The Lipan Apaches: People of Wind and Lightning (review)

4?6Southwestern Historical QuarterlyJanuary the Civil War were affected by being far from the battle lines and thus from the emancipation and enforcement power of the Union Army, does what few of the other articles do and invites comparison to broader issues ofAfrican American history . Books like Neil Foley's The White Scourge (1998) and Michael Phillips's White Metropolis (2006) have established the idea that Texas is a complicated space for discussing issues ofrace, and the question ofwhere Texas, even East Texas, fits into broader, regional historiographies in America remains a tricky one, not served by this volume's limited perspective. Ultimately, the collection of articles in Blacks in East Texas History serves its primary purpose, and offers an appealing introduction to the East Texas HistoricalJournal, as well as an engaging, ifsomewhat unsystematic survey of Black history in Texas. However, while die anthology deserves a place on library shelves, and the introductory essays will prove useful to beginning scholars , the essays included in the volume are not likely to command the attention of academics in the field. University ofTexas at AustinJennifer Eckel TL· Lipan Apaches: People of Wind and Lightning. By Thomas A. Britten. (Albuquerque : University of New Mexico Press, 2009. Pp. 352. Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index. ISBN 9780826345868. $34.95, cloth.) In the past few years, several books have reevaluated common perceptions of the native peoples ofTexas, such as Pekka Hämäläinen's TL· ComancL·Empire (Yale University Press, 2008) and Maria Wade's Native Americans of tL· Texas Edwards Plateau (University of Texas Press, 2002). Thomas Britten's work on the Lipan Apaches is a welcome addition to the expanding library ofTexas Native American history. The Lipan Apaches are well overdue for fresh research and Britten brings new insight into this overlooked group. Britten relies not only on the written record, but explores archeological and linguistic evidence for Athabaskan origins in the Pacific Northwest and their migration to the arid and semi-arid regions of the Southwest. He even draws data from the local archeological record and oral histories to reconstruct the initial appearance ofApaches on the Southern Plains. The book portrays the vast changes experienced by the Lipans during the historic period. During the period of Spanish exploration and colonization of the Soudiwest, Britten recounts the history of Lipan Apaches from their days as the dominant power of the southern plains to their displacement into southern Texas and northeastern Mexico by invading Comanches. He details the relationship between the over-extended Spanish Empire and the Lipans, who made war when advantageous and peace when it suited them. Despite the establishment of missions and other efforts at assimilation, the Spanish failed to exert their will on the Lipans. Lipan raiding became so destructive that the Spaniards eventually marked them for extermination, a rare event in Spanish-Native relations. Britten then details the rapid changes in Indian policy between the succeeding regimes: Mexico, Texas, and the United States. Policy would change between accommodation and destruction, depending on the regime, or individual, in 2010Book Reviews407 power. Squeezed by Comanches to the north, Americans to the east, and Mexicans to the south, the Lipan Apaches found themselves incapable of maintaining their traditional life. Constant conflict and repeated disease episodes gradually reduced their numbers until only a handful remained. By the early twentieth century, the surviving Lipansjoined their Apache relations in Oklahoma and New Mexico or were absorbed into the population of northern Mexico. Britten paints a portrait of a resilient people who refused to give up their freedom, even if it meant their destruction. Although the book is well documented, it suffers from one major lapse in research. In the epilogue, Britten discusses two private organizations in Texas that claim Lipan descent and fits them into his theme of the Lipans as a resilient people who have survived to the present. However, there are serious questions regarding the authenticity of these groups. While they have convinced the Texas Legislature of their claimed Lipan identity, they have not convinced any federally recognized tribe of Apaches. The Mescalero Tribe has advised state and federal agencies not to accept claims of either group regarding the repatriation of Lipan cultural artifacts...