The last chief of the Comanches and the fall of an empire - Dustin Tahmahkera

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Late one night in 1871, a group of riders descended on a sleeping army camp.

1871 年某一天深夜，

一群騎士突襲了 一個沉睡中的軍營。

In minutes they stirred the camp into a panic,

才幾分鐘他們就讓軍營 陷入一片驚慌，

stole about 70 horses, and disappeared.

偷走了大約七十匹馬後消失無蹤。

Led by a young chief named Quanah Parker,

由年輕酋長誇納帕克 所率領的這次襲擊

the raid was the latest in a long series of altercations

之前還有一長串沿著 德州邊境的爭執，

along the Texas frontier between the indigenous people

爭執的雙方為原住民 科曼奇族（Numunu）

known as the Numunu, or Comanches,

and the United States forces sent to steal Comanche lands

以及被派遣去為白人移居者

偷竊科曼奇土地的美國軍隊。

for white settlers.

Though the conflict was decades old,

雖然衝突已經持續數十年，

U.S. Colonel Ranald MacKenzie led the latest iteration.

最近再次上演的衝突， 是由美國上校拉納麥肯齊率領。

From summer to winter, he tracked Quanah.

從夏天到冬天，他都在追蹤誇納，

But Quanah was also tracking him,

而誇納也在追蹤他。

and each time the colonel drew near his targets,

每次上校就要接近他的獵物時，

they disappeared without a trace into the vast plains.

他們就在廣闊的平原上消失無蹤。

The Comanches had controlled this territory for nearly 200 years,

科曼奇族掌控這片土地近兩百年，

hunting buffalo and moving whole villages around the plains.

獵殺野牛並將整個村落 在平原各處遷移。

They suppressed Spanish and Mexican attacks from the south,

他們壓制了南邊西班牙人 和墨西哥人的攻擊，

attempts to settle the land by the United States from the east,

對抗東邊的美國為了 想要定居所做的嘗試，

and numerous other indigenous peoples’ bids for power.

還平定了許多其他 原住民部族的爭權。

The Comanche Empire was not one unified group under central control,

科曼奇帝國並非中央 控制下的一個統一族群，

but rather a number of bands, each with its own leaders.

而是各路人馬結合起來， 每一夥人都有自己的領袖。

What all of these bands had in common was their prowess as riders—

所有這些人有一個共同點： 他們都是無畏的騎士——

every man, woman, and child was adept on horseback.

所有的男人、女人、 小孩都是騎馬高手。

Their combat skills on horseback

他們在馬背上的戰鬥技巧

far surpassed those of both other indigenous peoples and colonists,

完勝其他原住民部族和殖民者，

allowing them to control an enormous area with relatively few people—

讓他們能夠只靠相對少數人 就控制一塊很大的區域——

probably about 40,000 at their peak

全盛時期大概有四萬人，

and only about 4-5,000 by the time

而當誇納帕克槓上拉納麥肯齊時，

Quanah Parker and Ranald Mackenzie faced off.

只有四到五千人。

Born around 1848, Quanah was the eldest child of Peta Nocona,

誇納生於 1848 年左右， 是皮塔諾科納

辛西婭安帕克的長子， 皮塔是諾可尼部落的領袖，

a leader of the Nokoni band, and Cynthia Ann Parker,

a kidnapped white settler who assimilated with the Comanches

辛西婭則是被綁架的白人 移居者，被科曼奇族同化，

and took the name Naduah.

取了娜度亞這個名字。

When Quanah was a preteen,

誇納還沒到青春期時，

U.S. forces ambushed his village, capturing his mother and sister.

美國軍隊就伏擊了他的村落， 捉走了他的母親和姐姐。

Quanah and his younger brother sought refuge with a different Comanche band,

誇納和他的弟弟到另一個 科曼奇部落去尋求庇護，

the Quahada.

夸哈達。

In the years that followed, Quanah proved himself as a warrior and leader.

後來幾年，誇納證明自己 是戰士也是個領袖的料。

In his early twenties, he and a young woman named Weakeah eloped,

在他二十歲初頭時， 他和一名年輕女子薇琦雅私奔，

enraging her powerful father and several other leaders.

觸怒了她很有權勢的父親 和其他幾位領袖。

They stayed on the run for a year,

他們持續逃亡了一整年，

attracting followers and establishing Quanah as a paraibo, or chief,

吸引了追隨者，讓誇納 當上了酋長（paraibo），

at an exceptionally young age.

此時他還不尋常地年輕。

Under his leadership the Quahada band was able to elude the U.S. military

在他的領導之下，夸哈達部落 得以巧妙躲避美國軍隊，

and continue their way of life.

持續他們的生活方式。

But in the early 1870s, the East Coast market for buffalo hides became lucrative,

但，在 1870 年代初期，

水牛皮的東岸市場變得有利可圖，

and hunters slaughtered millions of buffalo in just a few years.

短短幾年間，獵人 屠殺了數百萬隻水牛。

Meanwhile, U.S. forces led a surprise attack,

同時，美國軍隊進行了一次突擊，

killing nearly all the Quahada band’s 1,400 horses and stealing the rest.

把夸哈達部落的一千四百匹馬 幾乎都殺光，並偷走沒被殺的馬。

Though he had vowed to never surrender, Quanah knew that without bison or horses,

雖然誇納發誓絕對不投降， 但他知道若沒有野牛或馬，

the Comanches faced certain starvation in winter.

科曼奇族在冬天就可能要挨餓。

So in 1875 Quanah and the Quahada band

所以，1875 年，誇納和夸哈達部落

moved to the Fort Sill reservation in Oklahoma.

搬到奧克拉荷馬的錫爾堡保留區。

As hunter-gatherers, they could not transition easily

他們都是獵人和採集者，不容易

to an agricultural way of life on the reservation.

轉型接受保留區的農業生活方式。

The U.S. government had promised rations and supplies,

美國政府保證會提供 口糧和日用品，

but what they provided was wildly insufficient.

但他們提供的量很不足夠。

Quanah, meanwhile, was suddenly in a weak political position:

同時，誇納的政治地位突然被削弱，

he had no wealth or power compared to others

和其他在保留區 待比較久的人相比，

who had been on the reservation longer.

他既沒有財富也沒有權勢。

Still, he saw an opportunity.

他仍然看見了一個機會。

The reservation included ample grasslands—

保留區內有大量的草地—— 對科曼奇族沒有用途，

useless to the Comanches but perfect for cattle ranchers to graze their herds.

但卻非常適合 小牛牧場主放牛吃草。

He began a profitable arrangement leasing the land to cattle ranchers,

他開始安排出租土地給 小牛牧場主，從中獲利，

quietly at first.

一開始很低調。

Eventually, he negotiated leasing rights with the U.S. government,

最終，他和美國政府 協商了租賃權，

which ensured a steady source of income for the Comanches on the reservation.

確保保留區中的科曼奇族 有穩定的收入來源。

As Quanah’s status on the reservation

隨著誇納在保留區的地位

and recognition from government officials grew,

及政府官員對他的認可越來越高，

he secured better rations,

他取得更好的口糧，

advocated for the construction of schools and houses,

支持學校和房舍的建設，

and became one of three tribal judges on the reservation court.

並成為保留區法庭中的 三位部落法官之一。

Tired of speaking with multiple leaders,

美國政府厭倦了 總是要跟多位領袖談，

the U.S. government wanted to appoint one chief of all Comanches—

想要指派一位酋長 代表整個科曼奇族——

a role that hadn’t existed outside the reservation.

這個角色不曾存在於 保留區以外的地方。

Still, many Comanches supported Quanah for this role,

許多科曼奇人支持 誇納擔位這個角色，

just as several older leaders had supported him

同時也有數位年長的領袖支持他

to lead them against the U.S. armed forces.

領導大家對抗美國武裝部隊。

Even Quanah’s former adversary, Ranald MacKenzie,

就連誇納的前敵手拉納麥肯齊

advocated for his appointment.

也支持指派他。

Quanah acted in Hollywood movies and befriended American politicians,

誇納在好萊塢電影中演出， 並和美國政治人物交朋友，

riding in Theodore Roosevelt’s inauguration parade.

並在小狄奧多羅斯福的 就職遊行中騎馬。

Still, he never cut his long braids

他始終沒有剪掉他的長辮子，

and advocated for the Native American Church and the use of peyote.

支持美國原住民教會 以及使用迷幻仙人掌。

He began to go by Quanah Parker, adopting his mother’s surname,

他開始用母親的姓， 改名為誇納帕克，

and tried to track down his mother and sister,

並試圖尋找他的母親和姐姐，

eventually learning they had both died shortly after their capture.

最終得知她們都在被捉之後 沒多久就過世了。

Quanah adapted again and again— to different worlds, different roles,

誇納一而再再而三地適應 不同的世界、不同的角色，

and circumstances that would seem insurmountable to most.

以及大部分人會認為 無法克服的情況。

Though he wasn’t without critics, after Quanah’s passing,

雖然誇納不乏批評者，

科曼奇族在他死後 開始使用「主席」一詞

Comanches began using the term “chairman”

to designate the top elected official in the tribe,

來代表部落中被選出的最高官，

recognizing him as the last chief of the Comanches

認可他是科曼奇族的 最後一位酋長，

and a model of cultural survival and adaptation.

也是文化生存和適應的模範。

In that spirit, today’s Comanche Nation looks towards the future,

本著這種精神，現今的科曼奇部落

預計將會有超過一萬六千名 加入部落的公民

with over 16,000 enrolled citizens and countless descendants.

以及無數的後裔。