This Native American nation was once the most powerful in America—and one of the most effective fighting forces in history, hands down. They once controlled a vast empire in the heartland of what would become parts of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas, and they held off invaders for decades. They were only defeated in the late 19th century, and that defeat required more than American soldiers to bring about. Here's the secret story of the Comanche.
This Native American nation was once the most powerful in America—and one of the most effective fighting forces in history, hands down. They once controlled a vast empire in the heartland of what would become parts of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas, and they held off invaders for decades. They were only defeated in the late 19th century, and that defeat required more than American soldiers to bring about. Here's the secret story of the Comanche.
It's unfortunate, but Native American figures are grossly underrepresented in too many American history classes. For many students, their only …
Finding out exactly what was on the menu at the first Thanksgiving was complicated, so imagine how tough it is to go even further back? Historians have some written record of menu and diet in the early colonial period... but what about before the written record? Go back far enough, and we have to rely on some seriously clever archaeology to learn just how and what early Americans ate. And here's the thing: putting dinner on the table had to be a terrifying, oftentimes death-defying, and always full-time job.
In May of 1836, the Comanche and several other Native tribes orchestrated a blitz against the Fort. Some members of Parker's family were killed in the attack, and the Comanche took her and a few others captive. Several were released afterwards, but Parker would remain with the Comanche for the next 25 years.
"Native American" means many things. There were an extraordinary number of cultures present within the Americas before European contact. And, unfortunately, there are very few historical records remaining today. Before the first European contact of 1492, there were approximately 60 million people living in the Americas. Today, sources such as the Daily Herald tell us that there are 562 Native American tribes within the United States alone. It remains a mystery what happened to these cultures between 1492 and now, for a variety of reasons.
Learn more about the stories of Indigenous people who contributed to history.
