Kohani

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The Kohani , also written Cohanni , Coxane , Cujano , Guyane , Cujane , Qujane or Quxane , are an extinct North American Indian tribe from the Gulf Coast in Texas who belonged to the Karankawa .

residential area

When the Kohani were first mentioned in reports in the early 18th century, their residential area was on the Texas coast near Matagorda Bay . There they lived together with other Karankawa tribes, the Coapite and the actual Karankawa. At that time, they moved inland between the Colorado River and the Guadelupe River , leading a nomadic life and following a seasonal cycle that took them 40 to 100 kilometers inland from the coast. In later years they could be found further west along the coast at Aransas Bay .

Life in Spanish missions

In 1722 the Mission Espiritu Santo de Zúñiga was established on Matagorda Bay for the Kohani and other Karankawa tribes, but it was soon abandoned due to ongoing problems between Spaniards and Indians. In the 1730s, some Kohani were persuaded to join the Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purisima Concepción de Acuña in San Antonio. In 1745, when the Espiritu Santo de Zuñiga Mission was relocated to the area of ​​what is now Goliad, some Kohani came there, only to leave it shortly afterwards. When in 1754 the Mission Nuestra Señora del Rosario , also at Goliad, for the Kohani was established, all Karankawa groups were called Kohani, with the exception of the Kopane . The Kohani lived inside and outside the mission until it was secularized in 1831 .

The Spanish missions in the northern provinces of Mexico were run by the Catholic Church and in Texas by Franciscans . The Indians either came voluntarily or were brought into the mission by soldiers if necessary by force. The padres did not tolerate any other religion besides Christianity . In their eyes, the spiritual life of the Indians was not a religion at all, but pagan superstition and witchcraft . In the mission, the newcomers were monitored and severely punished if the strict rules were broken or if they violated the rules. They were converted, taught manual skills, and eventually allocated land near the mission after a period of time. They were supposed to become Christian peasants and workers, which in fact represented nothing more than a slave existence .

Once the newcomers, or neophytes , as they were called, were converted and baptized, they were not allowed to leave the mission at will. If they did, it was called deserting and they were followed by soldiers and severely punished if caught. The neophytes were given Spanish names, blue uniforms and worked in the fields or in the stables and workshops of the mission. They tended the cattle, tanned hides, and made candles, soap, bricks, tiles, shoes, saddles, and other everyday items.

But every offense was severely punished. They were whipped, necktacked, branded, mutilated and even executed. Indian men and women, including married couples, had to live separately in the missions, and unmarried young women, whom soldiers and male missionary personnel often pursued, were separated in convent-like barracks.

The Kohani who did not live with the missions and received their rations here continued to live on the nearby coast. When the Anglo-Americans settled the Gulf Coast, the Kohani lost their ethnic identity and were commonly referred to as Karankawa. Under pressure from the rapidly growing white population in Texas, they were pushed further and further west and have been considered extinct since 1858.

Scientists have tried to identify the Kohani among the different groups named in the La Salle Expedition reports for the coastal region: Ebehamo, Kouan, Kouyam and Quinet . Since all of these groups have been shown to have lived near Kohani land, comparing names is the only way to identify them. Phonetically, Kouan and Kouyam might be closest to Kohani.

See also

literature

  • Editing of Time-Life Books: The Spanish West. Time-Life Books Inc., 1976.
  • Alvin M. Josephy Jr.: 500 Nations. Frederking & Thaler GmbH, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-89405-356-9
  • Alvin M. Josephy Jr.: The world of the Indians. Frederking & Thaler GmbH, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-89405-331-3

Web links