Four Corner - Texas Water Development Board

Texas coast at that time; the Akokisa who occupied the Galveston Bay area northward to
Conroe and east to approximately Beaumont; the Atakapa who occupied the area east of
Beaumont into western Louisiana; and the Bidai who occupied the territory north of the
Akokisa which included the Huntsville and Liberty areas (Aten, 1983). From the
ethnohistoric records as well as (lie archaeological information, the groups were hunting
and gathering peoples (Hester, 1980; Aten, I983; Story, I990). From ca. 3000 BC to AD
I 00, no important technological or social advances have been identified among the
Native American groups. From AD I 00 to AD 800, ceramics were being used the bow
and arrow was introduced and there was some recognition of territorial boundaries
indicating social structure. From AD 800 until contact, there was refinement in ceramic
production and increased use of the bow and arrow.
At the time of contact, the sociopolitical structure of the groups would be classified as
tribes (Aten, I983). During the warm seasons, they were dispersed in band sized groups.
They gathered into villages during the colder seasons with populations ranging from 400
to 500. Cabeza de Vaca's account of these groups was that they lived in a state of
starvation the year around even though they had access to all of the marine resources of
a coastal environment. Caleza de Vaca lived in this area for six years and became a
trader for the Native Americans, bartering sea shells and other coastal products for hides
and lithic resources from inland groups (Newcomb, I96I ). The archaeological record
indicates that ceramics appeared with the Atakapa in 70 BC, with the Akokisa in AD
I 00, with the Karonkawa in AD 300 and with the Bidai in AD 500. The origin of this
ceramic technology would appear to be the Lower Mississippi Valley and was adopted
from east to west over time (A ten, 1983 ).
Some of the project areas in Fort Bend County were part of the original Stephen F.
Austin colony. Their location along the Brazos River was advantageous, as it was easily
navigated which gave ready access to the Gulf of Mexico.
Field survey indicates the highest potential prehistoric sites in this area are; (1) along the
banks of Keegans Bayou located behind the Kingbridge Development in the upper
northeast section of the area and, (2) the banks of two drainage channels, one in the
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Preliminary Engineerng Report