Lone Wolf the Younger facts for kids
Lone Wolf the Younger (born around 1843, died 1923) was a very important leader of the Kiowa people. His original name was Mamay-day-te. He earned the name Lone Wolf from the respected Old Chief Lone Wolf. This happened after Mamay-day-te bravely saved the Old Chief's son during a fight.
Later, the Old Chief's son and nephew were killed by American soldiers. Mamay-day-te joined a raid to get revenge for their deaths. During this attack, he performed his first "coup," which was a brave act in battle. After this, Old Chief Lone Wolf gave his own name to Mamay-day-te.
Lone Wolf the Younger became a strong voice for the Kiowa people. He led their fight against the United States government's plans for their reservation lands. This struggle eventually led to a famous court case called Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock in the Supreme Court.
Lone Wolf was the son of Audlekoety (Big Black Hair) and Paugei-to (Pursuing Them Along A River). He had several full brothers. They were part of a large and respected Kiowa family. This family lived in the western part of the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache (KCA) Reservation.
Lone Wolf and his followers lived in the northern part of the reservation. This area was near Mount Scott and the Elk and Rainy Mountain creeks. Government officials called Lone Wolf's group "The Implacables." This was because they strongly disagreed with government policies. They fought hard to keep their children out of government schools. They also resisted being forced to become farmers and Christians. Lone Wolf and his group especially opposed the General Allotment Act, also known as the Dawes Act, which started in 1887. This act aimed to divide tribal lands into individual plots.
Contents
The Jerome Commission and Land Deals
The Jerome Commission was a group sent by the government. Their job was to divide up Native American lands. They also wanted to open these lands to white settlers. In 1892, the Jerome Commission came to the Kiowa, Comanche, and Plains Apache (KCA) Reservation. They wanted the tribes to agree to change the Medicine Lodge Treaty. This treaty had promised the tribes their lands would be protected. The commission also wanted permission to open the reservation to new settlers.
The KCA tribes were all against dividing their lands. They also did not want any more railroads built through their territory. They wanted their lands to stay exactly as they were. The commission tried to convince them that 500,000 acres would be enough for their needs. They argued that the other 2.6 million acres should be sold. David Jerome, a member of the commission, told them that living on the new, smaller plots would be no different.
Lone Wolf attended the first two days of meetings. He listened to what the commissioners had to say. On September 28, he spoke for the Kiowas. Lone Wolf explained that the tribes were making progress in changing their way of life. He stressed that forcing them to take small plots of land would harm the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache tribes. He clearly stated that the tribes did not want to divide their reservation lands. They wanted to stick to the original terms of the Medicine Lodge Treaty.
After many debates, the Jerome Commissioners left for Washington, D.C. They believed they had enough signatures. They thought they had three-fourths of the adult male Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache residents. This was the number required by the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty. However, Lone Wolf and the KCA tribes believed the required signatures had not been met. They also thought many of the signatures were fake.
Lone Wolf's Fight in Court
With help from the Indian Rights Association, Lone Wolf and the Kiowa people protested. They tried to stop Congress from approving the Jerome Agreement. The Indian Rights Association supported them because they felt the agreement was unfair. They believed it had fake signatures. They also argued that the lands were being taken without fair payment. The small plots offered to the tribes were not enough to support them.
Despite these protests, in 1900, Congress passed a law. This law included the Jerome document, even though it had been changed a lot. This act divided the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache reservation. It opened the extra lands to white settlers. Under this new law, the United States took over 2.9 million acres of the KCA Reservation.
Taking the Case to Court
Lone Wolf and his nephew, Delos Knowles Lone Wolf, decided to take legal action. Delos had studied at the Carlisle Boarding School. He was a farmer and a government interpreter on the KCA Reservation. They hired a lawyer named William McKendree Springer.
On July 22, 1901, Lone Wolf asked the court for a temporary order. He wanted to stop the government from taking and opening the reservation's extra lands. Lone Wolf was joined by several other Kiowa leaders as plaintiffs, or people bringing the lawsuit. However, on August 17, 1901, a judge refused to stop the process.
Appealing to Higher Courts
Lone Wolf appealed to the Supreme Court for the District of Columbia. He argued that the Jerome Agreement took their lands without "due process of law." This means without following fair legal steps. Lone Wolf's lawyer, Springer, made four main points:
- The Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache people were tricked into signing the Jerome Agreement. Many signers, like Lone Wolf, did not speak English. They relied on interpreters who might not have explained everything clearly.
- The agreement was not signed by three-fourths of the adult male tribal members. This was required by the Medicine Lodge Treaty. Lone Wolf said there were more adult males than the government claimed. He stated the agreement was missing 23 signatures.
- The KCA tribes had protested the agreement from the very beginning.
- The version of the agreement Congress approved had been changed a lot. These changes were not shown to the KCA for their approval. Springer argued that Congress should not be able to change the agreement without the tribes' permission.
The government argued that Lone Wolf and others had already accepted land plots for themselves. They also said the KCA had been paid for the lands they gave up. By taking the plots and accepting money, they had agreed to the Jerome Agreement. On June 21, 1901, a judge denied Lone Wolf's request. The judge said that Native American tribes were not independent nations. Instead, they were "dependent wards" of the United States. This meant they were under the control of Congress.
Springer then appealed this decision to the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia. While the appeal was waiting, President William McKinley ordered the extra lands of the KCA reservation to be opened. This happened on August 6, 1901, through a lottery for white settlers. On December 4, 1901, the Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's decision. The Chief Justice stated that if a treaty and a new act of Congress conflict, the act of Congress wins.
The Supreme Court Decision
William Springer was now helped by another lawyer, Hampton Carson. The Indian Rights Association paid Carson to assist with the case in the Supreme Court. Springer and Carson made several key arguments:
- Until this case, the United States had not taken Native American property without their consent.
- The United States had always treated the tribes' right to live on their land as sacred.
- Treaties should be interpreted in a way that does not harm Native Americans.
- Treaties are laws of the land. The Medicine Lodge Treaty had given the KCA tribes clear property rights to their reservation lands. These rights should be protected by the Constitution.
Assistant Attorney General Willis Van Devanter argued for the United States. He described the tribes as "wards of the State." This meant they were like children under the care of the government. Justice Edward Douglass White wrote the court's decision on January 5, 1903. He agreed with the government. Because Native Americans were seen as dependent nations, Congress had the right to cancel a treaty with them. This could happen if the treaty's terms went against the best interests of the United States. Justice White also used a rule called "last-in-time." This rule says that the newest law passed by Congress can overrule an older treaty. This was why the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty could be canceled. Justice White noted that the Court believed the appeal could not be decided in the courts. It had to be taken to Congress instead.
After the Court Case
By July 24, 1901, over 150,000 people had signed up for the lottery. They hoped to get one of the 11,638 homestead plots. By 1906, 480,000 acres of land that had been set aside for the KCA tribes' common use, like grazing, were opened to white settlers. Before the land division, the KCA reservation had 2.9 million acres. By the end of this period, it was reduced to only about 3,000 acres.
After losing the court case, Lone Wolf returned to the KCA reservation. His fellow tribe members still looked to him for leadership. He lived with his family on his land plot until he passed away in 1923.
Later Settlement
In the 1920s, after Lone Wolf's case was lost, the Kiowa people went to Congress for help. In 1955, the Indian Claims Commission awarded the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache tribes over 2 million dollars. This was extra payment for the land taken from them by the Act of 1900.
