Welcome to Lipon Apocalypse.

Episode 7, Indios Barbaros. I'm Brandon Seal.

The Lipan great captain, Picax Ande, crossed the Pekas River to meet with the Spanish Commandant General awaiting him on the other side.

Commandant General Juan de Ugaldi admired Piccacan Des, quote, face and bearing of a soldier,

as he approached.

The 50-year-old captain's name meant strong arm in his native language, a reference to his

legendary acts of valor on the battlefield during the previous decades of violence.

Technically, a Lipian rather than Lipan, Piccacan D's rise to prominence represented

an alliance of 15 or so of the roughly 37 Apache tribes that were claimed to populate

the Texas plains between San Antonio and Santa Fe.

In many ways, Picax Ande was the heir to a network of alliances that Captain Bigotes had begun

structuring in the previous episode through the classically Apache alliance-making toolkit

of marriage, trade, horses, and now the peyote ceremony.

By the time of his meeting with the Spanish Commandant General Wande Ugaldi on this July 10th 1787,

Captain Picac Sande was said to be, quote, the idol of all of the Apaches, and the one whom they all obey, and many accept him as their chief, end quote.

In many ways, the nature of Lipan Apache leadership confounded European observers, though in other ways it was quite simple.

In the words of a latter-day Lepan observer, quote, to be a chief, a warrior has to be able to draw and hold men.

He has to lead those men and not drive them, end quote.

Quote, a great chief is one who supplies the needs of his people, not one who robs them of what they

have, end quote.

There's occasional references to the elections of Lipon captains, but the historical

records suggest a strong hereditary component to it.

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