Co Founder Of Memphis Tennessee Jurist

Co Founder Of Memphis Tennessee Jurist

Co Founder Of Memphis Tennessee Jurist

Quanah Parker: Comanche Warrior Priest

Jeffrey R Gudzune, M.A.

Rather than watch the remnants of the Comanche Nation fade into obscurity and suffer the degradations of life on a reservation, Quanah Parker chose to fight to preserve the heritage of his people. He made no secret of his distaste for the white man, as he had witnessed first hand what the rapidly encroaching white settlements had done to his own family. Seeing the settlers of the Plains Region as invaders, Parker eventually rose to prominence as the founder and military leader of the most aggressive Comache band, the Quahadi (often spelled with a K). As War Chief of the Quahadi, Parker would participate is some of the most brutal warfare of any of America's "Indian Wars." However, this fierce proponent of Comanche sovereignty would not ends his days with a weapon in his hand and hatred in his heart. His life is a microcosm of the struggles of the Comanche, and he would eventually adopt peace as his sword and gain recognition as a diplomat, jurist, and the spiritual founder of the Native American Church. Born at a time when the Comanche Nation was fractured and on the verge of disappearing, Parker clung to the hope that a show of force would halt the approach of the white man. His conversion to an advocate for peace came only after his realization that an ongoing war would utterly destroy his people. This drastic change of personal philosophy was not easy.

The Comanche Nation came into the Great Plains region at the beginning of the 1700s ( an exact time is not known, though most historians have settled on 1719) and eventually settled in what would become Texas; though some of their territorial hunting grounds were also located in Oklahoma. Quickly establishing themselves as the dominant group in the region, this lose affiliation of independent bands thrived on the land and the rich buffalo herds in the region. By 1836, however, they were at odds with the white settlers along the Texas border. To protect their lands, the Comanche raided white settlements in an effort to push them out. It was during one of these raids that young Cynthia Ann Parker was abducted in 1836, at an American fort located east of the Brazos River. She was taken back into Comanche territory and eventually adopted into the tribe. She married Peta Nocono, a Comanche Chief, and in 1845 gave birth to a son whom she named Quanah.