Herman Lehmann: Nine Years Among the Indians
Submitted by Reviewer (not verified) on Sat, 2005-11-26 17:01.
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| Herman Lehmann: Nine Years Among the Indians | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Rating 4.5/5 from 7 reviews |
| Interesting read but be careful |
| Rating: 2/5 2006-05-23 |
| I finished the book in just a few days and was excited to begin reading after seeing the reviews on this sight. Shortly into the story I was bothered by some of the descriptions and terms that conflicted with all the other information I have come across regarding Apache life. I don't doubt that Mr. Lehmann was taken by and lived as an Apache or Comanche but some of the information he relates is inaccurate or too generalized in my opinion. I'm not trying to rehash history but it's important that the average reader not make an opinion on all Apache tribes with the decriptions that Mr. Lehmann relates. He describes Geronimo as a "Chief" and if this was an opinion he based on his experiences within certain Apache bands,it is historically incorrect. He describes Indian Women as "Squaws" and Warriors or males as "Bucks." I doubt either of these terms would ever be used by an Apache to describe themselves. It has always been my understanding these terms were considered highly offensive by Native Americans which indicates to me Mr. Lehmann may be choosing these terms with resentment and it is not something he learned living among The People. My Great-Grandmother always said that Apaches didn't consume bear meat or dog meat as Mr. Lehmann described (as it was taboo.) Again, all Apache tribes were not of the same clan/band and or Tribe. The book was faced paced but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It's definately not a pretty picture and seemed to be told by a man more from bitterness than a man reminiscant of his one time family. |
| Nine Years Among the Indians |
| Rating: 5/5 (2 out of 2 think this is helpful) 2006-03-14 |
| A first rate true story of a young man's life among the Apaches and Comanches. A rare glimpse of how tough the life of an Indian was back in those days. If you enjoy history as told by one of the actual participants you will enjoy this book. |
| Superb for a number of reasons! |
| Rating: 5/5 (17 out of 21 think this is helpful) 2006-01-11 |
| Herman Lehmann was a young child when he and his brother were stolen by a band of Apaches in Texas, and his ordeal (which spanned nine years ) stands as a wonderful and horrific account of Indian life on the early western frontier. While Herman's little brother, Willie, managed to escape and by shear blind luck, and ended up restored to their family, Herman was taken deep into west Texas and had to endure brutality, humiliation, hard labor, and was made a slave to the band's chief, "Carnoviste". During the early stages of his multi-year ordeal, Herman tells of his daily drudgery as a slave of the Apache chieftain and his gradual assimilation into the band as a member. Not in the sense of an "adoption" a la the absurd "DANCES WITH WOLVES" formula, but more of having a hostage live like, and fight for, the Apache - a triumph for the Indians over their White enemies by forcing one White offspring to "go Indian" somewhat willingly. Herman does not describe this period with any fond affection, but he does give a very clear explanation of how he gradually became an Apache, mentally and physically. His diet and tastes changed so that he began to appreciate drinking the blood and then eating the stomach content and bile, as well as the raw kidneys and heart of newly slaughtered bison. He also changed mentally, and his entire personality shifted toward the value system of the Indians, and he participated in raids and wars with Whites and Comanches as one of the warriors of the band. Eventually, Herman kills a medicine man and fearing for his life, he secretly flees the Apache band with the help of an Apache woman who had treated him well during his slavery to Carnoviste. He then wanders into a Comanche village and allies himself with the Comanche, stealing livestock and killing other Whites with his new tribesmen. It seems the Comanches elect to have Herman in their midst because of the same reason the Apaches did - as a kind of triumph over the hated White man by having a teenaged White boy help them attack and kill his own kind! Herman spends the remainder of his "Indian days" with the Comanches, being taken in by the band chief, Chuko. After the Comanche are brought to heel, subdued, and relegated to reservation lands, Herman is finally restored to his family in spite of his firm objections to this and his desire to remain a Comanche. It takes a great deal of kindness and patience on the part of his mother, sister, and little brother, as well as their neighbors, before Herman experiences what he describes as "the lifting of a heavy, thick, dark cloud" that had hung over his mind and thoughts for so many years, and he once again feels the love and affection toward his mother and siblings that he should. This is a HIGHLY infomative and profoundly important book for anyone who wants an eye-witness, first-hand veiw of INDIAN LIFE during the wild days of the Apache and Comanche on the frontier. Herman recounts his many tribulations, such as being lost in a snow storm and how his Apache captors saved him by burying him in raw buffalo meat to prevent frost bite. He tells of his trek across the Staked Plains with no water or food, and how he relied on catching and eating grasshoppers and lizards to keep from starving to death. He provides excellent information on the dietary habits of the wild Indians - raw meat, the drinking of fresh blood, the consumption of stomach contents and bile, etc. He even gives good information on some of the bloody and villianous exploits of Victorio, the head chief of the Apaches who had captured him, and the appearance of the feared Geronimo and other warriors from much farther west as the Apaches gathered together and forced the Comanches to relinquish some captive Apache women and children. Equally, we learn of formidable Apache warriors who are not generally found mentioned in other books on Indians or the frontier history of Texas; such as Red Wasp, Chiwat, Pinero, Echiconi, and others. Thanks to Herman's account of his "Indian days", we are made aware that the Indians were not at all impressed by the US Army and had little fear or concern about encounters or war with the Cavalry, but we are also given great detail on how much they dreaded the Texas Rangers, and how both Victorio's Apaches and all the various Comanche bands would do everything possible to avoid open warfare with Ranger units. One of the most interesting things about this book is the way it backs up the theory concerning how people who are captives or kidnapped can eventually become mentally brainwashed and linked to their captors in a sympathetic way ( a la Patrica Hearst ). Herman Lehmann goes from hated, brutalized slave to tribesman and warrior - a "White Indian" who honestly desired to kill his own kind on behalf of his captors - until he finally has his mental "cloud" lift and he realizes who and what he is again, and resumes life as a normal White person in civilized society. For example; Herman offers no good reason why he should have desired to kill other people of his own race - people who had done him no harm whatsoever - but nevertheless, he relates how he became thoughtlessly blood thirsty and desirous of wanton murder and butchery (wanting to kill White women by cutting their stomachs open, etc.) and was whole heartedly in favor of every outrage his Apache and Comanche companions committed. This is what I mean about the effects of brainwashing due to extreme stress to both physical and mental states within a helpless human victim of abduction by a hostile, all-powerful, and utterly alien group or force. This book is so good, its hard to give it a high enough rating. It destroys the "Dances With Wolves", "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" Bleeding Heart, Politically Correct hogwash nonsense that is now being passed off as "FACT" about frontier history. Everyone who now adores wild Indians and thinks of them as some sort of Feathered Philosopher/Sages (the motion picture versions of Indians) while simultaneously hating their own ancestors who civilized this continent, should read "Nine Years Among The Indians" and have their own dark, heavy, black cloud lifted from their feverish imaginations and well-programmed minds! Lastly, they should supplement Herman's information with the hard-biting content from books like "SCALP DANCE", "THREE YEARS AMONG THE COMANCHES", "LIFE AMONG THE APACHES", "INDEH, AN APACHE ODYSSEY", "THE KIOWAS", "THE PAWNEE INDIANS", "CAPTURED BY THE INDIANS", and "INDIAN WARS". All of these are available right here at amazon.com and all are of the "couldn't-put-it-down" variety of literature. Furthermore, they contain TRUTH AND FACT, two things that are getting harder and harder to find in books dealing with the western frontier. |
| Wow |
| Rating: 5/5 (7 out of 7 think this is helpful) 2005-08-08 |
| After spending a lifetime watching Westerns this was an eye-opener for me. I was a history major in college (back in the ice age) and there was very little information about Native American culture available. A great follow-up to the book about captive children in the late 1800s by Zorn. |
| Where The Arrowhead In Your Garden Came From |
| Rating: 5/5 (10 out of 12 think this is helpful) 2003-11-22 |
| The older farmers of my childhood remembered the last Indians from a time before plows and pavement. Ours was an Indian land not long ago. This man's sharp memories, though not for the squeamish, are a window on that world before and while it was snatched from them. This is a fascinating book - a fast, enjoyable read. |