£6.69
Blue Norther
The Life and Times of Quanah Parker
Overview
"Blue Norther" is a fictionalized account of the life of Quanah Parker, a key figure in the history of the American Far West. Quanah has mixed parentage – Comanche war chief father and white hostage mother. Just as he reaches adulthood, two life-changing events occur.
Early Life and Tragedy
On his return from a hunting trip, he discovers his village burned, the wives, babies, and old people butchered and, most significantly, his mother and baby sister missing. Subsequently, his mortally wounded father makes him promise to reunite the family. From that moment, Quanah declares war on white people: the settlers, the sharpshooters who butcher the diminishing bison herds, and the U.S. cavalry regiment that protects them.
Conflict and Warfare
He becomes chief of the Quahada band and attacks the soldiers at every opportunity. In the teeth of a violent winter storm – a "Blue Norther" – he outwits their commander, Col. Ranald Slidell Mackenzie. He steals the troopers' mounts, forcing them to face the elements on foot. They’re lucky to survive. Mackenzie doesn’t make the same mistake twice. Capturing the Quahada ponies on a separate occasion, he orders them to be shot.
Relocation and Wealth
Faced with imminent starvation, Quanah has no choice but to lead his people to the reservation. He prospers by learning to play the whites at their own game. The Chisholm Trail, along which herds of Texas longhorns are driven to northern markets, runs through Comanche pasturelands. Quanah exacts a tribute from each herd. This quickly makes him and his people wealthy. His affiliation with the cattle barons gives him political power and he’s appointed overall Comanche chief.
Personal Life and Cultural Identity
He marries again – and again: seven wives altogether. He establishes the Native American religion, based on the cult of peyote. This and his polygamy bring him into conflict with government officials, but he stubbornly retains his cultural identity. A celebrity in both communities, he takes his white relatives' surname, becoming Quanah Parker.
Legacy
Finally, he fulfills his father’s dying wish by relocating his mother’s remains to a family grave. Three months later, he’s buried alongside her – the last Comanche war chief.
