Tribal Wars of the Southern Plains [Hardcover]

Stan Hoig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1993

Tribal Wars of the Southern Plains is a comprehensive account of Indian conflicts in the area between the Platte River and the Rio Grande, from the first written reports of the Spaniards in the sixteenth century through the United States-Cheyenne Battle of the Sand Hills in 1875. The reader follows the exploits and defeats of such chiefs as Lone Wolf, Satanta, Black Kettle, and Dull Knife as they signed treaties, led attacks, battled for land, and defended their villages in the huge region that was home to the Wichitas, Comanches, Cheyennes, Arapahos, Kiowas, Osages, Pawnees, and other Indian nations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stan Hoig is Professor Emeritus of Journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond. His many books on the West and American Indians include The Sand Creek Massacre, The Peace Chiefs of the Cheyennes, and Tribal Wars of the Southern Plains.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 356 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press; 1St Edition edition (March 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806124636
• ISBN-13: 978-0806124636
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #518,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Even-handed treatment of brutality on both sides, October 30, 2002

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tribal Wars of the Southern Plains (Hardcover)

Given their near extermination by the white invaders, it is easy to look back and believe that the world of the Native Americans was one of peaceful bliss. With lives revolving around hunting the local game, it seems like such a peaceful life and was even the main theme of an episode in the original Star Trek series. However, in the plains, the tribes were at constant war with each other, especially after the Europeans introduced the horse. The new mobility allowed for more efficient hunting of both food and humans, which for some tribes, was the same thing. There are many facts about the lives of the Native American tribes in this book that are simply not mentioned in most histories of that time.
Hoig describes the constant wars between the tribes, with the general time frame being from the first contact with Europeans until the wars ended when the tribes became permanent residents of the reservations. Neither side in the conflict is spared, there was brutality committed by both the Indians and the Europeans. Many whites and natives were tortured to death at the hands of the Indians and the Europeans finally ended the war by simply seeking out and destroying the Indian camps. By eliminating their infrastructure of tents, food stocks, horses and noncombatant population, there was nothing to support the Indian warriors in their battles. Even with the even-handed descriptions of the battles and massacres, it is hard not to feel a bit of sadness for a way of life that passed forever from the planet. The natives were fighting for their right to a home and to exist, but the enemy was too numerous and organized for them to ever have a chance.
Life on the plains for the natives was one of constant battle against nature and other tribes. In the end, bravery was not enough and they succumbed to the twin factors of intertribal animosities and a superior enemy with better weapons and organization. Within two short generations, the tribes of the southern plains went from proud masters of their lands to caged creatures who were decaying and with nothing but visions of their past glories. This is the story of that decline, told well and accurately.