Wichita+Customs+and+Traditions

==

Wichita Customs and Traditions
The Wichita culture in northern Texas and southern Oklahoma was very rich in customs and traditions. The Wichita men and women both had traditional customs of appearance. These customs of appearance included tattooing which was done by scratching tribe patterns and symbols into one's skin, and then rubbing ashes into the cuts and scratches, leaving faint but visible blue marks throughout. Women often oiled and parted their hair down the center and then braided their hair, and the men typically just wore their hair long and down but there were other options also. The tribal people also decorated themselves with many beads, piercings, and paint, as it was a custom.
 * by Ellen**

Religion was also very important in Wichita culture. In Wichita religion the Creator or God was known as Kinnekasus or the Man-Never-Known-On-Earth was also mentioned as the "Great Spirit." Religion was not written down in scripture like it is today, so the art of storytelling was very important in the religion of the Wichita people. The people also had legends and fairytales that were passed on from generation to generation through storytelling. The legends of the Wichitas explain how the main religious figures passed knowledge of how to grow crops, how to hunt, etc. The religious figures were also part of nature, as one figure became the moon and another the sun.

Images from:
 * Works Cited**
 * 1) Warren, Betsy. __Indians Who Lived in Texas.__ New York: Hendrick-Long Publishing Company, 1991.
 * 2) Wichita Indian Fact Sheet. Native Languages of the Americas website. 4 October 2009 [[]]
 * 3) Wichita Indian Legends. Native Languages of the Americas website. 4 October 2009
 * [ http://www.thecitiesof.com/texas/escape/texashistory.html]
 *