The Karankawas and Tonkawas: A History of Power and Perseverance
Sat, May 24, 2025
Mammen Family Public Library
131 Bulverde Crossing
Bulverde, Tx 78163
Join the Friends of GRSP/HCSNA at the Mammen Family Public Library for this unique presentation!
The Native peoples of Texas have long been misrepresented in popular narratives. In this talk, Dr. Tim Seiter explores the histories of the Karankawas and the Tonkawas, debunking common misconceptions and highlighting their resilience in the face of colonial aggression. These Indigenous nations built extensive trade networks, skillfully utilized native plants, and maintained control of their territories far longer than is often recognized. The Karankawas, for instance, held authority over their homelands for twice as long as the United States has been a nation. Despite facing extermination policies from the Spanish, early Anglo-Americans, and the U.S. government, these Native groups endured. Join us as we uncover the ingenuity, strength, and survival of Texas’s first peoples.
This presentation is offered in partnership with the Friends of Guadalupe River State Park and Honey Creek State Natural Area.
More about Dr. Timothy Seiter:
Tim Seiter serves as an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Texas at Tyler, having completed his doctoral dissertation at SMU in May 2024. Seiter studies colonial Texas and recently put the finishing touches on his first book, Wrangling Pelicans (University of Texas Press), which describes life as a presidio soldier in eighteenth-century Spanish Texas. Dr. Seiter is now writing a general history of the Karankawa peoples of the Texas Gulf entitled “Persistent Peoples.” This book highlights the Karankawa people who are reclaiming their land and revitalizing their culture today.
Registration for this program is encouraged, but not required.
For more information, please visit: The Karankawas and Tonkawas: A History of Power and Perseverance | Mammen Family Public Library