Cochise and Tom Jeffers

Source: my grandma

This is a historical novel portraying the relationship between Cochise and Tom Jeffers. It was really well done. I love this book.

Perhaps the creative license with Jeffers' romantic liaisons was a little mushy (little is known of Jeffers romantic relationships and he never officially married) and his depiction of Indian life might be idealized, but all in all it seems to be historically accurate and is thoughtfully and powerfully written.

The saga of white relations with native tribes is painful. The main idea is that a noble individual can rise above the stereotypes and errors of their own race or group and through embracing truth and honor can overcome cross cultural barriers to unite in friendship. 

There is a kind of mysticism that pervades this book. This is one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much. There is more than just a retelling of events. The book captures the mystical tie that both of these individuals had for the land itself and eventually for one another. 

They faced criticism from their own groups and persecution from without. They held onto a creed that was deep within. As a recovering people pleaser, this profoundly inspires me. 

Like studying the tribal groups of the Eurasian steppes and other groups who lived and thrived in seemingly hostile terrain, the apaches are fascinating. They achieved a mastery over their own bodies that to our times seems supernatural. They had rigid rules of conduct which helped them to remain united and function as a unit. Their leadership was a combination of hereditary but strength based and based on tanistry like in Scotland: 

    "Sometimes the king’s son became tanist, but not because the system of primogeniture was in any way recognized. Indeed, the only principle adopted was that the dignity of chieftainship should descend to the eldest and most worthy of the same blood, who well could be a brother, nephew, or cousin. This system of succession left the headship open to the ambitious and was a frequent source of strife both within families and between clans." https://www.britannica.com/topic/tanistry

Unlike in England where the oldest son inherited, even if he was a raging idiotic lunatic, this system took note of heredity but was largely based on battle prowess and leadership qualities.