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Native Languages of the Americas:
Caddo Legends and Traditional Stories

This is our collection of links to Caddo folktales and traditional stories that can be read online. We have indexed our Native American folklore section by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Caddo tribe, the traditional stories of related tribes like the Pawnee and Wichita are very similar.

Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Caddo legend for this page or think one of the ones on here should be removed, please contact us and let us know.

Important Caddo Mythological Figures

Caddi Ayo (or Ayo-Caddi-Aymay.) This means "Sky Chief" or "Chief Above" in the Caddo language, and is the Caddo name for the Creator (God.) Sometimes the Plains Indian term "Great Spirit" is also used. Caddi Ayo is a divine spirit and is not generally personified in Caddo folklore.

Village Boy and Wild Boy. These mythical twins whose mother was killed by a monster are common to the folklore of many Midwestern and Plains tribes. In Caddo mythology, the twins (called Coninisí) are associated with thunder and lightning.

Coyote. Coyote is the trickster figure of the Caddo tribe. As in other Plains Indian mythology, Coyote is sometimes anthropomorphized into human form and other times depicted in the shape of a coyote (sometimes both within a single story.) Caddo coyote stories range from light-hearted tales of mischief and buffoonery, to more serious legends about the nature of the world, to ribald jokes.

Caddaja. A sort of man-eating ogre, similar to the Two-Face and Sharp-Elbow monsters of the northern Plains tribes. In some legends the Caddaja is portrayed as a horned serpent, more like the Cherokee Uktena.

Caddo Indian Folklore

*Traditions of the Caddo:
    Online collection of 78 Caddo legends and folktales.
*When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and other Indian Legends:
    Stories from the Alabama, Comanche and Caddo tribes.
*Caddo Sun Myths:
    An overview of traditional Caddo mythology.
*The Twin Brothers * The Brothers Who Became Lightning And Thunder:
    Caddo legends about the mythical twin heros, Thunder and Lightning.
*Coyote and the Origin of Death: * How Death Became Eternal:
    The Caddo story of how death came to the world.
*The Voice, the Flood and the Turtle:
    Caddo myth about the flooding of the earth.
*The Buffalo Wife * Buffalo Woman:
    Caddo legend about a man who won a buffalo wife.
*Coyote The Hungry:
    Caddo tales of the trickster Coyote and his humorous attempts to catch turkeys.
*Why Coyote Stopped Imitating His Friends: * Coyote Imitates His Hosts: * When Coyote Imitated Woodpecker:
    More humorous Coyote stories, about the trickster trying to mimic other animals' powers.
*The Lazy Boys Who Became The Pleiades:
    Caddo legend about the origin of the Pleiades stars.
*Sacred Medicine Water:
    Caddo legend about the creation of a sacred spring.

Recommended Books on Caddo Mythology

Hold Up The Sky:
    Anthology of legends from the Caddo and other Texas tribes.
Southeastern Native American Legends:
    Book comparing the traditional stories of the Caddo and other Southeast tribes.

Additional Resources

 Caddo harvest ritual
 Books of Native American legends
 Caddo words
 Native American religions
 Indian tribes of Texas
 Southeast Indians
 Caddoan Indians
 Caddo culture
 Native American Indian



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