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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Chief Russell Martin of the Tonkawa Tribe of |
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Oklahoma was welcomed to the State Capitol on February 6, 2025; and |
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WHEREAS, Based on the Chikaskia River in northern Oklahoma |
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since the 1880s, the Tonkawa Tribe maintains a strong connection to |
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its ancestral roots in Central Texas; in its early history, the |
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tribe was composed of a number of warrior, nomadic subtribes that |
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shared a distinct language and hunted buffalo and deer across a |
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region extending west from south Central Texas and western Oklahoma |
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to eastern New Mexico; called "Tonkaweya," meaning "they all stay |
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together," by the Waco tribe, they are known in their own tongue as |
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"Tickanwa-tic," or "real people"; and |
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WHEREAS, The Tonkawa came into conflict with other tribes but |
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offered friendship to Anglo settlers in Texas; when Stephen F. |
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Austin arrived in 1822, he encountered the Tonkawa along the west |
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bank of the Brazos River, and they began trade relations that |
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flourished under Chief Plácido; the Tonkawa aided the colonists as |
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scouts and helped defend the frontier against hostile tribes in the |
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Cherokee War and other conflicts; during the 1840s, the Tonkawa |
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camped in the middle of present-day Austin along Shoal Creek, and |
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they traded with pioneers in Travis County and provided critical |
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support at a perilous juncture; during the Archives War, as Anglo |
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families fled for safety, the Tonkawa protected the city's western |
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edge from Comanche raids; and |
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WHEREAS, Between 1867 and 1874, Tonkawa scouts and trackers |
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worked for the U.S. Army and Texas Rangers at Fort Griffin, fending |
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off the Comanche and Kiowa; despite all their assistance, however, |
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the Tonkawa were not granted any land in Texas; instead, they were |
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exiled and sent on a long journey on the Tonkawa Trail of Tears to |
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Indian Territory in 1884; and |
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WHEREAS, Only a few Tonkawa members reside in Texas today, |
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but Chief Martin, who serves as president of the tribe, has worked |
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tirelessly to strengthen ties to its ancient homeland; in 2023, the |
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Tonkawa purchased and reclaimed a sacred site, Red Mountain, in |
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Milam County, northeast of Austin; Chief Martin and his fellow |
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tribal leaders accepted official acknowledgment of the Tonkawa's |
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foundational contributions by both Travis County and the City of |
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Austin at Tonkawa Friendship Day on September 12, 2024; and |
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WHEREAS, Chief Russell Martin has enriched our knowledge of |
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Texas history by raising awareness of the vital role played by the |
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Tonkawa, and it is truly a pleasure to commemorate his visit to the |
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land of his forebears and pay respect to his people; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Chief Russell Martin and extend sincere |
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best wishes for many more occasions to celebrate the proud heritage |
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of the Tonkawa Tribe; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Chief Martin as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |
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Hinojosa |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 684 was adopted by the House on April |
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17, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 122, Nays 18, 2 present, not |
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voting. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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