Comanche Tribal Member Donates Eagle to Tribe
Comanche Nation Tribal Member and veteran Richard Frank Suminski donated an eagle to the Comanche Nation.
The eagle was given by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from Colorado, and he said he wanted to donate it to Comanche veterans.
“This eagle has medicine. He belongs to the Comanche Nation. This is where he belongs,” he said.
Suminski said he is still learning about the history handed down by Comanche elders.
“When I was young, they would tell you a lot of stuff, and you don't know how to handle it because I was too busy, you know, playing around, but she was telling me all this stuff, and also she told me about Santa Anna,” he said. “She told me his real Comanche name. Santa Anna was another Honey Eater. He was also war chief of Fredericksburg, and they all wanted to kill those church people, but Santa Anna told them, ‘No, it's bad medicine. Don't harm people that are close to the creator.’ That guy was a preacher. And they had cheated those people, and they were starving to death. That's the settlement of Texas. Santa Anna, the reason he got that name, his buddy or Pavi, was that Mexican general. That's why he took that name, Santa Anna, and even those Mexicans army didn't want to mess. But the reason these dog soldier societies was because of this.When they rode, they rode with the creator. That's why they didn't fear nothing.”
Suminski said his Indian name is Atetewuthtakewa, which means hit with a bow. On his Comanche side, he comes from the Honeyeaters and Wasp Stingers bands; on his Kiowa side, he is a Dog Soldier.
He also has beads from Spanish missions in Texas.
“Comanches would see those padres wearing those beads, and they had those, you know, those kind of sash. That's where this stuff came from,” Suminski said. “And here on this back right here, they would use that to clean their knife when they're either in hand-to-hand combat or hunting.”
He said they would paint themselves black using ash charcoal.
“In our military uniforms our chemical we use charcoal for the chemical warfare suits. Charcoal they use it to filter water. Charcoal is an antiseptic, antibiotic,” Suminski said. “So, when they would get cut or something like that's why they would smear that ash and charcoal all over them and they would be black. And also, it sunblock camouflage that was the reason for the black faces black paint themselves black like that.”
He is an Air Force veteran and used to train NATO pilots; however, he has been exposed to Agent Orange and, six years after serving, was diagnosed with PTSD.
“I'm what you call a police action veteran. Officially, the war had ended, and they had thrown us out of Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines. I was stationed to go to NKP,” Suminski said. “We supported air rescue units. There were some skirmishes. It was the last people killed in action, and I got back to the world July 4, 1976, our 200-year birthday.”
He also attended paramedic school during his time but was sent to maintenance and supported air rescue units.
“Last people killed in action was 20 Air Force and 50 Marines, and I helped load those people up; helped retrieve them,” Suminski said.
He comes from the Red Elk family. George Red Elk has been inducted into the Veteran Hall of Fame, while Roland Franklin Served in the 45th National Guard, and Frank Red Elk served in the U.S. Air Force.
