Satanta, a name often misspelled as Santana, was known among his people as Set-tainte, a moniker that translates to "White Bear Person." Emerging as one of the most influential Kiowa chiefs during the tumultuous decades of the 1860s and 1870s, Satanta embodied a complex blend of traits. He was a formidable warrior, renowned for his bravery and strategic acumen on the battlefield. Yet, he was also a gifted orator, capable of moving hearts and minds with his eloquent speeches, and a skilled diplomat, adept at navigating the intricate world of negotiations with the encroaching American government. Satanta’s life was a testament to the struggle of the Kiowa people to maintain their sovereignty and way of life in the face of relentless pressure from settlers, miners, and the U.S. military.
The Dawn of a Kiowa Warrior
Born in 1830, Satanta’s precise birthplace remains shrouded in the mists of time, somewhere within the vast expanse of Kiowa lands. This territory likely encompassed parts of present-day Kansas or Oklahoma. He was born to Red Tepee, the esteemed keeper of the Tai-me, sacred Kiowa medicine bundles, which held immense spiritual significance for the tribe. Satanta’s early life coincided with what is often considered the zenith of Plains Indian power and cultural expression—a fleeting era of freedom and self-determination before the full force of westward expansion crashed upon their world.
During his formative years, Satanta was known by the name Guatonbain, meaning "Big Ribs." This childhood name offers a glimpse into the personal identity of the man who would become a pivotal figure in Kiowa history.
The Buffalo’s Demise and the Plains Indians’ Descent
The buffalo, or tatonka as it was known to many Plains tribes, was the very lifeblood of the Kiowa people. For countless generations, these majestic creatures provided sustenance, clothing, and the hides used to construct their teepees. The Plains Indians had long lived in harmony with the buffalo, hunting them sustainably, taking only what they needed to survive. This balance was shattered with the arrival of the white man.
The relentless westward expansion brought waves of settlers who crossed Kiowa lands without regard for the delicate ecological balance or the rights of the indigenous inhabitants. These newcomers engaged in the indiscriminate slaughter of bison, often hunting them solely for their hides. Entire herds were decimated, leaving vast stretches of grassland littered with the rotting carcasses of hundreds of animals. This wanton destruction served a dual purpose: it provided a lucrative trade in hides and it was a calculated strategy to undermine the Plains Indians.
The U.S. government and military recognized that the buffalo’s demise would have a devastating impact on the Plains tribes, stripping them of their primary source of food and materials. By starving the Indians into submission, the government hoped to pave the way for their subjugation and near-genocide. This deliberate destruction of the buffalo was a key component of the broader effort to dismantle the Plains Indian way of life and force them onto reservations.
Throughout the 1860s and 1870s, the Kiowa, along with other Plains tribes, mounted a courageous resistance to protect their ancestral lands and their traditional way of life. Even as they sought peaceful resolutions at the treaty table, white soldiers continued to slaughter the buffalo for sport, further exacerbating the crisis.
The fate of the Plains Indians, whether they were Lakota (Sioux), Arapaho, Comanche, or Kiowa, was tragically similar. They were increasingly swept up by the U.S. military and confined to small, often infertile reservations. The government sought to ensure their dependence by systematically eliminating the remaining buffalo and forcing the proud Indian nations to rely on government handouts for survival.
Satanta’s Rise to Prominence
Satanta’s early career was marked by a deep commitment to defending his people and their way of life. While still a young man, he was entrusted with a war shield, a symbol of his courage and martial prowess. He used this shield in raids across Texas and Mexico, demonstrating his dedication to protecting Kiowa interests.
Satanta understood that the Kiowa faced an existential threat and he sought to stem the loss of life, freedom, and sovereignty of his people. He was willing to engage in diplomacy, but when negotiations with the Europeans failed to yield meaningful results, he did not hesitate to resort to warfare as a means to achieve his goals. During the early years of the Civil War, Satanta led numerous raids along the Santa Fe Trail, disrupting supply lines and asserting Kiowa control over their territory.
His reputation as an outstanding warrior grew rapidly, and in his twenties, he was elevated to the position of chief. This promotion was a testament to his courage in battle and his unwavering devotion to the Kiowa nation—qualities deeply valued by the warrior societies. Satanta led his Kiowa warriors in raids against the Cheyenne and Ute nations, even extending his forays into Texas and Mexico, solidifying his position as a formidable leader.
By the 1860s, Satanta, along with other prominent figures such as Chief Lone Wolf (Guipago) and Chief Kicking Bird (Teneangope), had risen to positions of leadership among the Kiowa. At that time, the principal Kiowa chief was Chief Dohäsan (Little Mountain). In 1865, Satanta participated in the negotiations that led to the Treaty of the Little Arkansas River, alongside Dohäsan, Lone Wolf, and Kicking Bird. Like many treaties of its kind, the agreement ultimately failed to secure lasting peace on the frontier. The Native Americans viewed the treaty, like so many others, as merely another attempt by the U.S. government to pacify them while continuing to encroach upon their lands.
The prevailing sentiment among U.S. military leaders at the time was one of hostility toward the Indians. General William T. Sherman, the commander of U.S. forces in the West, harbored a deep-seated animosity toward Native Americans and his subordinates, including General Philip Sheridan and Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer, shared his views.
The raids led by Satanta in response to the army’s actions and the federal government’s policies further enhanced his reputation among the Kiowa. As settlers continued to flood across Kiowa lands, and as tribesmen grew increasingly dissatisfied with the shrinking reservation, they continued to raid settlements and harass settlers, fueled by a desire to protect their territory and way of life.
The Succession Crisis and the Medicine Lodge Treaty
The already unstable situation deteriorated significantly with the death of Chief Dohäsan in 1866. He had been a strong and unifying leader, maintaining the cohesion of the Kiowa clans for many years. With Dohäsan gone, Kiowa unity began to unravel. Several subchiefs vied for leadership, including Satanta, who advocated for armed resistance; Chief Lone Wolf (Guipago), who initially favored a more militant approach but later leaned towards a cautious strategy; and Chief Kicking Bird (Tene-angopte), who championed peace and accommodation with the U.S. government. This fierce competition for leadership fueled a wave of raids against the U.S. Army and white settlers across the southern plains during the fall of 1866 and into 1867.
Satanta‘s exploits during this period further solidified his prestige and earned him a place as one of the tribe’s representatives at the Medicine Lodge Treaty council in October 1867. The Medicine Lodge area, located in Kansas at the confluence of the Medicine River and Elm Creek, was chosen as the site for this pivotal gathering.
More than 5,000 Indians—Kiowa, Comanche, Kiowa Apache, Cheyenne, and Arapaho—attended the meeting, underscoring the scale of the U.S. government’s efforts to negotiate with the Plains tribes. The 7th Cavalry was present to provide security for the white negotiators, a visible reminder of the military power that underpinned the negotiations. Although Satanta initially agreed that the Kiowas should reside on reservations, the natives delayed the relocation, prompting Colonel Custer to hold Satanta as a hostage until the tribe complied with the agreement.
The Medicine Lodge Treaty was signed in October, but its promises of peace and security proved illusory. As the influx of settlers into their lands continued unabated, the Kiowa resumed their raids. General Sheridan was tasked with devising a plan to break the Kiowas’ will to resist. His winter campaign of persecution in 1868-1869 was characterized by brutal and indiscriminate violence. The U.S. military, under the command of Colonel Custer, not only targeted warriors but also women and children, and destroyed native horses and homes, inflicting immense suffering on the Kiowa people.
Demoralized by Custer’s ruthless tactics, Satanta and Guipago decided to surrender. The two chiefs approached the colonel on December 17, under a flag of truce, to discuss the terms of surrender. Custer, however, disregarded the truce and arrested the two chiefs, demonstrating the U.S. military’s willingness to violate established protocols in its pursuit of subjugation. For the following three months, Custer sought permission to execute them, but his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. In early 1869, they were released, largely due to the efforts of Tene-angopte, who pledged that the Kiowa would cease their raiding activities and return to the reservation.
The Warren Wagon Train Raid and Imprisonment
In 1871, Satanta, with the assistance of Chief Big Tree (Adoeete) and Chief Satank (Sitting Bear), led a large party of Kiowas off the reservation, ostensibly to hunt buffalo in Texas. They joined forces with a Comanche party and soon encountered a wagon train traveling along the Butterfield Trail. Hoping to seize guns and ammunition, the warriors attacked the ten freight trains, killing seven teamsters. The warriors allowed the remaining drivers to escape while they looted the wagons, further escalating tensions with the U.S. government.
Upon their return to the reservation, the Indian agent, who had received reports about the Texas raid, inquired whether any of his Indians had participated. In a surprising act of defiance, Satanta openly admitted that he had led the raid, arguing that their poor treatment on the reservation justified their actions. Shocked by his brazen confession, the agent turned them over to General Sheridan, who ordered the three chiefs to be transported to Jacksboro, Texas, on June 8, 1871, to stand trial for murder.
During the journey to Jacksboro, Satank, an elder of the Koitsenko, a prestigious Kiowa warrior society, was killed while attempting to escape. Satanta and Adoeete were subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to hang. At his trial, Satanta issued a chilling warning, foretelling the consequences of his execution. Edmund J. Davis, the governor of Texas, fearing that the Kiowa would never forgive or forget the death of Satanta, commuted his and Adoette’s sentences to life imprisonment.
Satanta and Adoeete were transferred to the prison at Huntsville, Texas, where they remained for two years. Following their conviction, government agents promised the Kiowa people that if they behaved peacefully, the two chiefs would be released. For two years, the Kiowa remained on the reservation and refrained from raiding, demonstrating their commitment to securing the release of their leaders. Governor Davis, under pressure from federal agents to parole Chief Satanta and Adoeete, eventually released them on August 19, 1873.
Despite their release, the underlying tensions between the Kiowa and the U.S. government remained unresolved. In response to perceived mistreatment by the government and its agents, the Kiowa and Comanche resumed their armed resistance. Settlers in Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle were subjected to constant harassment by armed parties as the Kiowa and Comanche sought to halt the slaughter of the tatonka (buffalo), the very symbol of their way of life.
Satanta’s Final Days
Like all early Native Americans, Satanta witnessed and lived through the defeat and near-extermination of the Native American way of life, and the imprisonment on reservations at the hands of the white man.
After stepping down as war chief due to age and health issues, Satanta’s counsel remained valuable. Even in retirement, Satanta often assisted during attacks by federal soldiers. Satanta, along with Chief Adoeete, was once again taken into custody and imprisoned for violating their parole.
Chief Adoeete was held in the guardhouse at Fort Sill, while Chief Satanta was returned to the Huntsville State Prison on September 17, 1874. Satanta never left that prison again.
He died on October 11, 1878, reportedly during an escape attempt, when he jumped from a second-story window of the prison hospital. He was buried in the prison cemetery until 1963, when permission was granted to exhume his remains and rebury them at Fort Sill, next to his friend and wartime companion Satank, ensuring that his legacy would endure among his people.