Tehan (c. 1856–1874) was an American settler who was taken captive by the

Kiowa Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and eve ...

tribe and was adopted by the chief

Maman-ti Mamanti ("He Walking-above", "Sky Walker"), also known as Swan (c. 1835–July 28, 1875) was a Kiowa medicine man.

Biography

Tehan was a white captive, adopted into the Kiowa tribe. His name came from the native pronunciation of "Texan", where he was born. Under Maman-ti, he became a strong warrior and eventually fought in the

Red River War The Red River War was a military campaign launched by the United States Army in 1874 to displace the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Native American tribes from the Southern Plains, and forcibly relocate the tribes to reservatio ...

, at about eighteen years old. He was captured by US forces, and even though he "thanked the soldiers for his deliverance", he was incarcerated. On September 14, 1874, he escaped from US captivity during the Battle of Lyman's Wagon Train, and returned to the native camp. He went on a raid with the chief Big Bow in Texas, and died during that expedition. Various accounts of his death exist. He was believed by Big Bow to give authorities all that he knew about the natives, and was possibly executed. Big Bow stated that he had died of thirst in the desert. But the

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

stated that he visited

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

to care for his mother after his father died.

Popular culture

Tehan's story is told in the Canadian film ''

Dreamkeeper ''Dreamkeeper'' is a 2003 film written by John Fusco and directed by Steve Barron. The main plot of the film is the conflict between a Lakota elder and storyteller named Pete Chasing Horse (August Schellenberg) and his Lakota grandson, Shane Chas ...

'', he is played by the actor

Scott Grimes Scott Christopher Grimes (born July 9, 1971) is an American actor and singer. Some of his most prominent roles include appearances in the 1984 cult classic ''The Night They Saved Christmas'', '' ER'' as Dr. Archie Morris, ''Party of Five'' as Wil ...

References

Kiowa Kiowa people Captives of Native Americans 1850s births 1874 deaths Year of birth uncertain {{NorthAm-native-bio-stub