Full Description
The Life of Ten Bears is a remarkable collection of nineteenth-century Comanche oral histories given by Francis Joseph "Joe A" Attocknie. Although various elements of Ten Bears's life (ca. 1790-1872) are widely known, including several versions of how the toddler Ten Bears survived the massacre of his family, other parts have not been as widely publicized, remaining instead in the collective memory of his descendants. Other narratives in this collection reference lesser-known family members. These narratives are about the historical episodes that Attocknie's family thought were worth remembering and add a unique perspective on Comanche society and tradition as experienced through several generations of his family.
Kavanagh's introduction adds context to the personal narratives by discussing the process of transmission. These narratives serve multiple purposes for Comanche families and communities. Some autobiographical accounts, "recounting" brave deeds and war honors, function as validation of status claims, while others illustrate the giving of names; still others recall humorous situations, song-ridicules, slapstick, and tragedies. Such family oral histories quickly transcend specific people and events by restoring key voices to the larger historical narrative of the American West.
Contents
Introduction by Thomas W. Kavanagh
Preface
The Dated Narratives
1. The Life of Ten Bears · ca. 1790-1872
2. Peace with the Kiowas · ca. 1825
3. Uhta Hookne: The Robe Entrenchments · 1837
4. Nahwakatahnohpetuhupu: When the Enemies Camped Together · 1838
5. Piakoruko's War against the Apaches · 1840
6. Where the Comanches' Saddle Packs Were Captured: Isakwahip's Tragic Victory · ca. 1845-50
7. The Badger's Mirror · 1855
8. Disaster in Coahuila · 1856
9. The Red-Striped Saddle Blanket · 1856
10. The Battle at Little Robe Creek · 1858
11. Wutsuki · 1858
12. Tuhtahyuheekuh Evens the Score against the Osages · 1868
13. Onawia Takes a New Wife and Goes to Mexico ·1868
14. Buckskin Charlie versus Kiowas and Comanches · July 1868
15. The Battle of the Washita · November 26, 1868
16. The Battle of McClellan Creek · September 24, 1872
17. The Battle of Adobe Walls · 1874
18. The Last Sun Dance, the Last Raid · July 26, 1878
The Undated Narratives
19. Esitoya's Loyalty
20. Pukumahkuh's Two Escapes
21. The Pukutsinuu: The Comanche Contrary Warriors
22. Mubsiihuhtuko: The Peaceful Nephew
23. A Fight between Cavalry and a Comanche War Party
24. Attocknie Gets Half a Scalp
25. A Cripple and a Blind Man Form a Friendship
26. Violation of a Dance Ground
27. Pohocsucut and the Two Kiowas
28. The Mule
29. Querherbitty
30. Comanche Pictographs
31. Miscellaneous Religious Matters
32. Fragmentary and Incomplete Narratives
Appendix: Lexicon
Notes
Bibliography
Index
