Quanah Parker

Who was Quanah Parker?

Quanah Parker was Comanche/Scots-Irish from the Comanche band Noconis, and emerged as a dominant figure, particularly after the 'Comanches' final defeat. The US appointed Quanah principal chief of the entire nation once the people had gathered on the reservation and later introduced general elections. Quanah was a Comanche chief, a leader in the Native American Church, and the last leader of the powerful Quahadi band before they surrendered their battle of the Great Plains and went to a reservation in Indian Territory. He was the son of Comanche chief Peta Nocona and Cynthia Ann Parker, a European American, who had been kidnapped at the age of nine and assimilated into the tribe. Quanah Parker also led his people on the reservation, where he became a wealthy rancher and influential in Comanche and European American society. With eight wives and 25 children, Quanah had numerous descendants. Many people in Texas and Oklahoma claim him as an ancestor.