1875 to 1881

The years after the Red River War brought worsening conditions for Kiowas. American officials incarcerated dozens of men involved in the conflict at a military prison in Florida. They also instituted new regulations aimed at getting more Indians to farm, attend school, and build permanent housing. Some Kiowas considered these options, including the ways schooling and manual labor education could benefit their children. They also continued their rituals for seeking sacred power, although some considered newly available options for empowerment, such as peyote rites and Christian affiliation. Even as Kiowas underwent these changes, more Americans expressed impatience with Plains Indians and argued that reservations had not achieved their goal of transforming Native people. Some, including leading Protestants, called for reservations to be abolished altogether. Kiowas continued to argue that their treaty with the Americans guaranteed them a place in their homeland.