[2]

17th century[edit]

Their central settlements were along Bedias Creek that flows into the Trinity River,[1] but their territory ranged from the Brazos River to the Neches River.[5] The first written record of the tribe was in 1691, by Spanish explorers who said they lived near the Hasinai.

18th century[edit]

French explorer François Simars de Bellisle described them as agriculturalists in 1718 and 1720.[6] He wrote that they were allied with the Akokisa.[1]

They had three distinct villages or bands in the 18th century. The Deadose were the northernmost band of Bidai, who broke off in the early 18th century.[5] The 18th-century population of Bidai was estimated to be 600 with 200 additional Deadoses.[7]

In the mid-18th century, some Bidai settled at Mission San Francisco Xavier de Horcasitas.[1] In 1770, the Bidai colluded with French settlers to sell guns to the Lipan Apaches, as all parties were enemies with the Spanish.[6]

The Bidai suffered several epidemics during 1776–77, reducing their population by at least half, from about 100[1] to 50. The survivors joined neighboring tribes, such as the Akokisas and Koasati.

19th century[edit]

Some settled on the Brazos Indian Reservation in present-day Young County, Texas, and were removed with the Caddo to Indian Territory.[6][2] The remaining Bidai formed one village about 12 miles from Montgomery, Texas,[1] growing corn and picking cotton for hire in the mid-19th century.[2]

20th century[edit]

Ethnographer John Reed Swanton identified one Bidai descendant in 1912.[1] Andre Sjoberg published an ethnohistory of the Bidai in 1951.[8]

Lifeways[edit]

The Bidai hunted, gathered, fished, grew maize, and bartered their surplus maize. They snared game and trapped them in cane pens. During the summer months, they lived along the coasts, but in winters they moved inland[9] in which they lived in bearskin tents.[7]

Before contact, the Bidai made their own ceramics but quickly adopted metal utensils from European trade. They still made pottery into the 19th century and also wove a variety of baskets.[7] In 1803, Dr. John Sibley wrote that Bidai had "an excellent character for honesty and punctuality."

The structure of their cradleboards altered the shape of their skulls. They also enhanced their appearance through body and facial tattooing.[7]

Bidai medicine men were herbalists and performed sweatbathing. Patients could be treated by being raised on scaffolds over smudge fires. While other Atakapan bands are known for their ritual cannibalism,[dubious – discuss] the practice was never recorded among the Bidai.[7]

Language[edit]

Main article: Bidai language

Bidai was a possible language isolate that became extinct by the end of the 19th century.[3] The only attested Bidai words are:[10]

  • namah (one)
  • nahone (two)
  • naheestah (three)
  • nashirimah (four)
  • nahot nahonde (five)
  • nashees nahonde (six)
  • púskus (boy)
  • tándshai (corn)

Name[edit]

Bidai has been spelled Biday, Bedies, Bidaises, Beadweyes, Bedies, Bedees, Bidias, Bedais, Midays, Vidais, Vidaes, Vidays. Their name could be Caddo, meaning "brushwood", and having reference to the Big Thicket near the lower Trinity River about which they lived. Their autonym was Quasmigdo.[8]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h John Reed Swanton, The Indians of the Southeastern United States, page 96.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hodge, Frederick Webb (1911). Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Smithsonian Institution. p. 145. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Zamponi, Raoul (2024). "Unclassified languages". The Languages and Linguistics of Indigenous North America. De Gruyter. pp. 1627–1648. doi:10.1515/9783110712742-061. ISBN 978-3-11-071274-2.
  4. ^ Hodge, p. 146
  5. ^ a b c Sturtevant, 659
  6. ^ a b c "Bidai Indians." Texas State Historical Association. (retrieved 14 March 2010)
  7. ^ a b c d e Sturtevant, 662
  8. ^ a b Sturtevant, 663
  9. ^ Sturtevant, 661
  10. ^ "Bidai Word Set." native Languages. (retrieved 14 March 2010)

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bidai&oldid=1220320200"