Texas Country Reporter
July 15, 2022
In Marathon, Happiness Is a Two-Chambered Wood Flute
Bob Freeman is a craftsman who carves, plays, and sings the praises of the traditional Native American instrument.
Native American
Tex-Mexplainer
April 27, 2022
Tetelas Are the Tasty Triangles You Need to Try Right Now
The ancient snack has found new prominence on Texas menus, thanks to enterprising chefs stamping it with their own creativity.
Texas History
December 15, 2021
The Quirky History of the Osage Orange, Texas’s Ugliest Fruit
Once eaten by woolly mammoths, and later used by Indigenous Texans and settlers for its sturdy wood, this strange plant has spread from Texas across the country.
Books
December 13, 2021
Darcie Little Badger’s Engrossing New Novel Blends Lipan Apache Folklore and Oceanography
The San Marcos author draws on her scientific training and tribal storytelling to weave a spellbinding tale in ‘A Snake Falls to Earth.’
Food & Drink
December 6, 2021
Native American Fry Bread Has a Place in North Texas
Colloquially known as an “Indian taco,” the fried dough loaded with savory or sweet toppings—and a complicated history—is gradually becoming available outside of powwows and art markets.
Art
October 7, 2021
From California Artists, a Stinging Critique of Texas’s Relationship to Its Land
An ambitious traveling exhibition asks how we became a state of endless fences, dams, and gas flares.
News & Politics
June 29, 2021
Hundreds of Places in Texas Still Bear Offensive Names—Especially Against Native Americans
Earlier this month, a federal board removed the word “Negro” from sixteen locations in Texas, but the state map is still rife with slurs.
Texas History
April 16, 2020
Strong as Grass: A Year After a Devastating Tornado, the Caddo Nation Rebuilds in East Texas
In the aftermath of tragedy, members of the Caddo Nation are drawing on their culture and traditions to help restore Caddo Mounds State Historic Site.
News & Politics
March 29, 2019
Federal Judges Side With Texas in Fight Over Native American Gambling
The Tigua and Alabama-Coushatta tribes may soon be forced to shutter their gaming operations after courts again rule them illegal.
Texas History
February 1, 1997
The Forgotten People
For three centuries the Kickapoo Indians moved from place to place across North America to avoid assimilation. Today they live on the outskirts of Eagle Pass: unwelcome, yet unwilling to give up the fight to preserve their culture.
Texas History
April 30, 1996
Signs of the Seers
The world-famous rock art of the Lower Pecos has long left scholars in awe—and in the dark. Now a group of Texas archaeologists has unlocked the sacred secrets of the ancient shamans.
Energy
November 1, 1995
Crude Awakening
There’s black gold in the South American rain forest—lots of it. Can the oil companies get it out without ruining the jungle and the way of life of the Indians who live there? The perils of drilling in the heart of darkness.
Texas History
March 1, 1993
Indian Takers
All across Texas, vandals are searching for ancient treasures by looting Indian campgrounds—including the one on my family’s ranch.
Business
April 1, 1992
Bingo Nation
The Choctaw Nation’s cavernous hall accommodates a weekly flood of fanatical game players.
Being Texan
April 1, 1989
Side By Side
Among the harsh mountains of Chihuahua, Mennonite immigrants and Tarahumara Indians maintain their ancient ways.
Texas History
February 1, 1989
The Lost Tribe
They were the classic Texas Indians—fierce, majestic, and free. Today’s Comanches find their lives defined by legends and bitter truths.