Isatai (medicine man)
Isatai was a notable figure among the Quahadi Comanche, born around 1850 in Texas. He rose to prominence in 1873 while the Comanche were living on a reservation, claiming to have received revelations from the Great Spirit about returning to traditional practices. He famously showcased his supposed supernatural abilities by performing feats such as belching and swallowing a wagonload of cartridges. In early 1874, he advocated for a Sun Dance, a ritual not traditionally practiced by the Comanche but observed among neighboring tribes, as a means to restore the buffalo population and their way of life. This marked a rare moment of unification among the scattered Comanche bands, who joined forces with other tribes, such as the Kiowa, Cheyenne, and Arapaho, to reclaim their heritage. However, during the Second Battle of Adobe Walls, Isatai's promised medicine failed against the modern weaponry of white buffalo hunters, leading to a devastating loss for the united indigenous forces. Following this event, Isatai's reputation diminished, and he faded into obscurity, contributing to a broader skepticism towards medicine men among the Comanche and other Plains tribes.
Isatai (medicine man)
- Born: c. 1850
- Birthplace: Northwest Texas
- Died: c. 1900
- Place of death: Northwest Texas
Category: Medicine man
Tribal affiliation: Comanche
Significance: When Isatai was a young warrior, his claims of supernatural power at first brought hope to his discouraged people
A Quahadi Comanche, Isatai was born in Texas about 1850. In 1873, with the Comanche on a reservation, Isatai claimed to have communed with the Great Spirit, who revealed to him how the Comanche could return to their past ways. Isatai reportedly demonstrated his supernatural power by belching a wagonload of cartridges and then swallowing them.
In early 1874, Isatai announced that only a Sun Dance could produce the medicine needed to preserve the buffalo and traditional Comanche life. Although the Sun Dance was not common to the Comanche, they often witnessed it performed by neighboring tribes. In June, the dance was performed. For the only time in their history, the scattered bands of Comanche were united.
Using the medicine that Isatai said would protect them in battle, and joined by Kiowa, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors, the Comanche were ready to reclaim their heritage. Led by war chief Quanah Parker and the other war chiefs, on June 24, 1874, the united force attacked Adobe Walls, an old trading post then occupied by white buffalo hunters. Isatai’s medicine proved useless against the high-powered buffalo rifles of the hunters. After twelve men had been killed, nine of them Indians, the united force terminated the attack. With his supernatural power discredited, Isatai all but disappeared into historical obscurity.
Quanah Parker and other Comanche leaders never again trusted the power of medicine men. Even the Ghost Dance movement of the late 1880’s, which involved many of the Plains tribes, could not restore that confidence.