Indians 101: The Southern Plains Vision Quest

The Southern Plains lie south of the Arkansas Rivervalley. It includes Oklahoma, Arkansas, portions of Texas, the eastern foothills of New Mexico, and portions of Louisiana. This area was the homeland for hunting and gathering tribes, such as the Comanche, Kiowa, Plains Apache, and the Lipan Apache, and more agricultural tribes such as the Caddo and Wichita.

For many of the Southern Plains tribes, dreams, visions, and personal spiritual power were important to individual success. In several of the tribes acquiring personal spiritual power, often in the form of a guardian or tutelary spirit being, was critical to a successful life. This personal spiritual power was obtained through a vision or dream.

In many of the Southern Plains tribes, certain substances—often described in the early literature as the mescal bean, but perhaps actually peyote—were used to enhance the vision. This was used in ceremonies involving war as well as in the healing societies. In his book The Indians of Texas: From Prehistoric to Modern Times, W.W. Newcomb reports:

“An outstanding warrior was given a potion to drink, apparently a mescal bean preparation, and when he awoke from his stupor was able to divine the location and readiness of the enemy as well as forecast the success of the war party.”

In several of the Southern Plains tribes, a vision quest ceremony was used to obtain spiritual power. In this ceremony, the person seeking the vision would go to an isolated or special spiritual place and fast for several days while waiting for one or more spirits to visit. Some of the Southern Plains vision quest ceremonies are briefly described below.

Comanche

Among some of the Southern Plains tribes, such as the Comanche, spirituality was an individual concern. According to Ernest Wallace and E. Adamson Hoebel, in their book The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains:

“There was no religious organization, no theocracy, no priestly class, no dogma. Every man could be his own priest and his own prophet – the individual interpreter of the wills and ways of the spirits.”

Anthropologist Thomas Kavanagh, in his chapter on the Comanche in the Handbook of North American Indians, puts it this way:

“Comanche religion was an individual concern, and while there was a range of variation in belief and practice, fundamental beliefs were held in common.”

As with tribes in other areas, dreams are an important part of the spirituality of the Comanche: visions can provide the individual with power (puha) when they are sought under certain stringent conditions. On the other hand, visions might also come unsought. Visions were traditionally sought for mourning, for going to war, for curing disease, and for success in hunting.

At about the time of puberty, Comanche boys would seek their first vision with the aid of a medicine man. Each boy was to have four things: a buffalo robe, a bone pipe, some tobacco, and material for producing fire. On the way to the vision quest site – often a hill, or a warrior’s grave, or some other special place – the boy would stop to smoke the pipe four times. During the four-day quest the boy would fast. According to Ernest Wallace and E. Adamson Hoebel:

“He was quietly humble before the sources of spiritual power, but he saw no call to demean himself in lamentation and self-pity.”

During the quest, spirits might visit the seeker and offer choices in power. Sometimes the spirits could be frightening, attempting to scare the seeker away.

Those seeking a vision do so with some understanding of the kind of spiritual power they are seeking. As anthropologist Thomas Kavanagh, in his book Comanche Political History: An Ethnohistorical Perspective 1708-1875, puts it:

“One did not just go on a vision quest, waiting, as it were, for the first passing spirit.”

The culmination of the Comanche vision quest occurs when a guardian spirit reveals itself to the seeker. This guardian spirit teaches the seeker a number of things, including several songs. In this way the person seeking the vision receives puha (medicine power). In his chapter on the Comanche in the Handbook of North American Indians, Thomas Kavanagh (reports:

“Along with power, the successful seeker received rituals and prohibitions. The rituals included specific ways of contacting the supernatural, designs for shields, and other insignia.”

Among the Comanche, the power obtained through a vision could be shared with others and thus a number of medicine societies were formed.

Kiowa

To be successful in life, a Kiowa man needed the help of a spiritual helper which was obtained through the vision quest. In his chapter on the Kiowa in the Handbook of North American Indians, Jerrold Levy reports:

“A man sought power at an isolated spot in the hills, where he fasted, smoked, and prayed. If successful, a spirit appeared who became a guardian and helper.”

Anthropologist Benjamin Kracht, in his chapter on Kiowa religion in Native American Spirituality: A Critical Reader, describes the Kiowa vision quest:

“Clad in a breechcloth and moccasins, with a buffalo robe draped around his shoulders, hair side out, and armed with a long-stemmed, black stone pipe and tobacco pouch, the initiate took the shield up into the Wichita Mountains or to an isolated spot and fasted with it under his head so he could learn about the shield keeper’s power.”

For four days the initiate would fast, smoke, and pray, attempting to obtain a vision.

The guardian spirit obtained through the vision quest would give instructions on how to paint the face, as well as special songs, and guidance for making special amulets. It was common for men to repeat the vision quest or to purchase spiritual power.

Among the Kiowa, successful vision seekers obtain ed spiritual power related to either curing or war. These two realms of spiritual power were generally mutually exclusive: one became either a great warrior or a great curer. Anthropologist Benjamin Kracht reports:

“Life was more difficult for a curer because of the responsibilities and restrictions accompanying his power; his life typically involved a stringent set of prohibitions placed on his doctoring medicine, such as avoiding certain animal foods—bears, moles, or fish—or animal parts—brains or marrow.”

Kiowa men who received war power often made war shields that symbolized the power they had received through their vision. These shields, along with the associated spiritual power, could be given to a son or sold to a friend.

Following a successful vision quest, the seeker would generally not talk about the experience. Jerold Levy reports:

“It was not considered appropriate for an individual to announce publicly the results of his vision quest, but rather to do so through demonstrations of his power.”

Plains Apache

While visions were important to the Plains Apache (also known as the Kiowa-Apache), spiritual power came to individuals passively. Morris Foster and Martha McCollough, in their chapter on the Plains Apache in the Handbook of North American Indians, write:

“Power could be sought through the vision quest, but its active pursuit was not the preferred method of acquisition.”

In the Plains Apache vision quest, the individual would fast for four days in an isolated place, usually a hilltop. Morris Foster and Martha McCollough write:

“The individual would pray, think good thoughts, and attempt to gain pity from the surrounding spirits. If successful, a spirit would give power to the supplicant.”