Quanah Parker

Quanah Parker (c. late 1840s - February 23, 1911) was a Native American leader, the son of Comanche chief Peta Nocona and "Anglo-Texan" Cynthia Ann Parker, and the last chief of the Quahadi Comanche Indians. Image File history File links Chief_Quanah_Parker_of_the_Kwahadi_Comanche. ... Image File history File links Chief_Quanah_Parker_of_the_Kwahadi_Comanche. ... // Events and Trends Technology First use of general anesthesia in an operation, by Crawford Long The first electrical telegraph sent by Samuel Morse on May 24, 1844 from Baltimore to Washington, D.C.. War, peace and politics First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... For other uses, see Comanche (disambiguation). ... Peta Nocona (b. ... Cynthia Ann Parker, or Naduah (also sometimes spelled Nadua and Nauta), was an Anglo-Texas woman of Scotch-Irish descent who suffered being kidnapped twice in her lifetime - once from her natural family at the age of nine by a Native American raiding party, and once from her Indian family...

From youth to leadership

Quanah Parker's mother, Cynthia Ann Parker, was a member of the large Parker frontier family that settled in east Texas in the 1830s. She was captured in 1836 by Comanches during the raid of Fort Parker near present-day Groesbeck, Texas. She was given the Indian name Nadua ("Someone Found"), and adopted into the Nocona band of Comanches. Cynthia Ann eventually married the Comanche warrior Puhtocnocony (called Peta Nocona by the whites). Quanah was her firstborn son. She also had another son, Pecos ("Peanut") and a daughter, Topsana ("Prairie Flower)" In 1860, Cynthia Ann Parker was recaptured in the battle of Pease River by Texas Rangers under Lawrence Sullivan Ross. Peta Nocona, Quanah, and most of the other men were out hunting when Ross' men attacked. Returning to find the aftermath, they found it difficult to get any information as only a few people were still alive. Meanwhile, Cynthia Ann was reunited with her white family, but years with the Comanches had made her a different person. She frequently demanded to return to her husband, but was never permitted to do so. After Topsana died of an illness, Cynthia Ann starved herself to death. Events and Trends Electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday Dutch-speaking farmers known as Voortrekkers emigrate northwards from the Cape Colony Croquet invented in Ireland Railroad construction begins in earnest in the United States Egba refugees fleeing the Yoruba civil wars found the city of Abeokuta in south-west Nigeria... Year 1836 (MDCCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see Comanche (disambiguation). ... The Fort Parker massacre was an event in 1836 in which members of the pioneer Parker family were killed in a raid by Native Americans. ... Groesbeck is a city located in Limestone County, Texas. ... Official crest of the Texas Ranger Division The Texas Ranger Division, commonly known as the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction based in Austin, the capital city of Texas, in the United States. ... Lawrence Sullivan Ross (Sul Ross) (September 27, 1838 – January 3, 1898) was a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. ...

Soon after the Pease River battle, Peta Nocona was said to be a broken, bitter man. He was later wounded on a raid with Apaches. Already in ill-health, with an older war wound troubling him, he soon died. Before his death, he told Quanah of his mother's capture from the whites. With this revelation came taunts from other tribesmen that Quanah was a half-breed. With Nocona's death, his band split. Quanah joined the Destanyuka band, where Chief Wild Horse took him under his wing. Though he grew to considerable standing as a warrior, he never felt comfortable with the Destanyuka. He left and formed the Quahadi ("Antelope Eaters") band with warriors from another tribe. The Quahadis eventually grew in number, becoming the largest of the Comanche bands, and also the most notorious. Quanah Parker became a leader of the Quahadi, and led them successfully for a number of years. For alternate meanings, see Comanche (disambiguation) Pre-contact Comanche territory. ... For alternate meanings, see Comanche (disambiguation) Pre-contact Comanche territory. ...

The Battle of Adobe Walls

In October, 1867, Quanah was among the Comanche chiefs at Medicine Lodge. Though he did not give a speech – his place was as an observer – he did make a statement about not signing the Medicine Lodge Treaty. His band remained free while other Comanches signed. Signing of the Medicine Lodge Treaty The Medicine Lodge Treaty was a treaty that the United States of America signed with the Kiowa, Comanche, Plains Apache, Cheyenne, and Arapaho at Medicine Lodge, Kansas in 1867. ...

In the early 1870s, the plains Indians were losing the battle for their land. Following the capture of the Kiowa chiefs Satank, Adoeet (Big Tree), and Satanta, the Kiowa, Comanche, and Cheyenne tribes joined forces in several battles. Colonel Ranald Mackenzie was sent to eradicate all remaining Indians who had not settled on reservations. Sitting Bear Sitting Bear, also known as Satank (Set-ankeah), was the name of the Kiowa chief who killed George Peacock, proprietor of the Walnut Creek trading ranche in 1860. ... Satanta is a city located in Haskell County, Kansas. ... Ranald S. Mackenzie Ranald Slidell Mackenzie (July 27, 1840 – January 19, 1889) was called the most promising young officer in the entire Union army. ...

In 1874, while in the Texas panhandle, a Comanche prophet named Isatai summoned the tribes to Adobe Walls, where several buffalo hunters were active. With Kiowa Chief Big Bow, Quanah was in charge of one group of warriors. The battle was a victory, but also his closest brush with death; he was shot twice.

On the reservations

Quanah in business attire.

With their food source depleted, and under constant pressure from the army, the Quahadi Comanches finally surrendered and in 1875 moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma. His home in Cache, Oklahoma was called the Star House. Parker's was the last tribe of the Staked Plains or Llano Estacado to come to the reservation. Quanah was named chief over all the Comanches on the reservation, and proved to be a forceful, resourceful and able leader. Through wise investments, he became perhaps the wealthiest American Indian of his day in the United States. Quanah embraced much of white culture, and was well respected by the whites. He went on hunting trips with President Theodore Roosevelt. Nevertheless, he rejected both monogamy and traditional Protestant Christianity in favor of the Native American Church Movement. He had five wives and twenty five children and founded the Native American Church. One of his sons, White Parker, became a Methodist minister. Author Bill Neeley writes: Image File history File links Quanahbusiness. ... Image File history File links Quanahbusiness. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... Cache is a city in Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. ... Shaded Relief Image of the Llano Estacado Llano Estacado (or Staked Plains) is a region in the southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. ... Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... Faithfulness redirects here. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... Native American Church Native American Church, a religious denomination which practices Peyotism or Peyote religion, originated in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and is the most widespread indigenous religion among Native Americans. ... White Parker was a son of Mah-Cheeta-Wookey and Quanah Parker, chief of the Comanches. ... The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ...

"Not only did Quanah pass within the span of a single lifetime from a Stone Age warrior to a statesman in the age of the Industrial Revolution, but he accepted the challenge and responsibility of leading the whole Comanche tribe on the difficult road toward their new existence."

Quanah died on February 23, 1911. He is buried at the Fort Sill Cemetery, beside his mother and sister. The inscription on his tombstone reads:

Resting Here Until Day Breaks

And Shadows Fall and Darkness

Disappears is

Quanah Parker Last Chief of the Comanches

Born 1852

Died Feb. 23, 1911.

Founder of the Native American Church Movement

Quanah Parker is credited as the founder of the Native American Church Movement. Parker adopted the peyote religion after reportedly seeing a vision of Jesus Christ while suffering from a near fatal wound following a battle with Federal Troops. Peyote is reported to contain hordenine and tyramine, phenylethylamine alkaloids which act as potent natural antibiotics when taken in a combined form. Parker was given peyote by a Ute medicine man to cure the infections of his wounds. During the peyote experience, Parker claimed he heard the voice of Jesus Christ who then appeared to him, and told him in order to atone for his many killings and misdeeds, he must forsake a life of violence and conflict and take the peyote religion to the Indian Peoples. Parker's words and teachings comprise the core of the Native American Church Doctrine and the "Peyote Road." Native American Church Native American Church, a religious denomination which practices Peyotism or Peyote religion, originated in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and is the most widespread indigenous religion among Native Americans. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Hordenine is a potent phenylethylamine alkaloid with antibacterial and antibiotic properties produced in nature by several varieties of plants in the family Cactacea. ... Tyramine (4-hydroxy-phenethylamine) is a monoamine compound derived from the amino acid tyrosine. ... Phenethylamine is an alkaloid and monoamine. ... An alkaloid is a nitrogenous organic molecule that has a pharmacological effect on humans and other animals. ... The Utes (/juːts/; yoots) are an ethnically related group of American Indians now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Parker taught that the sacred peyote medicine was the sacrament given to the Indian Peoples by the Lord Jesus Christ, and was to be used with water when taking communion in a traditional Native American Church medicine ceremony. Parker created the "half-moon" style of the peyote ceremony. The "cross" ceremony later evolved in Oklahoma due to Kiowa influences introduced by John Wilson, a Kiowa Indian who traveled extensively with Parker during the early days of the Native American Church movement. The Native American Church was the first truly "American" religion based on Christianity outside of the Latter Day Saints. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Kiowa are a nation of Native Americans who lived mostly in the plains of west Texas, Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico at the time of the arrival of Europeans. ... John Wilson may refer to: // John Wilson (Irish politician), (born 1923) John Wilson (British politician), leader, Greater London Council, 1984 John Wilson (British Columbia politician) (born 1944), member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, * Canada John Wilson (Massachusetts), member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1813 John... The Kiowa are a nation of Native Americans who lived mostly in the plains of west Texas, Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico at the time of the arrival of Europeans. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... The term Latter Day Saint most commonly refers to (but is not limited to) members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which, its members believe, was founded under the direction of Jesus Christ by the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

Parker's most famous teaching regarding the Spirituality of the Native American Church: Native American Church Native American Church, a religious denomination which practices Peyotism or Peyote religion, originated in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and is the most widespread indigenous religion among Native Americans. ...

The White Man goes into his church and talks about Jesus. The Indian goes into his Tipi and talks with Jesus.

The modern reservation era in Native American History began with the universal adoption of the Native American Church and Christianity by virtually every Native American Tribe and Culture within North American and Canada as a result of Parker and Wilson's efforts. The Peyote religion and the Native American Church, however, was never the traditional religious practice of North American Indian Cultures. This religion was created by Parker's vision of Christ and was driven by influences from Mexico and other Southern Tribes who have used peyote since ancient times. Under Parker's leadership, peyote became an important item of trade, and this, combined with his Church movement and political and financial contacts, garnered Parker enormous wealth during his lifetime. A tipi of the Nez Perce tribe. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

Criticism

Although praised by many in his tribe as a preserver of their culture, Quanah had critics within the Comanche community. Many claimed that he "sold out to the white man" with his rancher persona in later life, dressing and living in a more American than Comanche style. Quanah did adopt more white ways than most other Comanche of his time, but he always wore his hair long and in braids. He also refused to follow white American marriage customs, which would have required him to cast aside four of his five wives.

Another point of controversy among the Comanche was that Quanah was never elected chief of the entire tribe by the people themselves. Traditionally, the Comanche had no single chief. The various bands of the Comanche had their own chiefs, with no single figure standing for the entire people. But that, as many other things, changed with the reservation times...

Family

Quanah's grandfather was the Chief Iron Jacket, famous among the Comanches as a powerful chief who wore a Spanish coat of mail and was said to have the power to blow bullets away with his breath.

Quanah's first wife was Weakeah, daughter of Comanche chief Yellow Bear. Originally, she was espoused to another warrior. Quanah and Weakeah eloped, and took several other warriors with them. It was from this small group that the large Quahadi band would form. Yellow Bear pursued the band and eventually Quanah made peace with him, and the two bands united, forming the largest force of Comanche Indians.

Over the years, Quanah accumulated four more wives. He had twenty-five children. Many north Texans and south Oklahomans claim descent from Quanah. It had been said that more Comanches are related to Quanah than any other chief. One grandson became Comanche chairman, the modern "Chief" of the tribe.

After moving to the reservation, Quanah first got in touch with his white relatives. He stayed for a few weeks with them, where he studied English and western culture, and learned white farming techniques.

Trivia

Quanah Parker was born sometime between 1845 and 1849 in the Wichita mountain region of what is now Oklahoma, and died in 1911 in Oklahoma. In 1957, both he and his mother were re-interred at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Fort Sill is a base of the United States Army near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. ...

Quanah means "fragrant" in the Comanche language. Most Comanche warriors would take different names in manhood. It is believed Quanah never changed because that was the name his mother had known him by before her recapture.

For many years, it was circulated among whites that Peta Nocona was killed at the Battle of Mule Creek (Mule Creek is a tributary of the Pease River), which occurred much earlier than his actual death. Quanah later corrected this error, explaining that a sub-chief of the Noconi, Nobah, was the one killed.

The town of Quanah, Texas, county seat of Hardeman County, was named after Quanah Parker. Quanah is a city located in Hardeman County, Texas, 192 miles (309 km) northwest of Fort Worth, Tx. ... Hardeman County is a county located in the state of Texas. ...

The town of Nocona, in Montague County, Texas, was named after Quanah Parker's father, Comanche chief Peta Nocona. Nocona is a city located in Montague County, Texas. ... Montague County is a county located in the state of Texas. ...

Henry Brandon played Quanah Parker in John Ford's film Two Rode Together. Brandon also played "Chief Scar," the husband of a kidnapped white woman, in the 1956 movie The Searchers, which was based on an Alan Le May novel, directed by John Ford, featured John Wayne as an obsessed frontiersman searching for years for his kidnapped niece, and is widely believed to have been principally based on Cynthia Ann Parker's story; Natalie Wood and her younger sister Lana Wood portrayed the kidnapped woman at different ages. Henry Brandon (June 8, 1912 – February 15, 1990) was a character actor in over 100 American films, famous for playing Indian, Arab, Persian, Turkish, Native American and East Asian roles, usually villains. ... John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was an American film director famous for westerns such as Stagecoach and The Searchers and adaptations of such classic 20th century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath. ... Two Rode Together is a western film directed by John Ford. ... The Searchers may refer to: The Searchers – a 1956 epic Western movie The Searchers – a 1960s British rock band This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Alan Le May (January 3, 1899 - April 27, 1964) was an American novelist and screenplay writer most remembered for the novels upon which the motion pictures The Searchers (1956) with John Wayne and The Unforgiven (1960) with Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn were based. ... John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was an American film director famous for westerns such as Stagecoach and The Searchers and adaptations of such classic 20th century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath. ... John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979) was an iconic, Academy Award-winning, American film actor. ... Cynthia Ann Parker, or Naduah (also sometimes spelled Nadua and Nauta), was an Anglo-Texas woman of Scotch-Irish descent who suffered being kidnapped twice in her lifetime - once from her natural family at the age of nine by a Native American raiding party, and once from her Indian family... Natalie Wood (July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was a three time Academy Award nominated American film actress. ... Svetlana Smedley (born Svetlana Gurdina March 1, 1946), better known as Lana Wood, is an American actress and producer born to Russian emigré parents, Nikolai and Maria Zakharenko. ...

Quanah's spacious home outside of Cache, Oklahoma, called the Star House, was moved to Eagle Park in Cache. The park has since closed down, but the house remains. Though poorly taken care of, many items including some furntiture, are still in the house. In 2006, vandals painted racial slurs on the house. This graffiti has since been removed. Look up cache in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Local legend has it that at midnight Quanah's ghosts rides across Quanah Parker Lake in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, located in southwestern Oklahoma near Lawton, has protected unique wildlife habitats since 1901. ...

Parker Hall, a 1962 residence hall at Oklahoma State University, is named after Quanah Parker. It housed undergraduate men from 1962 to 1990. It is now co-ed, housing honors students until 2003, then non-honors students thereafter. Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A halls of residence, British English (almost always halls and not hall) or a residence hall (North American English) is a type of residential accommodation for large numbers of students. ... Oklahoma State University Logo The Oklahoma State University System comprises of five educational instututes across Oklahoma. ... In some educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelors degree. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Coeducation is the integrated education of men and women. ...

External links

• Quanah Parker
• Photographs of Quanah Parker hosted by the Portal to Texas History

References

• Frontier Blood: the Saga of the Parker Family, by Jo Ann Powell Exley
• Quanah Parker, by Clyde L. and Grace Jackson
• Quanah Parker, Comanche Chief, by William T. Hagan
• The Last Comanche Chief: The Life and Times of Quanah Parker, by Bill Neeley