Calendar history of the Kiowa Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 129-444))Mooney, James
History
Calendar history of the Kiowa Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 129-444))
Mooney, James
Kiowa Indians; Kiowa language -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.
The Ute carried the _taíme_ with them to their own country, but
misfortune went with it. The son of its capturer was shortly afterward
killed in a fight with the Cheyenne, and soon after that the custodian
himself was killed by a stroke of lightning. Afraid to keep longer such
"bad medicine," they brought both images down to the trader Maxwell, in
New Mexico, who placed them on a shelf in his store, where they remained
in plain view for a long time, but were finally lost. The Ute left word
with Maxwell that the Kiowa, if they came for the images, might have
them, on payment of a specified number of ponies. For some reason the
Kiowa did not come--perhaps because they were afraid to trust themselves
so far in their enemies' country.
While the sacred images were on Maxwell's shelf they were seen by a
brother of George Bent, of the noted pioneer trading family, from whom
the author obtained a description of their appearance. They were two
small carved stones or petrifactions, the _taíme_ proper having the
shape of a man's head and bust, and was decorated and painted. The other
resembled in form a bear's kidney. While in New Mexico some years ago
the author made diligent inquiry among Maxwell's former business
associates concerning the images, but found no one who could throw any
light upon their whereabouts. In 1893 Big-bow and some others of the
tribe visited the Ute, chiefly for the purpose of ascertaining the fate
of the _taíme_, not knowing that it had passed out of their possession.
They learned nothing, however, as they asked no direct questions
concerning it and the Ute volunteered no information. This was the first
friendly meeting between the two tribes, although as early as 1873 the
Kiowa chiefs in council had made an urgent request to the agent that
some good white man should be sent with them to make peace with the Ute
(_Battey, 18_).
When the news of the defeat reached them, the Kiowa were encamped on the
Arkansas, near Fort Larned, where at that time they drew their
government issues. They at once moved down to the Washita and encamped
adjoining the Cheyenne village under Black-kettle, on the western border
of Oklahoma. This village was soon after destroyed by Custer. About this
time steps were taken to confine the confederated tribes to the
reservation assigned them by the late treaty, which was soon after
accomplished, and as a people the Kiowa never again went back to the
neighborhood of Arkansas river.
The only official reference to this fight, if indeed it does refer to
it, is the incidental mention in a letter of about June 20 that an
appointment by the agent for the Ute and Jicarilla Apache had been
postponed in consequence of the absence of Kaneatche, who was away and
had had a fight with the Kiowa and Comanche (_Report, 88_). Kaneatche,
Kanache, or Conyatz (_Kanats_ according to Major Powell) was the head
chief of the confederate Ute and Jicarilla band of Apache, and on his
death was succeeded by Ouray.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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