A Spirit of One
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It is believed by the Caddo that they have inhabited the continent of North America since the beginning of time. Caddo history has no record of the crossing of this race and culture from Asia, and teaches that the race's first existence was in America. Before the fifteenth century, A.D., and some time after, the Caddoan-speaking peoples resided in and ruled the territory from what is now the Gulf, and Gulf Coast, northward to the middle of Canada, bounded on the west by Colorado and east by Iowa. Some of the lands were held in common with other tribes, who later became the dominant inhabitants. Kadohadacho means Real Chiefs. The Caddo were a peaceful, agrarian society whose principal crops were squash, corn, beans, and tobacco. The Caddo did hunt buffalo and turkey. Caddo also fished rivers, lakes and in the Gulf ocean. Life was orderly and was directed by a Council of Chieftains made up of both spiritual and tribal leaders. The Supreme Chief was multi- talented and attained both spiritual and tribal leadership within the Council of Chieftains. The Caddoan Linguistic Family consisted of communities. Each community or Band had several hundred or thousands of individuals who were ruled over by their tribal and spiritual leaders. Each had a separate name and a Caddoan language dialect. The largest and most dominant if the Caddo community Bands were the Hasinai. Prehistory may have general differences, however, American documented history describes the Hasinai as composed of the following Bands/Tribes: Hasinai, Nasoni, Haanai, Nacono, Neches, Nacogdoche, Nawidish, and Anadarko. The next largest prehistoric and historic Band was the Kadohadacho, or Caddo proper. This Band/Tribe community was, at the time of recorded history, composed of the Kadohadacho, Quachita, Doustioni, Nantosoho and the upper and lower Natchitoches. The third group of Bands/Tribes were the Haish, Yowani, Kichai, Nadaco, and Nasoni. Other Bands/Tribes were the Haish, Yowani, Kichai, Nadaco, and Nasoni. Other Bands were independent tribes such as the Hais, Adai, and Yatasi. The Caddo predominantly inhabited the geographical area which is the State of Eastern of Oklahoma, Western Arkansas, Northwestern Louisiana, Northeastern Texas, and Southwestern Missouri within what is now the United States of America. These communities of Bands/Tribes made up the Caddo Confederacy. Although dispersed over a wide geographical area, each Band was very similar in belief systems, clothing, custom, and speech. The dominant band of the Caddo was Hasinai, which at the time of recorded American history made its primary home in what is now Louisiana and East Texas. In this dominant ruling band the supreme hierarchy was passed on through marital heirship, at birth receiving the ruling family hereditary ascribed position. The blood-line of the family of Chief Oat, prehistorically and historically were trained from known conception to be the best of men. The Oat Supreme Chief and Oat Chiefs and their families traveled to each of the other Bands/Tribes on a regular basis to make decisions of law, domestic and foreign policy, commerce, and the economy, and to participate in spiritual and cultural events. Today, in the 1900's, many Caddo live in the State of Oklahoma, and in the surrounding areas of Binger, Loekeba, Ft. Cobb and Anadarko. Although the Caddo were one of the most dominant and populous tribes in the south before the 18th century, there are now only about three thousand, on the Caddo Tribal rolls and many are of mixed blood. The Caddo fell more often to death due to epidemics which came to America with the Europeans than to wars. The prehistoric, historic, and spiritual information contained in this book was gathered in the traditional method of teaching of the Caddo, which is both verbal and non-verbal communication, passed from one generation to the next continuously since prehistoric times. Written oral, visual, and genetic knowledge was obtained from one of the last full-blooded Caddo, Michael Martin, direct descendant of the Chief Oat family. Michael Martin, an artist by trade, was also a tribal leader and a Caddo historian who worked with prominent scholars regarding Caddo history. He was born in approximately 1893 and died in 1969. He lived with and was raised by his great- grandmother, Choah, who was a recognized tribal and spiritual leader. The contents of this book were assembled and recorded by William Moss, grandson of Michael Martin, and last of the Oat. The book is divided into chapters which are presented in two parts. The five chapters in Part One contain the Caddo teachings about the Universe, Life, and Man. Part Two presents the Rules for Living designed as Books of Wisdom. All contents of this book have been personally synthesized in thought by the author, William Moss, and written for the first time in English.
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About the Book
A Spirit of One is a unique and rare book of an American Indian tribe-the Caddo. The Caddo tribe dominated mid-America both socially and politically. This book reaches deep into the past history of the Caddo, and emphasizes the ways of the Caddo's social order, law, history and philosophy, and for the first time brings out cultural aspects unknown about the Caddo. The author descends from a hereditary line of Chiefs of the Oat Family, and is also a 1989 graduate from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in History and Political Science.
About the Author
William Moss is a member of the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma. He graduated in 1989 from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History with an emphasis in American History and American Indian Studies, and has a secondary degree in Political Science. The author currently resides in Los Angeles, California.