Jump to content

Tonkawa tribe buys Sugarloaf Hill in Milam County


MillerEP

Recommended Posts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sugarloaf Mountain is about 30mi NW of Bryan. We had a ranch on the Navasota river near Iola, TX which is about 30mi NE of Bryan. If the land is similar, that is some pretty rugged territory. Years ago the last remaining wolf pack in Texas was by our ranch.

And the Tonkawa were pretty rugged themselves. They came down from Oklahoma into Texas.

Caught between the Comanches to the north and west and land-seeking settlers to the east, the Tonkawa were destined for extinction. Further worsening their chances was their penchant for cannibalism, which made them unpopular with other Native American groups and the new Texans (Jones 69). Herman Lehmann who, as a child, was captured by the Comanches and became a warrior, described his tribe's reaction to this Tonkawan custom. A group of Comanches attacked a Tonkawa settlement and drove residents out. Lehmann wrote, "We took possession of the camp, and what do you suppose we found on that fire, roasting? One of the legs of a Comanche! A warrior of our tribe! Our chief gave the cry for vengeance, and we all joined the chorus" (Kelley 157). After the ensuing battle, eight Comanches were dead and fifty "desperately wounded." The Comanches, however, won the encounter, killing twenty-eight Tonkawa Indians and driving the rest off (Ibid. 158).Noah Smithwick, author of an early Texas history and a resident of Williamson County, wrote about a Tonkawa ceremony during which a dead Comanche was eaten in order to transfer the courage of the warrior to the Tonkawas taking part in the ceremony:

The only [ceremony] I ever witnessed was in Webber's prairie, the occasion being the killing of a Comanche, one of a party that had been on a horse stealing trip down to Bastrop. They were hotly pursued, and , reasoning2…that the biggest must naturally be the best…they mounted a warrior on Manlove's big horse, which was part of the booty, and left him behind as rear guard, while the balance hurried the stolen horses away. The Tonkawas joined the pursuit and when the pursuers came in sight of the lone rear guardsman three of the most expert Tonks were sent to dispatch him. This they soon accomplished, his steed being a slow one. After killing and scalping him they refused to continue the chase, saying they must return home to celebrate the event, which they did by a feast and a scalp dance. Having fleeced off the flesh of the dead Comanche they borrowed a big wash kettle from Puss Webber, into which they put the Comanche meat, together with a lot of corn and potatoes…When the stew was sufficiently cooked to allow its being ladled out with their hands the whole tribe gathered round, dipping it up with their hands and eating it…. Having gorged themselves on the delectable feast they lay down and slept till night, when the entertainment was concluded with the scalp dance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...