Great Warriors II

The Comanche were one of the more ruthless tribes in the west, ranking with the Apaches and the Sioux in what they were prepared to do to captives if and when their territory was violated.  Seen from their vantage point, the tactics they employed, including scorched earth and torture, seemed the only way to stop the inevitable.  They had no doubt heard for decades how European advancement in America had brought nothin but disease and displacement to many tribes, often to the point of extinction, and were determined that they wouldn't be the next on the list.  And, it wasn't just Whites who got on their bad side.  Other Native tribes also took the Comanche seriously and most were willing to steer clear of Comancheria, the hunting range of the Comanche in what is now Texas and New Mexico. American settlers weren't so easily dissuaded, pushing deeper onto the staked plains which formed the heart of Comancheria, and meeting any attacks by Comanche war parties with the ...

This people's name for themselves meant the Real People.  However, they are often known by the neighboring Waco word, Tonkaweya, meaning They Stand All together.  Members of the tribe live today in Texas and Oklahoma.  The Tonkawa language is extinct today, with tribal members speaking English.  The Tonkawa most likely originated in northeastern Oklahoma, though by 1700, the Apache had put pressure on them to move to the Red River, which forms the boundary of what is now Texas and Oklahoma.  The Tonkawas were soon in conflict with many local tribes, including Bidais, Caddos, Wichitas, Comanches and Yojuanes.  There were accusations against the Tonkawa of cannibalism of enemies, a practice which many other Native people found especially threatening and repugnant.  The tribe eventually migrated further into Texas and Mexico, allying with the Lipan Apache.  In 1824, the Tonkawa entered into a treaty with Stephen F. Austin to provide protection of A...