Chevato: The Story of the Apache Warrior Who Captured Herman Lehmann (American Indian Lives)

Here is the oral history of the Apache warrior Chevato, who captured eleven-year-old Herman Lehmann from his Texas homestead in May 1870. Lehmann called him “Bill Chiwat” and referred to him as both his captor and his friend. Chevato provides a Native American point of view on both the Apache and Comanche capture of children and specifics regarding the captivity of Lehmann known only to the Apache participants. Yet the capture of Lehmann was only one episode in Chevato’s life. Born in Mexico, Chevato was a Lipan Apache whose parents had been killed in a massacre by Mexican troops. He and his siblings fled across the Rio Grande and were taken in by the Mescalero Apaches of New Mexico. Chevato became a shaman and was responsible for introducing the Lipan form of the peyote ritual to both the Mescalero Apaches and later to the Comanches and the Kiowas. He went on to become one of the founders of the Native American Church in Oklahoma. The story of Chevato reveals important details regarding Lipan Apache shamanism and the origin and spread of the type of peyote rituals practiced today in the Native American community. This book also provides a rare glimpse into Lipan and Mescalero Apache life in the late nineteenth century, when the Lipans faced annihilation and the Mescaleros faced the reservation. (20080901) Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Table of Contents......Page 6 List of Illustrations......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 Part One: The Lipan Apaches, Zaragosa,and the Mescalero Apaches......Page 18 1. The Lipan Apaches......Page 20 2. The Massacre at Zaragosa......Page 49 3. The Mescalero Apaches, Mexican Bandits, and Revenge......Page 62 4. The Vision Quest......Page 74 5. The Blackbirds......Page 82 6. Chevato and Dinero Leave the Bandits......Page 87 7. The Thirty-two Burros......Page 91 8. The Amnesty......Page 93 Part Two: Herman Lehmann and Quanah Parker......Page 96 9. The Capture of Herman Lehmann......Page 98 10 . The Capture of Children......Page 112 11 . Herman Lehmann Leaves the Apaches and Becomes a Comanche......Page 129 12 . Geronimo......Page 143 13 . The Murder Trial......Page 155 14 . The Bodyguards......Page 175 15 . Pi-he......Page 185 16 . Quanah Parker and Wild Horse......Page 190 17 . Warriors......Page 208 18 . The Lost Sister......Page 218 19. The Revolutionary......Page 221 20 . The Peyote Singer......Page 222 21 . The Community on the Creek......Page 234 22 . The Death of Chevato......Page 238 Appendix 1.: Lipans at the Mescalero Agency, 1869–1903......Page 242 Appendix 2.: Indian Scouts from the Mescalero Reservation, 1883–90......Page 250 Appendix 3.: Pedigree Chart: Chevato and Pi-he......Page 254 Appendix 4 .: Descendants of Chevato......Page 256 Notes......Page 258 Bibliography......Page 282 Index......Page 286 The Story Of A Texas-area Apache Who Helped In The Notorious Lehmann Captivity, And Later Became A Shaman, Forms The Backdrop For A Study Of Apache And Comanche History And The Spreading Of The Peyote Cult To The Mescalero Apaches. Part One: The Lipan Apaches, Zaragosa, And The Mexcalero Apaches: The Lipan Apaches -- The Massacre At Zaragosa -- The Mescalero Apaches, Mexican Bandits, And Revenge -- The Vision Quest -- The Blackbirds -- Chevato And Dinero Leave The Bandits -- The Thirty-two Burros -- The Amnesty. Part Two: Herman Lehmann And Quanah Parker: The Capture Of Herman Lehmann -- The Capture Of Children -- Herman Lehmann Leaves The Apaches And Becomes A Comanche -- Geronimo -- The Murder Trial -- The Bodyguards -- Pi-he -- Quanah Parker And Wild Horse -- Warriors -- The Lost Sister -- The Revolutionary -- The Peyote Singer -- The Community On The Creek -- The Death Of Chevato. William Chebahtah & Nancy Mcgown Minor. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 265-267) And Index.