The Life of Ten Bears
Comanche Historical Narratives
Will be published approx. on 1. July 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
250 pages
978-1-4962-4654-7 (ISBN)
Description
The Life of Ten Bears is a remarkable collection of nineteenth-century Comanche oral histories given by Francis Joseph "Joe A" Attocknie. Although various elements of Ten Bears's life (ca. 1790-1872) are widely known, including several versions of how the toddler Ten Bears survived the massacre of his family, other parts have not been as widely publicized, remaining instead in the collective memory of his descendants. Other narratives in this collection reference lesser-known family members. These narratives are about the historical episodes that Attocknie's family thought were worth remembering and add a unique perspective on Comanche society and tradition as experienced through several generations of his family.
Kavanagh's introduction adds context to the personal narratives by discussing the process of transmission. These narratives serve multiple purposes for Comanche families and communities. Some autobiographical accounts, recounting brave deeds and war honors, function as validation of status claims, while others illustrate the giving of names; still others recall humorous situations, song-ridicules, slapstick, and tragedies. Such family oral histories quickly transcend specific people and events by restoring key voices to the larger historical narrative of the American West.
Kavanagh's introduction adds context to the personal narratives by discussing the process of transmission. These narratives serve multiple purposes for Comanche families and communities. Some autobiographical accounts, recounting brave deeds and war honors, function as validation of status claims, while others illustrate the giving of names; still others recall humorous situations, song-ridicules, slapstick, and tragedies. Such family oral histories quickly transcend specific people and events by restoring key voices to the larger historical narrative of the American West.
Reviews / Votes
"The Life of Ten Bears provides such a wealth of information regarding Comanche raids and rituals from this era that it should prove of immense value to researchers for decades to come."-Steven Sielaff, Great Plains Quarterly "Rare is history told from the Native point of view, which we get in this new set of stories collected by Francis Joseph Attocknie. . . . [It] will no doubt be of intense interest to scholars of Comanche and western Native American history and to Comanche and other Native peoples themselves."-Jack David Eller, Anthropology Review Database"The reader feels immersed in the story. . . . This book would be great for the casual reader or for use in an American Indian history course."-James Butts, The Chronicles of Oklahoma
"Native historical accounts are the 'holy grail' for scholars working in borderlands or colonial contact situations. Kavanagh's editing of Francis Joseph 'Joe A' Attocknie's collection of the historical narratives of the Comanche Ten Bears will prove invaluable for scholars and edifying for readers."-Lance Blyth, author of Chiricahua and Janos: Communities of Violence in the Southwestern Borderlands, 1680-1880 "The Life of Ten Bears will quickly become required reading in a range of disciplines and will be enjoyed by a broad, popular readership. It is a treasured addition to historical narratives authored by members of Native American communities in the twentieth century."-Daniel Swan, curator of ethnology, Sam Noble Museum, University of Oklahoma
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Lincoln
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
index
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-4962-4654-7 (9781496246547)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Francis Joseph Attocknie (1912-84) was the great-great-grandson of Ten Bears. Thomas W. Kavanagh is the author of Comanche Ethnography: Field Notes of E. Adamson Hoebel, Waldo R. Wedel, Gustav G. Carlson, and Robert H. Lowie (Nebraska, 2008) and The Comanches: A History, 1706-1875 (Nebraska, 1996).
Content
Introduction by Thomas W. Kavanagh
Ten Bears-Attocknie Geneology
Preface by Francis Joseph Attocknie
The Dated Narratives
1. The Life of Ten Bears ? ca. 1790-1872
2. Peace with the Kiowas ? ca. 1825
3. Uhta Hookne: The Robe Entrenchments ? 1837
4. Nahwakatahnohpetuhupu: When the Enemies Camped Together ? 1838
5. Piakoruko's War against the Apaches ? 1840
6. Where the Comanches' Saddle Packs Were Captured: Isakwahip's Tragic Victory ? ca. 1845-50
7. The Badger's Mirror ? 1855
8. Disaster in Coahuila ? 1856
9. The Red-Striped Saddle Blanket ? 1856
10. The Battle at Little Robe Creek ? 1858
11. Wutsuki ? 1858
12. Tuhtahyuheekuh Evens the Score against the Osages ? 1868
13. Onawia Takes a New Wife and Goes to Mexico ?1868
14. Buckskin Charlie versus Kiowas and Comanches ? July 1868
15. The Battle of the Washita ? November 26, 1868
16. The Battle of McClellan Creek ? September 24, 1872
17. The Battle of Adobe Walls ? 1874
18. The Last Sun Dance, the Last Raid ? July 26, 1878
The Undated Narratives
19. Esitoya's Loyalty
20. Pukumahkuh's Two Escapes
21. The Pukutsinuu: The Comanche Contrary Warriors
22. Mubsiihuhtuko: The Peaceful Nephew
23. A Fight between Cavalry and a Comanche War Party
24. Attocknie Gets Half a Scalp
25. A Cripple and a Blind Man Form a Friendship
26. Violation of a Dance Ground
27. Pohocsucut and the Two Kiowas
28. The Mule
29. Querherbitty
30. Comanche Pictographs
31. Miscellaneous Religious Matters
32. Fragmentary and Incomplete Narratives
Appendix: Lexicon
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Ten Bears-Attocknie Geneology
Preface by Francis Joseph Attocknie
The Dated Narratives
1. The Life of Ten Bears ? ca. 1790-1872
2. Peace with the Kiowas ? ca. 1825
3. Uhta Hookne: The Robe Entrenchments ? 1837
4. Nahwakatahnohpetuhupu: When the Enemies Camped Together ? 1838
5. Piakoruko's War against the Apaches ? 1840
6. Where the Comanches' Saddle Packs Were Captured: Isakwahip's Tragic Victory ? ca. 1845-50
7. The Badger's Mirror ? 1855
8. Disaster in Coahuila ? 1856
9. The Red-Striped Saddle Blanket ? 1856
10. The Battle at Little Robe Creek ? 1858
11. Wutsuki ? 1858
12. Tuhtahyuheekuh Evens the Score against the Osages ? 1868
13. Onawia Takes a New Wife and Goes to Mexico ?1868
14. Buckskin Charlie versus Kiowas and Comanches ? July 1868
15. The Battle of the Washita ? November 26, 1868
16. The Battle of McClellan Creek ? September 24, 1872
17. The Battle of Adobe Walls ? 1874
18. The Last Sun Dance, the Last Raid ? July 26, 1878
The Undated Narratives
19. Esitoya's Loyalty
20. Pukumahkuh's Two Escapes
21. The Pukutsinuu: The Comanche Contrary Warriors
22. Mubsiihuhtuko: The Peaceful Nephew
23. A Fight between Cavalry and a Comanche War Party
24. Attocknie Gets Half a Scalp
25. A Cripple and a Blind Man Form a Friendship
26. Violation of a Dance Ground
27. Pohocsucut and the Two Kiowas
28. The Mule
29. Querherbitty
30. Comanche Pictographs
31. Miscellaneous Religious Matters
32. Fragmentary and Incomplete Narratives
Appendix: Lexicon
Notes
Bibliography
Index