Source: My daughters and I went to Barnes and Noble where I got stuck in the Native American section. There are no chairs in there now, to discourage lingering in light of Covid I suppose. I ended up lingering on the floor next to this section. I took pictures of interesting looking books and then I checked this one out at the library.
It was well worth it. Plus, it coincided nicely with Blood Brothers about Cochise - neighboring tribes and similar time period - civil war, pre, and post. These are Comanches, that one was a fictional account but centered on Cochise and the apaches.
Like the Apaches, the Comanches were loosely aligned small tribal groups. There numbers were not expansive even prior to the slaughtering of their buffalo and encroachment and seizure on their ancestral lands. This was partially due to the rigorous horseback lifestyle that made childbearing a challenge. They were the quintessential nomadic hunter-gatherers. They did no farming and moved about every three weeks. I already knew about how the Comanches had mastered horsemanship like no other, having learned from the Spaniards who initially introduced horses to North America. Horses transformed a once incongruous and marginalized tribe into the most powerful and warlike plains people of North America.
Into this world, Cynthia Ann Parker was inducted at age nine after being taken in a raid on a fort. Her pioneering family: who became prominent Texans, the Parkers, naively left their base camp and fort unprotected and many people were killed and children and one woman abducted. Cynthia Ann, like other young children was eventually adopted into the tribe, married a powerful chief, and bore children. She completely immersed herself in the culture and rejected multiple attempts to be reunited with anglo culture. Finally, after a massive battle she was forcibly taken by whites and returned to her relatives along with her small daughter. She was forced to leave behind her two sons, one of which Quanah - protagonist of this non fiction story and eventual warrior, leader, and reservation politician in later years. Cynthia Ann never assimilated back into anglo world. She continually tried to run away, she was paraded like a circus animal, and died at a heartbreakingly young age, never able to return to her heart tribe and sons. Their way of life was coming to an end.
Another interesting figure of this book was a small in stature Texas Ranger Jack Hays who would go on to revolutionize warfare in the west. He commanded a daring band of border ruffians and trained them to live and fight like Comanches. They eventually got their hands on and helped adapt what would be known as the Walker Colt - the first repeating revolver. Prior to this, the typical easterner with his one long rifle stood little chance against a fearless Comanche who rode at a full gallop with at least 6 weapons to hand.
The other interesting thing - a portion about the pensive leader Mackenzie who always downplayed his heroism and role so much that few people knew about his merit as a commander and fighter until after his death. The part about Quanah Parker was fascinating. He was a true pragmatist. Once he realized the warrior and buffalo days were over, he embraced the anglo life and became a leader of his people uniting them in a completely novel way and calling himself the first Comanche Chief - he would also be the last.
He cleverly managed to make money on cattle despite the Indian Agency's corruption and the absolute ineptitude of the federal government to reasonably handle or understand the natives. He became friends with his once foe Mackenzie and learned from him. He built an imposing house for his many wives and children and never turned anyone away from his table. He was known for his generosity and lobbied the government for fair treatment.
Sadly, he died fairly young but left an interesting legacy.
