CADDO

caddo, a confederacy of north american indian tribes which gave its name to the caddoan stock, represented in the south by the caddos, wichita and kichai, and in the north by the pawnee and arikara tribes. the caddos, now reduced to some 500, settled in western oklahoma, formerly ranged over the red river (louisiana) country, in what is now arkansas, northern texas and oklahoma. the native name of the confederacy is hasinai, corrupted by the french into asinais and cenis. the caddoan tribes were mostly agricultural and sedentary, and to-day they are distinguished by their industry and intelligence. see _handbook of american indians_ (washington, 1907).