Post by Allen Wiener on Apr 14, 2011 16:06:50 GMT -5
Our book club took this one on last night:
tinyurl.com/3zzmcpg
In many ways a real eye-opener. Although I've read quite a bit on American Indians, this was all news to me, and most enlightening. However, for a book that won so many awards I found it incredibly tedious and repetitious throughout. The 400 pages could easily have been whittled down to 250 and not missed anything important.
The author never proves his contention that the Comanche ever were an empire in the traditional sense. For one thing, they made no effort to establish a permanent presence in the areas they conquered, install their own governors or create a bureaucracy or governing hierarchy. Nonetheless, he has a point as the Comanche pursued only what was necessary for them to remain dominant and maintain their economy. It's a fascinating story that will surprise most people who have as little knowledge of the Comanche as I did.
The book briefly covers the Texas Revolution and touches on the continuing threat the Comanche presented to colonists, to other Indians and to Mexico. While most books on the Revolution mention the Comanche, there is little detail about how big a factor they were in the politics and international relations of Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico and Mexico at that time. Houston, for example, went to great lengths to pacify and establish peace with them. I wonder if anyone knows of any studies that give us more information on the Comanche as a serious factor in the 1830-1836 period in Texas.
Another interesting side note is the fate of the Cherokee and other southeastern tribes that were driven west by Andrew Jackson's removal policy. Many in Congress who opposed the bill, including Crockett, protested that no one had examined the lands into which the tribes were to be sent and expressed doubts that the would be welcomed by the tribes already residing there, which was the rosy fantasy Jacksonians tried to paint. Crockett and the others were quite right as these tribes found themselves as harassed and victimized by the Comanche as other people in the area.
I find it hard to recommend this book as I found it quite a slog, despite the fact that the subject became increasingly interesting to me the more I read. I'd like to find a better written book on the Comanche. They are a great example of how Indian civilizations have been nearly written out of our history and practically forgotten.
Allen
tinyurl.com/3zzmcpg
In many ways a real eye-opener. Although I've read quite a bit on American Indians, this was all news to me, and most enlightening. However, for a book that won so many awards I found it incredibly tedious and repetitious throughout. The 400 pages could easily have been whittled down to 250 and not missed anything important.
The author never proves his contention that the Comanche ever were an empire in the traditional sense. For one thing, they made no effort to establish a permanent presence in the areas they conquered, install their own governors or create a bureaucracy or governing hierarchy. Nonetheless, he has a point as the Comanche pursued only what was necessary for them to remain dominant and maintain their economy. It's a fascinating story that will surprise most people who have as little knowledge of the Comanche as I did.
The book briefly covers the Texas Revolution and touches on the continuing threat the Comanche presented to colonists, to other Indians and to Mexico. While most books on the Revolution mention the Comanche, there is little detail about how big a factor they were in the politics and international relations of Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico and Mexico at that time. Houston, for example, went to great lengths to pacify and establish peace with them. I wonder if anyone knows of any studies that give us more information on the Comanche as a serious factor in the 1830-1836 period in Texas.
Another interesting side note is the fate of the Cherokee and other southeastern tribes that were driven west by Andrew Jackson's removal policy. Many in Congress who opposed the bill, including Crockett, protested that no one had examined the lands into which the tribes were to be sent and expressed doubts that the would be welcomed by the tribes already residing there, which was the rosy fantasy Jacksonians tried to paint. Crockett and the others were quite right as these tribes found themselves as harassed and victimized by the Comanche as other people in the area.
I find it hard to recommend this book as I found it quite a slog, despite the fact that the subject became increasingly interesting to me the more I read. I'd like to find a better written book on the Comanche. They are a great example of how Indian civilizations have been nearly written out of our history and practically forgotten.
Allen