Almer N. Blazer
Published: 1999
Total Pages: 328
Get eBook
"Drawn from previously unpublished firsthand accounts of the years 1862 to 1880, this book tells the story of a great chief who was targeted for death by the U.S. military as "the worst of all the Apaches." After disappearing from eight years with his band, Santana emerged as war chief of all the Mescalero bands and eventually won the confidence of the U.S. Government. Using his gifts as a leader and negotiator, Santana was able to persuade the American authorities to prevent the surviving Mescalero Apache from being exterminated by the military. He was finally able to secure a reservation of their traditional homeland in the mountains of south-central New Mexico. Written in the 1940s, Almer N. Blazer's historic manuscript is a vivid recreation of the day-to-day history of Santana and the beleaguered tribe who looked to his leadership during their grave crisis. Blazer writes sympathetically of the tribe's struggle for survival and gives accurate, authoritative descriptions of Mescalero life before it was forever changed by contact with European culture. Almer Blazer grew up at his father's mill, an isolated white outpost in Mescalero territory near Tularosa, New Mexico. The story of Santana's life and achievements comes from the detailed recollections of the author's father, Dr. Joseph H. Blazer, who was Santana's close personal friend and his firm ally in negotiations with the government. Growing up in close association with the Mescalero, Almer Blazer was present at rituals and participated in the typical activities of Mescalero boys. In his manuscript, Almer Blazer presented a vital picture of daily tribal life, customs, and religious beliefs. He faithfully transmitted what he saw, heard, and experienced, preserving oral history and cultural information that might otherwise have been lost during the Mescalero's brutal transition to "modern" life. Dr. Pruit's introduction reconstructs the historical events leading up to the time when Santana emerged as war chief. The book includes rare early photographs of Mescalero Apaches, many of which are from the Blazer family collection." -- Bookcover.