In May 1870, an eleven-year-old boy vanished from the fields of Loyal Valley, Texas. Captured by Apaches during a raid, Herman Lehmann would spend nearly a decade living among two Native American tribes—first as a captive, later as a warrior.
His remarkable journey between cultures was recorded in his own words, and his story became one of the most detailed firsthand accounts of life among the Apache and Comanche.
Taken from the Fields
Herman Lehmann was abducted alongside his younger brother Willie while scaring birds from wheat fields. Four days later, soldiers from Fort McKavett engaged the Apache raiders. Willie escaped, but Herman remained with the Apaches.
They told him his entire family was dead, and he began the process of assimilation. Adopted by a man named Carnoviste and his wife Laughing Eyes, Lehmann lived in eastern New Mexico, earning the name “En Da”—Pale Boy.
Becoming Montechema
After six years, Lehmann killed an Apache medicine man who had murdered Carnoviste. Fearing retaliation, he fled and wandered alone before finding a Comanche camp. He was nearly executed until a warrior who spoke Apache allowed him to explain.
Welcomed into the tribe, he was renamed Montechema and joined raids, including a final large conflict at Yellow House Canyon in March 1877. Wounded in the battle, he later followed Comanche leader Quanah Parker to a reservation near Fort Sill.
Return to Loyal Valley
In 1878, Lehmann’s identity was recognized by officers at Fort Sill. He was sent under escort to Loyal Valley, Texas, after nearly nine years in captivity.
Upon arrival, he did not recognize his family, nor they him. His sister identified a scar on his arm from a childhood accident. Though welcomed, Herman found reintegration difficult, rejecting food and modern comforts. Gradually, he began to recall his early life.
Life Between Worlds
Lehmann never fully returned to one identity. He lived in both Native and settler communities, appeared in rodeos, and performed reenactments of buffalo hunts. He married twice and had five children. In 1908, Congress allotted him land in Oklahoma as an adopted Comanche, verified by Quanah Parker’s affidavit.
He lived near Grandfield and later deeded part of the land for a school. His final autobiography, Nine Years Among the Indians, published in 1927, presented his story in his own voice. He died in 1932 and was buried in Loyal Valley, Texas.
In 1870, 11-year-old Herman Lehmann was taken by Apache raiders while in a Texas wheat field.
For nearly a decade, he lived among two Native American tribes, took part in battles, changed names, and was believed dead—until he was unexpectedly returned home…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/MchFhxsiHA
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) June 9, 2025