Isa-tai
Isa-tai was a Comanche warrior and medicine man . It is not known exactly from when to when he lived. A date of birth is assumed to be in the 1840s and his death in 1890. As a religious leader of the Quahadi tribe, between 1873 and 1874 he achieved special importance as an Indian prophet. In the late 1860s and early 1870s , the Comanche chief Quanah Parker united the Comanches with tribal groups of the southern Cheyenne , Arapaho , Kiowa , and Kiowa-Apaches, and opened a series of hostilities against the white settlement of Texas. Under the protection of the chief, Isa-tai quickly assumed an important role in the spiritual leadership of the Alliance. He organized the first Comanche sun dance ritual, which his tribe had never practiced before.
Life
Little is known of his early years. As an adult, he became an important spiritual leader in his tribe. He was considered a prophet and was right about many of his prophecies. In 1874 Isa-tai organized the sun dance ritual. He succeeded in convincing many of the assembled warriors of a necessary attack on the Adobe Walls trading post. The attack on the 30 or so bison hunters who were in the station equipped with modern rifles failed. Isa-tai was blamed for this defeat because his visions were obviously wrong. Isa-tai blamed a Cheyenne who killed a Skunk on the approach . Because of this clumsy excuse, he was beaten by the warriors and his reputation was permanently damaged. As a result, the Cheyenne left the Alliance.
Individual evidence
literature
- Frontier Blood: the Saga of the Parker Family , by Jo Ann Powell Exley
- Quanah Parker , by Clyde L. and Grace Jackson
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Isa-tai |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Comanche warrior and medicine man |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1845 |
| DATE OF DEATH | around 1890 |