Quanah Parker, Comanche Chief: Volume 6

Our classroom read a poignant short story about his mother, Cynthia Ann Parker. I was pleased to find this book on the life of her son in this carefully researched, well-presented biography. It is an interesting read of a man and also a chief showing how he is torn between two worlds of belief and behaviors. Informative read. It received the Oklahoma History Book of the Year award.Evelyn Horan - teacher/counselor/authorJeannie, A Texas Frontier Girl, Books One - Three

This past summer, I made a trip to the reconstruction of Old Fort Parker in Groesbeck, TX - and the actual massacre site - where Cynthia Ann Parker, age 9, was captured by Comanche warriors and raised as a Comanche woman for the next 25 years before a well-meaning Texas Ranger discovered her and returned her to her white relatives. Cynthia Ann never readjusted to white society and, in mourning for her Comanche husband and her children, eventually starved herself to death. Yet, out of this tragic story, her son Quanah - half white, half Comanche - rose to become the most influential representative of the Comanche tribe and the last Comanche Chief.In this book, author William T. Hagan presents the meticulously researched story of Quanah's life and the politics of both the white and native worlds which he straddled, serving as an eloquent bridge between two societies struggling for survival on the Oklahoma and Texas plains. An astute businessman, Quanah recognized the futility of staving off white settlement and turned his warrior energies toward negotiating for the best "deals" he could get for the American Indians. Although he made many trips to Washington, DC and the White House to represent the needs of the Indians and often wore western Anglo dress, he refused to give up his braids, his "much married condition" (7 wives), and his dedication to the peyote cult.This is a fascinating book which I highly recommend to any afficianado of the Old West and Native America.

Although I tend to be wary of any biographies that speak with an omnisient narrative voice, and don't cite their sources as they go, Hagan's book does well remaining mostly unbiased in discussing native-white relations, and stating facts. It has an excellent collection of pictures I haven't seen elsewhere, and gives a well-written account of Quanah Parker's life without 'juicing it up'. Being a descendent of Quanah Parker, I've read anything about him I can get my hands on, and this is definitely one of the better resources.