Tonkawa Tribe

United States

Indigenous Peoples of the United States

Indigenous Peoples of Oklahoma

Tonkawa Tribe

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Tonkawa chiefs 1898.jpg

Introduction

Various spellings: Tonkawa, Tonkaway

Ancestral homeland: central Texas Population: 1984: Total enrollment 181.

Tribal Headquarters

Tonkawa Tribe of Oklahoma
1 Rush Buffalo Road
Tonkawa, OK 74653-4449
Phone: 580-628-2561
Website

History

Brief Timeline

1530's: First contact with Spanish explorers: Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca

1540's: Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

1682: Rene Robert Cavelier de La Salle's Expedition

1847-59: The tribe was under the jurisdiction of the Texas Agency

1846: Treaty with the Comanche, Aionai, Anadarko, Caddo, Etc.,

1855: The tribe assigned to a reservation in Texas.

1857: The Tribe moved to Oklahoma settled near Anadarko.

Tonkawa scouts served with the Texas Rangers against the Comanche.

1859: The tribe was under the jurisdiction of the Wichita Agency

1861-65: Tonkawa braves served as scouts for the Confederate Army

1862: raiding party attacked the Tonkawa killin 167 men, women, and children. Settled on the Oakland reservation near Ponc City.

1859: The tribe was relocated to Washita River in Indian Territory

1865: Some members of the Tribe fled to Texas until 1884

1876-80: In Texas the tribe was under the jurisdiction of the Central Superintendency.

1884: Those who had fled to Texas removed to Indian Territory.

1887: Tonkawa land were allotted

1938: Adoped a onstitution. .

Agency

Pawnee Agency  (Nebraska and Oklahoma)

Texas Agency

Wichita Agency

Superintendency

Southern Superintendency

Central Superintendency

Additional References to the History of the Tribe

Frederick Webb Hodge, in his Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, gave a more complete history of the Tonkawa tribe, with estimations of the population of the tribe at various time periods.

Records

The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:

• Allotment records
• Annuity rolls
• Census records
• Correspondence
• Health records
• Reports
• School census and records
• Vital records

Agency Records

Tonkawa Records(Allotment,School,and Vital)1895-1952. FHL|Films: 1205529 and 1204634

Correspondence and Census

Tribe	Agency	Location of Original Records	Pre-1880 Correspondence M234 RG 75 Rolls 962 Roll Number	FHL Film Number	Post 1885-Census M595 RG 75 Rolls 693 Roll Number	FHL Film Number
Tonkawa	Pawnee Agency, 1871-1964	Washington D.C. and Fort Worth	Rolls 661-68	-	Rolls 338-43, 386-91	Films 579746-579753
Tonkawa	Texas Agency, 1847-59	Washington D.C.	Rolls 857-61	-	-	-
Tonkawa	Wichita Agency, 1859-78	Washington D.C.	Rolls 927-30	-	-	-

Land and Property

Tribally owned 160.00 acres. Allotted land: 238.24 acres

Treaty

• 1846 Treaty with the Comanche,Aionai, Anadarko, Caddo, Etc.,

Vital Records

• Pawnee Agency, M595,
  • births and deaths 1924-1932, FS Catalog Film: 579750

Important Websites

• Constitution and By-Laws of the Tonkawa Tribe of Oklahoma.
• The Tonkawa Indian Tribe Official Website
• Tonkawa Tribe Wikipedia

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)