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Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

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Although praised by many in his tribe as a preserver of their culture, Quanah Parker also had Comanche critics. Some [ who?] claimed that he "sold out to the white man" by adapting and becoming a rancher. He dressed and lived in what some viewed as a more European-American than Comanche style. Critic Paul Chaat Smith called "Quanah Parker: sellout or patriot?" the "basic Comanche political question". [23] Comanche history and culture is the focus of this book. The subtitle of the book markets itself as a biography of Quanah Parker, but he doesn't show up until the final fourth of the book. The nation was booming. In 1869 The Transcontinental Railroad was completed, linking the industrialized east with the developing west. Only one obstacle remained, the war- like Indian Tribes who inhabited the Great Plains.

Gwynne's work is a complex story of a lesser known era in American history. It is a story worth knowing. Gwynne tells it well. I would encourage anyone interested in expansion of the American frontier to read it. One not fully familiar with Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico geography would be well served to have maps readily available to appreciate the range of the Comanche travels and the speed in which they achieved it. First we need to look at the outline of this story. The Comanches were several nations of people who initially were less developed than their neighboring tribes. As a result, the Comanches were treated badly by their neighbors. This all changed when the Spanish introduced Native Americans to the horse.In chapter four, Gwynne compares the Comanche warriors to the Celts, and later, in chapter five, to the Spartans. Both were war-driven cultures that prided themselves on being more fearless than their opponents. Can you think of any other historical cultures that remind you of the Comanche? Do you think it is fair to identify this tribe solely based on their ability to wage and win wars? S. C. Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.

Burnett ran 10,000 cattle until the end of the lease in 1902. [6] The cattle baron had a strong feeling for Native American rights, and his respect for them was genuine. Where other cattle kings fought natives and the harsh land to build empires, Burnett learned Comanche ways, passing both the love of the land and his friendship with the natives to his family. As a sign of their regard for Burnett, the Comanches gave him a name in their own language: Mas-sa-suta, meaning "Big Boss". Quanah Parker earned the respect of US governmental leaders as he adapted to the white man's life and became a prosperous rancher in Oklahoma. His spacious, two-story Star House had a bedroom for each of his seven wives and their children. He had his own private quarters, which were rather plain. Beside his bed were photographs of his mother Cynthia Ann Parker and younger sister Topʉsana. Quanah Parker extended hospitality to many influential people, both Native American and European American. Among the latter were the Texas surveyor W. D. Twichell and the cattleman Charles Goodnight. [ citation needed] Quanah Parker taught that the sacred peyote medicine was the sacrament given to the Indian peoples and was to be used with water when taking communion in a traditional Native American Church medicine ceremony. Quanah Parker was a proponent of the "half-moon" style of the peyote ceremony. The "cross" ceremony later evolved in Oklahoma because of Caddo influences introduced by John Wilson, a Caddo- Delaware religious leader who traveled extensively around the same time as Parker during the early days of the Native American Church movement. In the 2021 Paramount+ TV series 1883, Martin Sensmeier plays Sam, a skilled Comanche warrior loyal to Quanah Parker, who later takes Elsa as his wife. The Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railway, which originated in Texas in 1902 and was merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1981.Though Gwynne uses the term loosely, the Comanches were an “empire” in the very literal sense of the word. They came from the Wind River region in present-day Wyoming, and slowly migrated toward the south. For a long time, they were at the mercy of other tribes, until, in an ultimately bitter irony, the Spaniards – and their horses – arrived on the scene. Brilliantly adapting the horse to their lifestyle, the Comanches grew into a potent martial and political force. They nearly annihilated certain tribes – such as the Apache and the Tonkawa – made treaties with other tribes, and consolidated their holdings into a roughly delineated land known as Comancheria, which comprised portions of present-day Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Post Oak Mission Cemetery Comanche County, Oklahoma 34°37′23″N 98°45′35″W / 34.62310°N 98.75970°W / 34.62310; -98.75970 Actor Richard Angarola (1920–2008) was cast as Quanah Parker in the 1959 episode, "Tribal Justice," of the syndicated television anthology series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews. In the story line, Parker, before he becomes Comanche chief, must clear his name for causing the death of a fellow tribesman. [29] Oklahoma Department of Transportation. "Oklahoma's Memorial Highways & Bridges – P Listing" . Retrieved June 2, 2010. The Comanches did not farm, clear timber or settle down for more than a month at a time. They followed the buffalo, whose slaughter played a key role in their cultural demise.

May the Great Spirit smile on your little town, May the rain fall in season, and in the warmth of the sunshine after the rain, May the earth yield bountifully, May peace and contentment be with you and your children forever. [ citation needed]To actually call the Comanche an Indian Nation is a misnomer. They were a band of loosely associated nomadic bands that ranged from Colorado to Eastern New Mexico, Oklahoma, and down through the Panhandle of Texas all the way to the outskirts of present day Austin and San Antonio. The land they occupied was named Comancheria by the Spanish. The Comanche had no central political or social organization. War chiefs were chosen strictly on the basis of an individual's ability to recruit followers and successfully raid their opponents for horses and captives. Isa-tai—a medicine man, a magician, and a con man according to Gwynne (p. 264)—was both a blessing and a curse to the Comanche. Together, he and Quanah rallied the warriors necessary to spring a revenge raid on the Texans. Although Quanah is remembered as the last great Comanche chief, how much do you think Isa-tai contributed to Quanah’s status? Would Quanah have been able to rally as many warriors into battles without Isa-tai? Do you think Quanah and the Comanche would have ultimately been better off without Isa-tai? The book does a great job of painting the big picture of the history of the Comanches' ascent, invasion and conquering of its desired homeland, and in setting up the coming clash with the Texans. It always seemed to me that the reason the Comanches and Texans were such bitter enemies were that they were so much alike. Both were fighting for a homeland, neither intended to let anyone stand in their way, and both were capable of almost unthinkable savagery. Yet, while this was a clear Native American success story, the lawmakers in Washington decided that they needed to steal Native American land again. In the end, Quanah Parker, the last chief of the Comanches, only had a few hundred dollars, his home, a few horses and mules. While Washington took away almost everything he had, Parker never turned away anyone who was in need.

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