Karánkaway Country

by Roy Bedichek

Roy Bedichek spent most of his life working in the educational field in Texas, but his main interest was always the great outdoors. His first book, Adventures with a Texas Naturalist , was published when he was almost seventy, and his second, Karánkaway Country , appeared three years later. Both were the result of a lifetime of exploring a beloved land, of searching observation, of discussion, debate, wide reading, and reflection. Long out of print, Karánkaway Country is now available in a handsome second edition with a new Foreword by W. W. Newcomb, Jr. Karánkaway Country focuses on the natural history of a strip of coastal prairie lying roughly between Corpus Christi and Galveston and once inhabited by the poorly known and much maligned Karankawa Indians. It serves as home base for an exposition of Bedichek's philosophy, providing a convenient local setting for richly tailored essays on wildlife, soil, human skin, and a variety of other topics suggested by a wide-ranging intellect. Bedichek's philosophy, if it can be reduced to a few words, is essentially that humans must learn to live on peaceful and conciliatory terms with our natural environment.

318 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Dave Norwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

When considering the "holy trinity" of early-to-mid 20th century Texas letters (J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, and Roy Bedichek), I tend to gravitate toward Bedichek. He is the most lyrical of the three, and a reader can ride the current of his prose, even if the subject matter leaves something to be desired.

The bulk of this book deals with the central regions of the Texas Coastal Bend, where the Karankawa Indians roamed before they were exterminated by European settlement. By the mid 19th century, they were wiped out of existance, and little is known about this nomadic coastal tribe. There are prevailing myths, common to the present day, particularly the accusation of widespread cannibalism, of which there is no evidence. They are often regarded as giants, exceeding heights of seven feet, but this, too, is probably a myth. The men were usually over 6 feet tall, and likely seemed giant to conquistadors and European settlers of the day.

Much of the book deals with the natural history of the region; flora, fauna, and watershed. The chapter on the mating habits of the Attwater Prairie Chicken interested me to the point of wanting to see it for myself, and I intend to make a trip to the Prairie Chicken preserve soon. The chapters on silt and watershed take the reader up to the headwaters of the rivers that drain into the Gulf, and questions the wisdom of the reclaimation projects that have affected the course of upland silt and all things which rely and thrive on it. Much of the book assesses the human imprint along the Texas Coast, and although the book was first published nearly fifty years ago, many of Bedichek's assessments ring true to the modern day.

There is a chapter on goats that seemed rather irrelavent to me, particularly when it went into unfavorable perceptions of goats throughout human history, which seemed to deviate from the subject of the Texas Coastal Plain between the Brazos and the Nueces Rivers, but I don't think Bedichek gave a damn about continuity in his books. He was on a lark, and he seemed to write according to his whims. I'm sure it was of little consequence to him whether or not we came along for the ride. As for me, I'll ride with Bedichek, diversions and all.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Texas writer, educator, and naturalist Roy Bedichek was born in 1878 and came to Texas as a young child in 1884. He was always interested in Texas nature but it was not until 1946 with the urging of friends including J. Frank Dobie that he wrote his first book. Karankaway Country is his second book, originally published in 1950. In it, Bedichek takes on efforts to assist the endangered whooping cranes, water rights issues, the decline of the Atwater prairie chicken, and other nature stories of the Texas Gulf Coast. Bedichek is a delightful writer, witty, clever, and always on point, and the stories he tells are surprisingly relevant today.

For more about Roy Bedichek, see the PBS special, Roy Bedichek's Vanishing Frontier.

[Patrick McG · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last paragraph of this book was basically just like "and that's what I think would be the basis for a sensible soil management policy" and I was just like "wait that's the end?" and that's not totally reflective of the whole book but it was the last part that I read. And maybe it was reflective of the whole book, because on the whole it was a little weird. I liked the story about the raccoon in Manitoba who fought a guy though. 2 stars out of 5.