The independence day of the conquering nation has been remade into the biggest Indian dances of the year.

On those days in Carnegie (July 2-4), the heat is relentless and nightfall is as welcome as money.


He was a tall young man who rode on a horse and hunted buffalo from it. He fought hard and fought often. Summers were hot and winters were cold. He later became the Kiowa war leader, Satanta. His relatives knew him as Settainte, or translated: White Bear. Back then, the whole world revolved around him and his people.

The age he lived in was unique. Also tedious and doleful. Other Indian leaders of the era watched their ways of life dissipate like a fine mist as settlers poured onto lands given to them by treaty. For his valor, Settainte is still one of the Kiowas' most honored leaders. And like all visionary leaders of a people, there remains a time set aside to honor and venerate his exploits.

The Kiowas plan all year for it. Like other tribes, when the rest of the nation is set ablaze with red, white and blue, they are sponsoring their biggest gala of the year. Here, it is the July Fourth dance in Carnegie, OK. They will literally recount the war victories of the past. They'll give away far into the night. The little ones will Rabbit Dance at daybreak and the campers' rations will flow.

That is not to imply that no other July Fourth celebrations are in OKs Indian Country. I find this whole phenomenon remarkable. The independence day of the conquering nation has been remade into the biggest Indian dances of the year. The Quapaws in Miami, OK will host their version and the Cheyenne & Arapaho observance in Concho, OK is a don't-miss event.

But on those days in Carnegie (July 2-4), the heat is relentless and nightfall is as welcome as money. The focus is tribe, gourd dancing and tradition. No wonder. Settainte's descendants live through-out Southwest Oklahoma. His influence on the Southern Plains tribe is tangible. They all remember him as if he were the old widower uncle that still lives out on the family allotment.

The Kiowa leader's story is a riveting one. The Kiowa Gourd Clan is faithful to re-enact one of his feats. Particularly, (common knowledge amongst the Kiowas) Settainte captured a cavalry bugler and bugle after watching soldiers attack and retreat on its lyrical cue.

With the horn in his possession, Settainte blew the bugle to confound his enemies during their next battle. To mark this day, the bugle is hung from a center pole and a white bugler in period clothes blows the horn during the height of the day's songs. It lends to an eerie, other-world experience. As if the Kiowas opened up a portal into the late 1800s by way of Carnegie.

A great military tactician, he led raids at will. His people would act on his mere word. He fought against some of the greatest white war leaders of the day, Sherman, Custer and Sheridan. In these stories, he is always the grand rebel, embodying resistance to assimilation.  

The tapestry of his life inspired author Larry McMurtry to base his infamous character, "Blue Duck," on him. The stuff of legends. I read account after account where it seemed Settainte longed for nothing more than his people to live free. Yet at every turn, someone (usually a  Texan) was on hand to decry his sentiments or to defame his words. He was sentenced to death for going on raids, but the sentence was later reduced.

His end also tells a story about the largesse of the war leader. After being imprisoned in Huntsville, TX (many Indian leaders became ex-convicts), he reportedly grew disconsolate. He is said to have looked toward the north, his eyes seeing buffalo that were no longer there to hunt.

He supposedly cut his wrists and was sent to the prison infirmary. While on the second floor, he dove head first out a window to his death. Some call it suicide, others called it a relief. But I saw a clear symbolism. He chose to dive off into the unknown that he couldn't see than to face a future he could see.

Settainte's life was a drama of defiance. He lived as big as any frontier legend. And for three days each year, he is revived in Carnegie, OK where he is alive and well among his people.