Dahteste is described as a very beautiful woman who took great pride in her appearance and, even though she married and had children, she chose the life of the warrior. No one challenged Dahteste lightly for it was widely known that she could out-ride, out-shoot, out-hunt, out-run, and out-fight her peers, male and female, and she did so with grace. She was credited as being courageous, daring and skillful, and she took part in battles and raiding parties alongside her husband, and a good friend of her family, Geronimo.
Fluent in English, Dahteste became a trusted scout, messenger and mediator between her people and the U.S. Cavalry. Along with another woman Apache warrior named Lozen, Dahteste was instrumental in the final surrender of Geronimo to the U.S. Government and, as thanks for her efforts in their behalf, she was imprisoned with Geronimo and shipped to prison with his remaining followers. Dahteste was as strong in her personal spirit as her warrior spirit, and she survived both tuberculosis and pneumonia while imprisoned. Both diseases killed untold thousands of Natives across the land, but not Dahteste.
After 8 years in the Florida prison, Dahteste was shipped to the military prison at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. After 19 years at Ft. Sill, she was finally given permission to return to her homeland. She lived the balance of her life on the Mescalero Apache Reservation until she died there of old age.
When the Spanish arrived at San Nicholas Island to transport those living there, the seas were stormy and treacherous. One woman noticed that her young child had been left behind, and jumped overboard to return for it. The intense storm made it impossible for the ship to wait for the woman, or to return for her. Even though the priests offered a $200 reward for her safe removal from the island, the treacherous seas, tides and winds were too much for the bounty hunters. Even seal, otter and whale hunters who worked the island over the years were never able to find this lone woman.
Finally, after 18 years, a hunting expedition unexpectedly came upon her house built of whale bone, and the woman herself peacefully sewing with a bone needle and seal skin thread in front. After a month of sign language and cajoling, she was finally persuaded to board their ship with promises that she would be taken to her people. However, after all these years, there was no one left who could speak or understand her language. All questions about her survival and the fate of her child went unanswered, but it was clear that she had lived well, and was strong and healthy. Her Native name was never known or, if known in the beginning, was never recorded.
Once she arrived at the mission, priests quickly baptized her Juana Maria. She contracted fatal dysentery at the mission and, 7 weeks after her "rescue", the Lone Woman of San Nicholas Island was dead. It is estimated that she was only 38 years old. The personal possessions, clothing and artifacts brought from the island were given to the California Academy of Sciences after her death. Sadly, all of this was subsequently destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906. A luxurious cape of seal skin and feathers was presented to the Vatican, but was lost and never found.
The fact of her survival, her exquisite artifacts and clothing, all fascinated the white population, and she was looked upon as a real-life Robinson Crusoe. Several historical accounts and romantic novels have been published about Juana Maria. One book, "Island of the Blue Dolphins", won the Newberry Medal for children's literature, and was subsequently made into a motion picture. The Lone Woman is buried at the Santa Barbara Mission.
Cynthia was born in Clark County, Illinois and moved with her family to the headwaters of the Navasota River in Texas as a young child. The family developed a community around the church of her uncle, Elder John Parker, who headed the Texas branch of the Primitive Baptist Church. As protection against the Natives of the area, they built substantial walls around their community and created a company of Texas Rangers for the area. The settlement became known as Fort Parker.
In the Spring of 1836, Fort Parker was attacked by several hundred Caddo, Comanche and Kiowa who captured five residents of the Fort. Among them was Cynthia, who was 9 years old at the time. Within 6 years, all the captives had been returned to their white families - except Cynthia.
Cynthia was given to a Tenowish Comanche couple who cared for her, and who raised her like their own daughter. She became Comanche in every sense; was trained in Native ways and was totally devoted to her adopted parents. The memories of her white life quickly faded, and every attempt to ransom her was refused by the tribal council at her request.
She married Peta Nocoma, the young chief who gained fame for his many violent raids on white settlements in the territory. While it was customary for prominent Comanche warriors to take several wives, Peta never took any wife except Cynthia - a mark of extraordinary devotion and honor for her. They had 3 children: Quanah, Pecos and Topsannah (2 boys and 1 girl).
In December of 1860, Peta's camp on the banks of the Pease River was attacked by Captain Lawrence Sullivan Ross. Peta was wounded, but managed to escape with their two sons, Quanah and Pecos. Whether or not Peta survived these wounds and lived is cloudy for he is not mentioned again. Cynthia was "rescued" along with their daughter Topsannah and the two were taken to Camp Cooper. She was identified by her uncle Isaac Parker, and subsequently taken to his farm in Birdville, Texas. Cynthia's every attempt to return to her people failed, and she was repeatedly caught and returned to Birdville.
Even though she refused to speak of her Comanche life, many fanciful and fictitious stories were written about this strange and mysterious woman. "Historical fiction" was used to incite anti-Indian feelings, and these tall tales eventually became accepted as truth and fact. Never satisfied, and never at home in a society that was foreign to her, Cynthia was shuttled from one family member to another. Her grief and longing for her lost family never left her.
In 1863, Cynthia received word that her son Pecos had died of smallpox, and only a few months later, the daughter who had remained with her died of influenza. Heartbroken, Cynthia refused all food and starved herself to death in 1870 at the age of 43.
Only Quanah survived, and his name is legendary as the fierce, half-breed Comanche warrior chief. In his later years, Quanah began living in peace with the whites and went on to be very prosperous. He searched for his mother for most of his life and, upon discovering that she was dead, had the bodies of both Cynthia and Topsannah moved to friendly soil. When Quanah died in 1911, he was laid to rest beside his devoted mother.
At the age of 16, Mary married an English settler, John Musgrove, and together they established a trading post between South Carolina and her homeland in Alabama. Because of Mary's fairness, and her knowledge of both Native and English ways, the trading post became highly successful. Mary earned great respect throughout the territory.
When John Oglethorpe arrived in 1733 with a charter from King George II to establish a new English colony, he found Mary, already highly successful and a political force. Forever loyal to the English, Mary taught Oglethorpe how to trade fairly, and assisted him in opening several trading posts throughout the territory. Acting as negotiator, mediator and interpreter for Oglethorpe, Mary became an even more successful political figure.
Mary's reputation was widely known, and she faced increasing pressure from both the French and the Spanish to join forces with their interests, and for the Creek Nation to desert the British. However, Mary stood firm and was able to single-handedly hold the peace in her territory due to her powerful influence with the Creek people, and with the English. With her position, Mary was able to supply information on French and Spanish plans and movements to Oglethorpe and, because of her diplomatic skills, her support and her tireless efforts, Oglethorpe was able to establish his English colony -- now known as the State of Georgia.
Mary died at age 63, and is buried on St. Catharine's Island, Georgia.
When the general public thinks of Native healers and "physicians", the words "Medicine Man" seems to naturally fall out of their mouths. Guess what? This is another situation where there was no gender bias, and there were just as many Medicine Women as Medicine Men.
Each Nation, tribe and village had medicine people; whether male or female was of no consequence. Children who were born with the gift of healing were taken by the medicine person as a young child and taught healing ways. They were taught to recognize the healing plants, trees, roots, berries and wild herbs. They were taught how to make poultices, teas and other healing foods.
Medicine Women were the local psychologists, therapists, physicians and marriage counselors. In some tribes, the Medicine Women were given the responsibility of making the warriors' shields for it was believed that she had special powers that would give those war shields added protection for the owners.
The practicing of medicine ways was a full time job for the responsibility for the well-being and emotional balance of the villagers belonged to the Medicine Woman. In return for her services, she was cared for by the members of the village. She always had food, shelter, her needs met, assistance when it was needed, and special spirit gifts that showed the honor and respect of her people. This was how the Medicine Women were "paid".
The art of being a Medicine Woman has not been lost. There are more practicing Medicine Women alive today than ever before using the same old natural ways combined with the new technology that has been developed. There are herbalists, naturalists, aroma therapists, massage therapists - those who teach spirituality, awareness, meditation skills - and on and on. The Medicine Woman continues to care for her family and loved ones with all the tools available to her so they can walk in balance, and live life in health and harmony. May it ever be so. Aho.
As a youngster, Winema was called Nonooktowa, "the strange child", because she had no fear of man or beast. She was strong and athletic, and her early life was adventurous. She successfully hunted grizzly bears, she fought beside the men in battle, she had no fear of Native sacred places and taboos, and she was expert in the handling of canoes - even in white water rapids. She was greatly admired and respected by her own people, and by white settlers in the area.
As a young adult, Winema married a Kentucky miner named Frank Riddle, and was given the white name of Toby Riddle. Tension was high as more and more miners and settlers moved into Modoc land, and Winema worked tirelessly as interpreter, negotiator and peacemaker to avoid war. However, the Modoc were soon forcibly removed from California onto reservation land in Oregon; a move which was never accepted by most of the Natives. Many Modoc fled the reservation in a continuing stream, and government forces who actively pursued them were met with fierce resistance. Winema tried to act as peacemaker to avoid war, and a peace commission was sent from Washington, D.C. to get the Modoc back on their reservation. However, too much treachery had taken place, and there was too much hatred and mistrust. Plans were made to kill the 3 members of the peace commission in defiance of the white government.
When Winema learned of the plot, she rode to the peace camp to warn the commissioners. However, the Army General who headed the delegation brushed her off as a foolish woman. He was killed, as was the second peace commissioner. Though the third commissioner, Albert Meacham, was badly wounded, Winema was able to get him out of the camp and save his life. The conflict which followed is known in history as the Modoc War, and it lasted for many, many months before the Modoc were finally defeated, and the leaders executed.
In spite of the attack and close call on his life, Albert Meacham remained a champion for Native rights and he was determined to tell the full story of the events which led to the Modoc War. He created a lecture-play entitled "Winema", and formed a troupe made up of Winema, her husband, her son and a number of other Modoc. This group had a highly successful tour in the East for 7 years.
Following the successful tour, Winema returned to the Modoc reservation in Oregon where she died at age 84. The Winema National Forest in South Central Oregon is named for her.
She ran away to a mission village on the St. Lawrence River where she proved herself to be an outstanding student of religion. As evidence of her purity and humility, Kateri practiced daily self-mutilation and self-induced physical tortures. Because of the strength of her faith, she was accepted into the convent, and became the first Native American Catholic Nun.
As a result of her weakened physical condition from the years of self-torture and exposure, Kateri died at the age of 24. Church officials present at her death witnessed a miraculous transformation when her scarred face and tortured body became unspeakably beautiful right before their eyes. Almost immediately, miracles, cures, healings, visions, and apparitions began taking place; all attributed to Kateri.
Devotion to Kateri is responsible for establishing Native American Ministries in Catholic churches all over the United States and Canada. Kateri was declared Venerable by the Catholic Church in 1943, and she was Beatified in 1980. Work is currently underway to have her Canonized by the Church. Hundreds of thousands have visited shrines to Kateri erected at both St. Francis Xavier in Caughnawaga, and at her birthplace in Auriesville, NY. Pilgrimages to these sites continue today.
As a Beloved Woman, Nancy had full voice and full vote in all tribal councils, held the power of life and death and, with the other Beloved Women of the Council, was the final arbitrator of any and all disputes and decisions affecting the Cherokee. Her first official act as a Beloved Woman was to save the life of a white woman condemned to die.
Nancy was a devout believer in peaceful co-existence with the whites. She earned the respect of both the white government and her own people by her successful negotiations and mediations. She had been educated by Moravians who had been allowed to settle in the area, and she served as interpreter when the need arose. Nancy constantly traveled the territory diverting conflict between the European settlers and her people, and was the driving force behind many peace agreements - she was a true politician.
Nancy was instrumental in negotiating the very first treaty between the white government and the Cherokee, known as the Treaty of Hopewell, and was present at its signing. During the years, Nancy watched her work being destroyed as treaty after treaty was broken, and she became increasingly suspicious of the white government.
She began to speak out against the continuing sale of Cherokee lands to the whites, but her fears were not taken seriously. At the time the Cherokee land was forcibly seized, Nancy was able to escape the Trail of Tears by fleeing into Tennessee. She settled there and, with the white trader she had married, operated a successful inn until her death.
Nancy Ward is highly regarded by the Cherokee Nation, and many honors have been bestowed in her name. A Tennessee chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is even named for her.
Hanging Cloud was the daughter of an Ojibwa chief, and was the only woman of the Ojibwa Nation ever allowed to become a full warrior. She wore war paint, carried full battle weapons, and was a deadly warrior. As a warrior, she took part in battles, raids, hunting parties, and all sporting events reserved for warriors. She was also a full member of the war council, performed war dances, and participated in all warrior ceremonies.
Little else is known about Hanging Cloud, but she is legendary among the tribes of the Northern Plains. If any reader can direct this writer to information about this fascinating woman, it would be very much appreciated. I would like to be able to learn about her, and expand on the limited knowledge easily available on her.
After completing her studies and earning her degree, Susan returned to Nebraska as a government physician. She rode on horseback from reservation to reservation, from family to family, treating the sick. It is said that, by the time of her death, she had treated every member of the Omaha Nation.
After a time, she married and settled in Bancroft, Nebraska where she had a private practice treating both Native and white patients. She adopted Christianity, and became a missionary of the Omaha Blackbird Hills Presbyterian Church. She moved to the newly established town of Walthill and founded a hospital there.
Susan went on to be a leading citizen of Walthill, and headed a delegation to Washington, D.C. to fight against the sale of liquor in Nebraska. She was so successful in her endeavors that a covenant was placed in land sale documents of that time prohibiting the possession of liquor on any land purchased from the Omaha.
Susan died at 50, and is buried in Bancroft, Nebraska.
Sarah was fascinated by these strange people and their strange ways, and set out to learn all she could about them. While on her 3 week visit in California, she quickly learned the basics of English. Upon her return to Nevada, she had the opportunity to live for a year with the Ormsby family where she mastered the language. Sarah became 1 of 2 Paiutes in the entire state to read, write and speak English. In addition, she mastered Spanish, and 3 other Native dialects. In her thirst for knowledge, she enrolled in St.Mary's Convent, but was forced to leave after only one month because of white anger at a Native being allowed into the school.
Great tensions arose between the Paiute and the growing river of whites pouring into Nevada. As a result of the Paiute War, the Paiute Reservation was established at Pyramid Lake, outside of what is now Reno. Even this did not halt the unwarranted aggression against the Natives who were killed at random and their homes destroyed by raiding soldiers. In an effort to stop the bloodshed, Sara became an interpreter and spokesperson between the Paiutes and whites but, in retaliation against her, her mother, sister and brother were murdered by whites. Impressed by her command of English, Sarah was hired by the Army to serve as official interpreter between the U.S. and several Native tribes of the area. She was barely in her teens.
In her official capacity with the Army, Sarah was able to watch politics at work from the inside out. It did not take her long to understand that the persecution of the Paiutes lay at the feet of the government Indian Agents. Despite orders from Washington, and even an Act of Congress, the violence against the Paiutes continued. Sarah's hatred of the government Indian Agents is legendary, and became a cause that dominated her life. She traveled to the West Coast, meeting with official after official to present her case for justice. She was ignored.
When the neighboring Bannocks of Idaho rose up against white encroachment, the Northern Paiute joined their war. Sarah distinguished herself as a mighty warrior in battle. Sickened at the bloodshed, Sarah once again took on the role of interpreter and peacemaker, traveled into the heart of Bannock country, and convinced her father, Chief Winnemucca, to return home to Nevada with his warriors.
During the Bannock War, the reservation Paiutes had been forcibly taken from their land and moved to a reservation in the State of Washington. There, they continued to suffer at the hands of still more unscrupulous Indian Agents. For Sarah, this was the final blow, and she took her cause to Washington, D.C. She spoke before Congress, and in other major cities on the East Coast where she could get an audience. In Boston, she became the protegee of Elizabeth Palmer Peabody and Mary Mann, wife of influential Horace Mann. With their encouragement and help, Sarah wrote her autobiography, "Life Among The Paiutes: Their Wrongs and Claims", as a way to spread the word of the injustice and corruption among government agents to even more people. She was a master political activist and lobbyist in the classical sense.
During her long absences, the Paiute had begun to escape their confinement in Washington State, and were gradually returning to their homeland. Sarah had kicked up such a storm across the country that her people were more or less left alone and were not forcibly removed again. She returned to Nevada where she opened a series of Native schools across the state.
However, a lifetime of crusading had taken its toll on Sarah's physical and emotional state. She gave up her fight, and moved to a sister's home in Monida, Montana where she died of tuberculosis at age 47. Sarah Winnemucca was called "The Princess" by whites; "Mother" by the Paiutes, and "The most famous Indian woman on the Pacific Coast" by historians. The City of Winnemucca, Nevada carries her family name, and Sarah's memory.
Pocahontas was first seen by the English when she was 10 years old frolicking with 4 cabin boys from ships docked in the harbor. They were struck by her beauty, her free spirit and her athletic prowess. Shortly after this first sighting, she saved Capt. John Smith by begging her father for mercy. That was it - the extent of the connection between John Smith and Pocahontas!
At age 13, she saved the lives of 3 more Englishmen who had been captured by Powhatan, and when the English saw the influence she had over her father, Pocahontas was kidnapped and taken to Jamestown to use as a bargaining tool for kinder treatment from her savage father. It worked. However, Pocahontas liked the life in Jamestown; studied the English language; became a churchgoer and adopted Christianity; was baptized into the Church of England, and was given the English name of "Rebecca". At the age of 14, she married an English settler named John Rolfe, and shortly after that went to England with her husband.
While in London, she became the darling of King James and his Court, and was given the title "Lady Rebecca". She gave birth to one child, Thomas, and prepared to return to Virginia. However, she caught smallpox before her ship sailed and she died at Gravesend, England. She was only 22. She is buried there, and a statue in her honor has been erected there. Wayne Newton, the Powhatan/Cherokee performer, is currently attempting to negotiate with the English to have Pocahontas' remains returned to her homeland.
At about age 10, Sacajawea was captured by a raiding band of Hidatsa and carried to their camp near the border of North Dakota. Eventually, Sacajawea was sold to a French-Canadian fur trader named Toussaint Charbonneau. The Corps of Discovery (as the Lewis and Clark Expedition was officially named) had camped for the winter at Fort Mandan in North Dakota, which is where Charbonneau was also spending the winter with his pregnant wife, Sacajawea.
When winter broke, Charbonneau was hired to guide Lewis & Clark due to his knowledge of the country where he trapped. He was specifically instructed to bring Sacajawea, with her baby boy Jean Baptiste, for a number of reasons. First of all, the presence of a woman and baby would establish the peaceful nature of the party. Secondly a Native translator and negotiator with knowledge of the languages, customs and tribes of the country was essential.
While Lewis' journals make very little mention of Sacajawea, Clark carefully detailed her contributions to the success of the journey. Her knowledge of the terrain and mountain passes saved weeks of travel time. Her ability to speak and negotiate with Native tribes allowed the expedition to keep fresh horses and food all along the way. When food was scarce, Sacajawea gathered and prepared roots, nuts, berries and other edible plants in order to provide tasty nourishment.
Clark was so taken with Sacajawea, and so concerned about her welfare at the hands of the abusive and wife-beating Charbonneau, that he proposed taking the infant boy to St. Louis to be raised in safety. For her efforts in making the expedition successful, Lewis & Clark named a river "Sacajawea" in her honor.
From here, history becomes cloudy. It is known that Sacajawea did take her son to Clark in St. Louis (as promised) where he was raised as Clark's own. She did leave Charbonneau and spend time in St. Louis. One account says that she died of "putrid fever" (smallpox, tuberculosis, scarlet fever??) at age 25, and even Clark's account of the members of his expedition mark her as dead.
Native accounts, however, especially Shoshoni oral history, have Sacajawea marrying several more times, having a number of children, and meeting up with her son Jean Baptiste in Wind River, Wyoming. This woman (called Porivo) had intimate knowledge of the Lewis & Clark expedition, spoke French, wore a Jefferson Medal around her neck, was a political speaker who spoke at the meeting which led to the Ft. Bridger Treaty, was credited with introducing the Sun Dance Ceremony to the Shoshoni, and was an advocate of agriculture as a necessary skill for the Shoshoni. Porivo died at age 96, and was buried in the white cemetery at Ft. Washakie as a final show of respect for her efforts in behalf of both Lewis & Clark, and her own people.
Dr. Charles Eastman, who had been hired by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to locate Sacajawea, opted for the Native history as being the most accurate. After extensive research, Eastman determined that Porivo was, indeed, Sacajawea and a monument was erected in her honor at her gravesite. However, Sacajawea's story will change depending upon the account you're reading, the part of the country you're in, and the heritage of the author of the story. After the passage of so much time, it is unlikely that her movements after she left St. Louis will ever be known with certainty.
What is known with certainty is that Sacajawea was responsible for raising the Native American woman to a new level of respect and admiration.
These were written by Julia White
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