Nine Years Among the Indians is an autobiography of Herman Lehmann, who was an eleven-year-old boy when he was captured by a raiding party of eight to ten Apaches alongside his older brother Willie. The Apaches called Lehmann "En Da" (White Boy). He spent about six years with them and became assimilated into their culture, rising to the position of petty chief. As a young warrior, one of his most memorable battles was a running fight with the Texas Rangers on August 24, 1875, which took pl...

In "Nine Years Among the Indians: 1870-1879," Herman Lehmann presents a vivid and captivating memoir detailing his extraordinary experiences as a captive among various Native American tribes. Written in the late 19th century, Lehmann's narrative interweaves personal anecdotes with broader historical contexts, offering readers an intimate view of the cultural practices, societal structures, and survival strategies of the tribes he encountered. The prose is both accessible and reflective, ca...

In a real-life version of Little Big Man comes Indian captive narrative of Herman Lehmann. He was captured as a boy in 1870 and lived for nine years among the Apaches and Comanches. Long considered one of the best captivity stories from the period, Lehmann came to love the people and the life. Only through the gentle persuasion of famed Comanche chief, Quanah Parker, was Lehmann convinced to remain with his white family once he was returned to them.Lehmann saw some of the most dram...

As a young child, Herman Lehmann was captured by a band of plundering Apache Indians and remained with them for nine years. This is his dramatic and unique story.His memoir, fast-paced and compelling, tells of his arduous initial years with the Apache as he underwent a sometimes torturous initiation into Indian life. Peppered with various escape attempts, Lehmann's recollections are fresh and exciting in spite of the years past.Lehmann provides us with a fascinating look at...

Nine Years Among the Indians: 1870–1879 recounts a Texas boy's capture and maturation among Apache and Comanche peoples during the waning years of the free Plains. Spare and episodic, it details raids, buffalo hunts, ritual training, kinship claims, and the fraught reentry to Anglo-Texan life. Its plain, oral cadence—shaped by memory and editing—places the book within the captivity-narrative tradition while offering unusually precise observation from a participant observer. Born to German-...