Kichai
The Kichai, also referred to as Kitsei, are a Native American group that belongs to the Caddoan family, historically residing in areas that are now Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. They are part of the broader Caddo tribes, known for their advanced culture in the southern Great Plains, characterized by permanent villages with round thatched houses, and their skills in agriculture, hunting, pottery, and weaving. The Kichai called themselves Kitsash, meaning "going in wet sand," and were known as "water turtles" by the Pawnee. Their first encounter with European settlers occurred in 1701, leading to generally friendly relations with the French. However, their population began to decline due to European diseases and conflicts with colonial and later American forces. By 1855, they were relegated to a small reservation on the Brazos River, but soon faced violent land disputes, leading many to flee to Oklahoma. Ultimately, the Kichai merged with the Wichita tribe, losing their distinct identity over time, and the last known speaker of their language passed away in the 1930s. The history of the Kichai reflects the broader struggles faced by many Indigenous groups in North America during periods of colonization and expansion.
Kichai
Category: Tribe
Culture area: Plains
Language group: Caddoan
Primary location: Oklahoma
The Kichai (also spelled Kitsei), a branch of the Caddoan family, lived in what is now Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The Caddo tribes had inhabited the southern Great Plains for thousands of years. “Caddo” is a shortened form of Kadohadacho (“real chiefs”). The Caddo, the most culturally advanced peoples of the southern Plains, lived in round thatched houses in permanent villages. They were skilled agriculturalists as well as expert hunters, and they were known for their beautiful pottery and weaving. Kitsash, the name the Kichai had for themselves, means “going in wet sand”; the Pawnee called them “water turtles.” Their first recorded contact with whites was in 1701, when they encountered the French in eastern Louisiana. French colonial relations with the Kichai remained friendly from that time. Throughout the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, their population decreased as they fell victim to new diseases carried by the Spanish, French, and British and as they fought with European and Mexican invaders. In 1855, they were assigned by the United States to a small reservation on the Brazos River. Three years later, they were pushed aside and killed in large numbers by Texans who wanted their land. The Kichai fled north to Oklahoma and merged with the Wichita; they were absorbed by that tribe and lost their own identity. The last speaker of the Kichai language died in the 1930’s.
