Publication Date
Spring 5-9-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in History & Political Thought, History Concentration (MA)
Department
History
Committee Chair
Dr. Jerry D. Thompson
Committee Member
Dr. Deborah L. Blackwell
Committee Member
Dr. Simon Zschirnt
Committee Member
Dr. Alison Hadley Hilburn
Abstract
The Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas holds a significant place in Texas history. Facing conflicts with other tribes and experiencing broken treaties with the United States government, the Kickapoo slowly migrated from the Great Lakes region in the 16th century to the Midwest, then to the South, and into northern Mexico. Along the way, the Kickapoo encountered the French, British, Spanish, Americans, Texans, and Mexicans. They became involved in historical events such as the French and Indian War, the Battle of Tippecanoe, the War of 1812, the Battle Creek Massacre of 1838, and the Battle of Dove Creek of 1865.
The Mexican government granted the Kickapoos sanctuary in El Nacimiento, near Musquiz, Coahuila, Mexico. However, in the 1940s, Mexico’s modernization campaign, which included the establishment of mining and smelting companies that negatively impacted their farming environment, led the Mexican government to force the Kickapoo back into the United States. Consequently, they migrated to their ancestral lands in South Texas. For forty years, the Kickapoo lived in abject poverty as migrant workers under the International Bridge between Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. In 1983, Congress passed the Texas Band of Kickapoo Act, which granted the Kickapoo a reservation, recognized them as a Native American tribe, and entitled them to social and medical benefits.
This thesis examines the resilience and determination of the Texas Kickapoo throughout their migrations into the South Texas borderlands and Mexico. It investigates how the Texas Kickapoo preserved their cultural identity while establishing themselves on their reservation and how the development of the casino industry contributed to overcoming poverty.
Recommended Citation
Medina-Rendon, Diana P., ""Cultural Identity and Economic Challenges": The Socio-Economic Impact of the Texas Kickapoo Reservation in the South Texas Borderlands" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 217.
https://rio.tamiu.edu/etds/217
