Cathy Mendola
"Comanche at Heart"
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| (Photos by Patrick Fraser) |
Originally I wanted to create a cowgirl boot to pay tribute to the women of the old west. While researching women who blazed trails and endured the rugged, primitive west I came across an amazing story. It is the true story of Cynthia Ann Parker.
Cynthia Ann was captured by a band of Comanche Indians at the age of nine. She endured tremendous abuse as a captive but was eventually adopted by a Comanche couple and raised as their own. She became a Comanche in every sense of the word, assimilating to their lifestyle as though she had been born into it. Cynthia Ann became a well-respected Comanche squaw and even married a chief. They had three children together before she was captured back by her original white family. She tried to escape from her white family several times but was unsuccessful. She died within four years. Some say it was of a broken heart. She longed to be with her family and the tribe that adopted her rather than the family she was born into. Cynthia Ann’s oldest son Quanah Parker became the last great Comanche chief.
This story conjured up many thoughts about what family truly means to me. Family isn’t necessarily the people who share your DNA but is the people you feel most comfortable with, most connected to and most importantly, the people you love. I have moved many times in my adult life and don’t see my biological family very much. Yet I wouldn’t trade my nomadic lifestyle for anything. It has allowed me to meet and connect with so many more people that have enriched my life. Each move has enlarged my family tree with friends that I will feel connected to forever. I felt the need to tell Cynthia Ann’s story through these high-top moccasins that are the style Southern Plains Indians wore. There are symbols on each moccasin to commemorate her life including the broken heart symbol to honor her death.