Native American Chief. He was born about 1790 and shortly thereafter was orphaned when his band was wiped out by another band of Indians, probably the Lakota tribe. His Indian name was Paruasemana (Parra-wah-ser-man-oh) and he was born into the Yamparika (Root-eaters) tribe or Northern Comanche. He first became chief of the Ketahto (Don’t Wear Shoes) local band. Later he became chief of all the Yamparika division. He did not come into the attention of the Americans until 1853 when he signed the Treaty of Fort Atkinson. In 1863, he went to Washington, DC, but was unable to gain any major concessions for his people. In November of 1864, Colonel Kit Carson attacked a Kiowa village near Adobe Walls. A group of warriors from Ten Bears village counterattacked Carson’s troops and was able to drive him away. In 1865 Ten Bears was a signer of the Treaty of the Little Arkansas River in Kansas which gave the Comanche people the entire Texas Panhandle for a reservation. The problem with that was that the Federal government did not own and could not reserve that land. In 1867, Ten Bears signed Medicine Lodge Treaty which gave the Yamparikas and a few other Comanche bands a smaller reservation in the Indian Territory (Oklahoma). At this treaty conference, Ten Bears gave one of the most eloquent, and  famous address ever given by a Native American. He went to Washington again in 1872 in hopes of getting the government to keep their promise. Again his visit was futile and he died shortly after his return. (bio by: Tom Todd)