Nacono facts for kids

The Nacono were a Native American tribe. They lived in eastern Texas a long time ago. Today, the Nacono people are part of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma. This is a federally recognized tribe in Oklahoma.

History of the Nacono Tribe

The Nacono tribe was part of a larger group called the Caddo Confederacy. They belonged to a specific branch of the Caddo called the Hasinai.

The Nacono people lived in villages. These villages were located along the Neches and Angelina Rivers. This area is near where Cherokee and Houston Counties are today. Their homeland had a mix of woodlands and open grassy areas called savannas.

In the early 1700s, a Spanish explorer named Domingo Ramon visited the Nacono. In his diary from 1716, he wrote about seeing the Nacono tribe. He noted they lived near a Spanish mission called San Francisco de los Neches.

Another Spanish explorer, Juan Antonio de la Pena, wrote about the Nacono in 1721. He called their village El Macono. He said it was located about five leagues (a unit of distance) below the Neches River crossing.

The Nacono were part of the Hasinai confederacy. This group included 11 to 30 other communities. Some of these were the Nadaco, the Hainai, and the Nacogdoche. The Hasinai confederacy later became part of the larger Caddo confederacy.

These large groups of tribes likely formed in the 1600s. This was a time of big changes for Native American tribes. European diseases caused many people to get sick. There were also more conflicts in the region. These events led to tribes moving and joining together for safety and strength.

Other Names for the Nacono

The Nacono tribe was known by several other names. These include Naconish, Macono, Naconome, and Nocono.

Some groups might have been smaller parts of the Nacono tribe. These include the Lacane, Nacachau, Nacao (Nacau), Naconicho (Nacaniche), and Nakanawan peoples.