Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

Quanah and his brother, Peanuts, were 12 and 10, respectively, at the Battle of Pease River. They escaped the battle and demonstrated Comanche survival skills by tracking down the rest of the tribe while evading Goodnight and his troops.

Quanah was born in 1848 near the Wichita Mountains. As the son of a powerful war chief, Peta Nocona, he led a privileged life by Comanche standards. He learned early on to hunt and ride, and he became an adept archer. When he reached puberty he went on a vision quest, and the bear became his puha, or helping spirit. However, following Nocona’s death and the capture/return of his mother to the US, Quanah’s life changed drastically. He became an orphan, and because of his white blood, he was treated poorly by others.

Nevertheless, Quanah became a full-fledged warrior at the age of 15. He was taller and stronger than the average Comanche, who were typically shorter than other Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains. When he became an adult, Quanah was six feet tall, while the average height for both Comanche and white men in this era was around 5’6”. Because white men had killed his father, Quanah developed an intense hatred for them.