Quanah, << KWAH nuh >> (1845-1911), was a leader of the Comanche people. He led his people against white settlers to stop the slaughter of buffalo in the tribe’s homeland in Texas. In 1875, he surrendered to the U.S. Army, and his band moved to a reservation near Fort Sill, in what is now southwestern Oklahoma. Quanah encouraged his people to get an education and to farm the land. He also persuaded the Comanches to increase their income by leasing pastureland to white ranchers. Quanah obtained full U.S. citizenship for every member of his band. He served as a judge on the reservation’s court and, by 1890, had become head of all the Comanche.
Quanah was born near what is now Lubbock, Texas. He was the son of a Comanche chief and Cynthia Ann Parker, a white captive. He was also called Quanah Parker. The name Quanah comes from the Comanche kwaina, meaning fragrant. He died on Feb. 23, 1911. Quanah, Texas, was named for him.
See also Parker, Cynthia Ann .
