Big Bow
Big Bow was a prominent and notorious war chief of the Kiowa tribe, recognized for his fierce resistance against U.S. expansion during the 19th century. His early years were marked by significant violence, as he gained a reputation for killing and scalping numerous settlers, establishing himself among other notable leaders like Big Tree, Satanta, Satank, and Lone Wolf. Big Bow notably opposed the Treaty of Medicine Lodge in 1867, which aimed to confine Indigenous peoples to reservations in southern Kansas. Instead, he continued his campaigns against settlers and U.S. troops, particularly during the tumultuous period of the Red River War in 1874. After enduring aggressive military campaigns, he became the last major Kiowa chief to surrender. Eventually, under the influence of peace advocates such as Kicking Bull, Big Bow relocated his people to the reservation and was later granted amnesty, serving as an army scout thereafter. His story reflects the complexities of Native American resistance and adaptation during a time of significant change and conflict in the United States.
Big Bow
- Born: c. 1830
- Birthplace: Elk Creek, Indian Territory (now in Oklahoma)
- Died: c. 1900
- Place of death: Place unknown
Category: Chief
Tribal affiliation: Kiowa
Significance: During the Central Plains Indian wars, Big Bow was the most militant Kiowa chief and the last to surrender to reservation settlement
Big Bow’s parentage and heritage are unknown. He gained an early reputation as one of the most hostile and violent Indian war chiefs after killing and scalping countless whites. With Big Tree, Satanta, Satank, and Lone Wolf, he fought settlers in Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
Big Bow refused to honor the Treaty of Medicine Lodge (1867), which assigned Indians to two reservations in southern Kansas and which was endorsed by leaders of the Arapaho, Kiowa, Comanche, and Kiowa-Apache (Apache of Oklahoma). Instead, he continued attacking settlers and battling U.S. troops. After an aggressive U.S. Army campaign to subdue the Kiowa in 1870-1871, Big Bow was the last major war chief to capitulate. In 1874, he joined the Comanches in the Red River War. Later in 1874, at the urging of the peace leader, Kicking Bull, he moved his people to the reservation. Subsequently he was granted amnesty and served as an army Indian scout.