Karankawa

The Karankawa lived along the Gulf Coast of Texas, from Galveston Bay to Corpus Christi Bay. Several coastal groups shared their language and a way of life shaped by the shallow waters between the mainland and the barrier islands. Families moved seasonally, hunting and gathering as well as fishing, and travelled through the bays in dugout canoes large enough to carry their possessions.

In 1685 La Salle established Fort St. Louis near Matagorda Bay. Conflict followed, and Karankawa warriors attacked the remaining French settlers in 1689. Spanish authorities later founded missions and a presidio in the region, but their efforts to settle coastal peoples met resistance. War broke out in 1779 after Joseph María freed Karankawa families from Mission Rosario. Despite several Spanish campaigns, the conflict continued until a peace was negotiated around 1790.