Wichita+Arts+and+Recreation

= = =Wichita Arts and Recreation= The Wichita adults and children had a rich culture that involved many arts and games. The Wichita children were brought up playing and learning these games, as it was a part of their culture. The children played with dolls and other toys that were handmade, and a hoop game was commonly known and played among the children about the Wichita tribe.
 * by Ellen**

The Wichita people were known for their creation of clay pots, clay jars, hide paintings, and leather bags. The Wichitas location in northern Texas and southern Oklahoma was key to their creation of clay pots and jars because of the abundance of clay. The clay pots and jars were obviously made up of clay that had been excavated, and then the pots were intricately sculpted to be functional as well as serving aesthetic purposes.

In addition to pottery, the Wichita people were talented artisans at leatherwork and painting, but often, the craftspeople would use scraps and leftovers of leather or of any other material they could get their hands on. Many of the men hunted and brought back large amounts of meat and a few hides. The hides were often tanned and used to make clothing, but the tanned hides were also used to make leather bags. Another use for the tanned hides would include use as a canvas for various paintings.

The Wichita tribe was known to have constructed thatched dome houses that were similar to the beehive like homes of the Caddo tribe. The shelters were framed out with several cedar poles that ran vertically and met in the center, and the framework was then covered in dry grasses except for a small hole in the center of the shelter to allow smoke to escape.

Images from:
 * Works Cited**
 * 1) Rocha, Rodolfo, et al. __Celebrating Texas: Honoring the Past and Building the Future.__ United States of America: McDougal Littell, 2003.
 * 2) Wichita Indian Fact Sheet. Native Languages of the Americas website. 4 October 2009 [[]]
 * 3) Wichita Indians of Texas. 4 October 2009
 *