caddo

The Caddo people comprise the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma. They speak Caddo. The chairman is Tamara Francis-Fourkiller. How about that! She has a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma.

Her language gave us the name Texas, which means friend. Tejas is the Spanish spelling of the Caddo word taysha, meaning friend or ally. In the 17th century, the Spanish knew the westernmost Caddo peoples as “the great kingdom of Tejas”, and the name lived on to become the name of the 28th state.