Salve,
with the shields, horses and Plains warrior ethos in mind we will explore the paintings by George Catlin showing Comanche warriors.
Maestro George Catlin painted Comanches in their village during the 1834 excursion onto the Great Plains, amongst them the noted warrior Little Spaniard. Here are his words describing this warrior:
“A gallant little fellow [. . .] represented to us
as one of the leading warriors of the tribe; and no doubt [. . .] one of
the most extraordinary men at present living in these regions. He is
half Spanish, and being a half-breed, for whom they generally have the
most contemptuous feelings, he has been all his life thrown into the
front of battle and danger; at which posts he has signalized himself,
and commanded the highest admiration and respect of the tribe for his
daring and adventurous career. This is the man who dashed out so
boldly from the war-party, and came to us with the white flag raised on
the point of his lance I have here represented him as he stood for
me, with his shield on his arm, with his quiver slung, and his lance of
fourteen feet in length in his right hand. This extraordinary little
man, whose figure was light, seemed to be all bone and muscle, and
exhibited immense power, by the curve of the bones in his legs and his
arms. We had many exhibitions of his extraordinary strength, as well as
agility; and of his gentlemanly politeness and friendship we had as
frequent evidences.”
Here is the painting showing Little Soldier meeting with the US Dragoons under
colonel Henry Dodge - the first US newly organized cavalry expedition onto the Plains.
''He
rode a fine and spirited wild horse, which was as white as the drifted
snow, with an exuberant mane, and its long and bushy tail sweeping the
ground. In his hand he tightly drew the reins upon a heavy Spanish bit,
and at every jump, plunged into the animal's sides, till they were in a
gore of blood, a huge pair of spurs, plundered, no doubt, from the
Spaniards in their border wars, which are continually waged on the
Mexican frontiers. The eyes of this noble little steed seemed to be
squeezed out of its head ; and its fright, and its agitation had brought
out upon its skin a perspiration that was fretted into a white foam and
lather. The warrior's quiver was slung on the warrior's back, and his
bow grasped in his left hand, ready for instant use, if called for. His
shield was on his arm, and across his thigh, in a beautiful cover of
buckskin, his gun was slung—and in his right hand his lance of fourteen
feet in length. Thus
armed and equipped was this dashing cavalier; and nearly in the same
manner, all the rest of the party ; and very many of them leading an
extra horse, which we soon learned was the favourite war-horse'' ( both the Eurasian and Americas warrior practice of leading the war horse along, saving it for the battle or chase only )
On the Comanche horses:
No
sooner were we encamped here (or, in other words, as soon as our things
were thrown upon the ground), Major Mason, Lieutenant Wheelock, Captain
Brown, Captain Duncan, my friend Chadwick and myself, galloped off to
the village, and through it in the greatest impatience to the prairies,
where there were at least three thousand horses and mules grazing; all
of us eager and impatient to see and to appropriate the splendid Arabian horses, which
we had so often heard were owned by the Camanchee warriors We galloped
around busily, and glanced our eyes rapidly over them; and all soon
returned to the' camp, quite "crest-fallen" and satisfied, that,
although there were some tolerable nags amongst this medley group of all
colours and all shapes, the beautiful Arabian we had so often heard of
at the East, as belonging to the Camanchees, must either be a great way
farther South than this, or else it must be a horse of the imagination.
The Camauchee horses are
generally small, all of them being of the wild breed, and a very tough
and serviceable animal; and from what I can learn here of the chiefs,
there are yet, farther South, and nearer the Mexican borders, some of
tho noblest animals in use of
the chiefs, yet I do not know that we have any more reason to rely upon
this information, than that which had made our horse-jockeys that we
have with us, to run almost crazy for the possession of those we were to
find at this place. Amongst the immense herds we found grazing here,
one third perhaps are mules, which are much more valuable than the
horses.
Of the horses, the
officers and men have purchased a number of the best, by giving a very
inferior blanket and butcher's knife, costing in all about four dollars!
These horses in our cities at the East, independent of the name,
putting them upon their merits alone, would be worth from eighty to one
hundred dollars each, and not more.
(Interestingly, this is another piece of evidence to show that the Comanches were principally horse trades on the Plains, selling and exchanging their capture, mustangs and Spanish horses, to the other Plains tribes and Anglo-Americans)
In my post Comanche war bridle I gave Catlin's description of the Comanche horsemanship and further he states:
these people have several other feats of
horsemanship, which they are continually showing off; which are pleasing
and extraordinary, and of which they seem very proud. A people who
spend so very great a part of their lives, actually on their horses'
backs, must needs become exceedingly expert in everything that pertains
to riding—to war, or to the chase; and I am ready, without hesitation,
to pronounce the Camanchees the most extraordinary horsemen that I have
seen yet in all my travels, and I doubt very much whether any people in
the world can surpass them.
The Camanchees are in
stature, rather low, and in person, often approaching to corpulency. In
their movements, they are heavy and ungraceful; and on their feet, one
of the most unattractive and slovenly-looking races of Indians that I
have ever seen[...]
Here, a bison hunts:
with bows
with lances
War Party
seeing the enemy
fully armed
Comanche and Osage warrior duel
scouting
Warriors
Mountain of Rocks -“the largest and fattest Indian I ever saw [..] A perfect personation
of Jack Falstaff, in size and in figure, with an African face, and a
beard on his chin of two or three inches in length. His name, he tells me, he
got from having conducted a large party of Camanchees through a secret
and subterraneous passage, entirely through the mountain of granite
rocks, which lies back of their village; thereby saving their lives from
their more powerful enemy"
Corpulency is a thing exceedingly rare to be found in any of the tribes,
amongst the men, owing, probably, to the exposed and active sort of
lives they lead; and that in the absence of all the species of life,
many of which have their effect in producing this disgusting, as well as
unhandy and awkward extravagance in civilised society.
Dragoon NCO officer
( Hugh Evans was a Sergeant, Company G, United States Dragoon Regiment
) gave a brief description of Mountain of Rocks - '' the old chief come riding on a, verry[sic] fine horse he was a
verry[sic] large man corpulent and muscular in appearance he inquired
where our great Captain was and repaired thither immediately
he imbraced[sic] Col Dodge and called him his great
white brother.''
He Who Carries a Wolf - a distinguished brave; so called from the circumstance of his carrying a medicine-bag made of the skin of a wolf; ho holds a whip in his hand. This man piloted the dragoons to the Camanchee.
Hair of the Bull’s Neck
Bow and Quiver - “pleasant looking [..] without anything striking or peculiar in his
looks; dressed in a very humble manner [...] his hair carelessly falling
about his face, and over his shoulders,”[..]“the only
ornaments to be seen about him were a couple of beautiful shells worn in
his ears, and a boar’s tusk attached to his neck, and worn on his
breast.”
Wolf Tied with Hair
James Hildreth, describing the US Dragoon expedition to the Plains in 1834 said this about the Comanches:
''The
Camnnches are a very numerous tribe, and extend themselves over that
vast extent of country extending between the Red River and the north
fork of the Washita, which you may easily point out upon the map. They
have no established villages, but wander about from place to place,
living chiefly upon game and wild fruit. They are armed with bows and
arrows, and spears, and clothe themselves in the skins of the buffalo,
elk, and deer. They are of a bright copper color, their faces broad and
large; they are generally muscular men, and differ only in appearance
from their squaws in the manner of wearing the hair, the latter having
their heads cropt very short, whilst the former wear their hair in long
tufts. They are the allies of the Pawnees, Kioways, and Arripahoes [Arapahoes] and together, when prepared for battle, form a host not easily conquered. Among the Camanche women
we discovered several Spanish females who had probably spent the greater
portion of their lives among the Indians, and had assimilated their
manners to their wild habits.
The Camanche, when mounted, presents a fine classic
appearance; with his covering of variegated hide, his broad shining
face, his spear and target, he is apt to remind one of the more
chivalrous days of ancient Britain, when the tilt and tourney claimed no
less the prowess of the bold than the plaudits of the fair; when the
knight templars laid lance in rest, and sovereigns marshalled their
followers on the plains of Palestine.''
and time to say - until the next time:
...a sketch of one of these extraordinary scenes, which I have had the good
luck to witness; where several thousands were on the march,
and furnishing one of those laughable scenes which daily happen, where
so many dogs, and so many squaws, are travelling in such a confused
mass; with so many conflicting interests, and so many local and
individual rights to be pertinaciously claimed and protected. Each horse
drags his load, and each dog, i.e. each dog that will do it (and there are many that will not), also
dragging his wallet on a couple of poles; and each squaw with her load,
and all together (notwithstanding their burthens) cherishing their
pugnacious feelings, which often bring them into general conflict,
commencing usually amongst the dogs, and sure to result in fisticuffs of
the women; whilst the men, riding leisurely on the right or the left,
take infinite pleasure in overlooking these desperate conflicts, at
which they are sure to have a laugh, and in which, as sure never to lend
a hand.
* all Italicized text by Catlin himself from George Catlin, ''Letters and Notes,'' vol. 2, 1841
