Big Tree (war chief)

Big Tree

Big Tree (Kiowa: Ado-ete (unknown c. 1845–1930)), was a war chief of the Kiowa. He was a loyal follower of the fighting chiefs party (Satank, Satanta, Guipago), and conducted frequent raids upon other tribes and white settlers, often being associated with Tsen-tainte (“White Horse”).

On June 21-22, 1870, Big Tree led a raiding party on an attack on Fort Sill in Indian Territory, but the raid wasn't successful as the previous one led by White Horse.

On 9 July 1870, the Kiowa Indians, eventually being Big Tree one among the leaders, made a raid into Montague County, Texas. They scattered a herd of cattle, killed two yoke of oxen, stole nine horses, one mule, a large amount of provisions, one tent, one wagon-cover, etc., all of which property was at the time owned by and in the possession of Colonel Samuel Newitt Wood.[1]

The Warren wagon train and trial

On May 18, 1871, the Warren wagon-train, travelling down the Jacksboro-Belknap road heading towards Salt Creek Crossing, met a large group of riders ahead. Hidden in a thicket of scrub in the Salt Creek Prairie, the Kiowa had observed, without attacking, the transit of General William Tecumseh Sherman's inspection retinue.[2] The previous night, Mamanti ("He Walking-above"), the powerful shaman rival of Tene-angopte ("Kicking Bird" or "Striking Eagle")'s friend Napawat ("No Mocassins"), had prophesied that this small party would be followed by a larger one with more plunder for the taking, and the warriors let the soldiers go. Only three hours later the 10 mule-drawn wagons filled with army corn and fodder was kept in the ambush, and the warriors destroyed the corn supplies, killing and mutilating seven of the wagoneer's bodies.[3] The Kiowa warriors lost three of their own, but left with 40 mules[4] heavily laden with supplies. Five white men managed to escape, one of which, Thomas Brazeale[5], walked to Fort Richardson, some 20 miles away. Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie, as soon as learned of the incident, informed Sherman. Unlike some others (as Tsen-tainte "White Horse", Zepko-ete "Big Bow" and Mamanti), Ado-ete ("Big Tree") was identified as one among the leaders, along with Satanta and Satank; notwithstanding the intervention of Guipago, with loaded rifles and guns and well ready to fight,[6] they were arrested and jailed at Fort Sill. Along the way to Jacksboro, Texas, Satank attempted escape and was killed while traveling to Fort Richardson for trial. Satanta was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death, as was Big Tree; but Edmund Davis, the Governor of Texas, under enormous pressure from leaders of the so-called Quaker Peace Policy, decided to overrule the court and the punishment for both was changed to life imprisonment. Satanta and Big Tree were convicted of murder on 5-6 July in Jack County, Texas. Thanks to the stubborn behaviour of Guipago, who forced the U.S. Government to agree seriously threatening a new bloody war, Satanta and Big Tree were freed after two years of imprisonment at the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Texas.[7] [8] Big Tree didn’t join the Kiowa party, led by Guipago and Satanta, going with the Comanche chief Quanah and several others to whip out the hidemen at Adobe Walls, nor he took part in the Buffalo and Red River war, so, when forced by General Philip Sheridan to choose those among his tribe to be imprisoned in the east, Big Tree wasn’t among those chosen by Chief Kicking Bird. In 1878 he was returned and the other Kiowa were returned to the reservation in Indian Territory near Fort Sill, where he had still a career as a chief until he died in 1930.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Report by Mr. Bowen of the Committee on Indian Affairs submitted to the United States Senate on April 8, 1884


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