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Kiowa Chief Satanta


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"He was over six feet and, mounted on a small pony, seemed taller. He was stark naked but for a breech clout and beaded moccasins. His coarse black hair, powdered with dust, hung tangled about his neck except a single scalp lock with an eagle feather to adorn it. The muscles stood out on his giant frame like knots, and his form was proud and erect in the saddle, while his motionless face and body gave him the appearance of a bronze statue. Nothing but his intensely black glittering eyes betokened any life in his carved figure. Every feature of his face spoke disdain for the curious crowd that gathered about him. His feet were lashed with a rawhide lariat under the pony's belly, and his hands were tied. Disarmed and helpless, he was a picture of fallen savage greatness."
 
----- A Lieutenant at Fort Richardson, Texas describes the arrival of Kiowa Chief Satanta, after Satanta had been arrested for the murdering seven members of a wagon train.  Among other things, Satanta was the the model for "Blue Duck" in "Lonesome Dove," committing suicide by throwing himself out of a window in 1878 while imprisoned.
 
Shown here: Satanta circa 1870

 

White_Bear_(Sa-tan-ta),_a_Kiowa_chief,_full-length,_seated,_holding_bow_and_arrows,_1869_-_1874_-_NARA_-_518901.jpg

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