Remembering Quanah Parker - Comanche Chief.

I saw this amazing documentary about Quanah Parker, a Comanche chieftain.

Shortly, his mother was a white woman, kidnapped by the Comanches as a girl.

And thus began a very strange tale.

And, I suppose in his younger years, one of the most handsome warriors of the old "Wild West".

Here's a shorter, summerized version.



Here's the full documentary:

Shortly on Quana's mum - Cynthia Ann Parker.

A legend in her own right actually:



Imagine, being ripped from a world and culture into another, and then back again!

Because he was half white, allegedly (all in the doccie above), unlike other Native Americans the local whites actually cheered him on, every-time he avoided capture with his band.

That's "our boy", giving the cavalry the run-around.

Whether he received active support at times, well who knows?

But it was a lost cause eventually, and he had to surrender or face annihilation.

Then a second life began.

First not very good.

Due to corrupt agents and bad economic times in general, the Indians began to starve.

That is when he truly rose for his people.

Because he realized ranchers were driving huge herds of cattle across the reservation.

And due to his savvy and standing he organized that each bovine was worth taxes, he made a deal with ranchers which saved his tribe from starvation and made him quite rich.

He was much paraded about eventually, and authorities ignored his long hair and status as a leader in the peyote religion.

Eventually he passed away as a citizen much beloved and respected by both the "white" and "Indian" cultures.

"Quanah Parker was never elected chief by his people but was appointed by the federal government as principal chief of the entire Comanche Nation"

Yeah, I'll pass on that

a reply to: halfoldman

"Imagine, being ripped from a world and culture into another, and then back again!"

Yeah, just like all the Natives who were forced in assimilation by the genociders, being forced into "american schools" were you got new names, were beat, starved, hair cut, couldn't speak your language, being tossed into reservations and continually mistreated

and that is our people who they let survive...

a reply to: XAnarchistX

Well yes indeed.

The two violently opposing worlds.

Just it wasn't always so unequal.

There was a time when "Comancheria", or entire Native North America was just as powerful.

I wonder sometimes - imagine it would have won.

a reply to: XAnarchistX

Vae Victis as they say.

Next exciting episode.

There's oil in Oklahoma!

What?

But we just moved all the Indians there, so that they can frolic there forever.

Well tough, give them all a little allotment, I'm sure they're used to disappointments by now.

(Satire - well the way I put it.
But nope, that is what happened, I just read in the history books.
Very tragic.)

a reply to: halfoldman

Thank you for the info. I grew up in Parker co tx hearing about Quanah Parker. Always seemed he was reviled and respected.

My mother in law 's family was in Parker co Tx when one of the raids occurred. There house was burned and one family member died. Think this was in 1860's . My mother in law inherited the partially burned family bible that was some decades older than the raid. One of my children now has it.

List of people killed in raid

Parker Co was named after an Issac Parker and there was an Issac Parker that identified Cynthia Ann Parker as his niece after her rescue (not sure it qualifies as a rescue or not) and she was take to Parker Co.

Additional history from Texas escapes

originally posted by: halfoldman
I saw this amazing documentary about Quanah Parker, a Comanche chieftain.

Shortly, his mother was a white woman, kidnapped by the Comanches as a girl.

And thus began a very strange tale.

And, I suppose in his younger years, one of the most handsome warriors of the old "Wild West".

Read the book Empire of the Summer Moon.

Absolutely riveting book and has no political slant to it, which is nice.

Interesting find.

The Comanche/Parker family reunion of 1954.