I wrote a piece on Comanche-Texan conciliation for the Sept/Oct issue of Orion. It's now available online. I've long sensed that simple acknowledgement and proximity - stepping outside of comfort zones - promotes healing far better than official proclamations. It's hard to resent someone or remain indifferent to his concerns after you've shared a meal and a few laughs with him.
You can see more of Juanita Pahdopony's fabulous art in the print edition.
6 comments:
Excellent piece!
Enjoyed it greatly, especially having just finished reading Gard's "The Great Buffalo Hunt'.
Many thanks, Matt and Chris. That was one of my more interesting assignments. Chris, The Great Buffalo Hunt was very helpful when I was researching The Callings.
Very nice article, Henry. On the subject of the Comanche and their interactions with European-Americans, I assume you're familiar with Dan Flores' work? He argues (to drastically oversimplify) that once the Comanche came into contact with the Spanish, and later the Anglos, buffalo hunting transitioned from a sustainable, subsistence practice to a more commercial enterprise that negatively impacted buffalo populations and probably would have been unsustainable over the long run, even if the U.S. Army and its subcontractors hadn't made it policy to finish the job. Not necessarily relevant to your piece, at least directly, but perhaps indirectly relevant from a "Truth and Reconciliation" standpoint as an environmental wrong committed by both sides, even if the opposing groups were unaware of their collaboration.
Mark, thanks your kind words. I am familiar with Dan Flores' work. I have Caprock Canyonlands within arm's reach, and I've referred to it often over the years. Yes, it appears that, at time, the Comanche and other tribes did a brisk business in buffalo hides, though certainly not on a level with hide men of the 1870s. Cultures vary, but, unfortunately, human nature doesn't.
My old Comanche friend Leonard Parker (one of Quanah'a many grandsons, in his eighties) has a copy of John Graves' The Last Running inscribed to him by John. I sort of arranged it after Leonard enjoyed the story. The inscription is something like To Leonard whose ancestors gave mine a hell of a time back when."
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