On December 12th, 2023, the Tonkawa Tribe of Oklahoma purchased its place of origin in Central Texas. That place of origin, a mountain named Natan Samox meaning Red Mountain in the Tonkawa language, is the site of the tribe’s original creation story. The sixty acre tract near Gause Texas was purchased from Texas landowners who owned a larger parcel since 1995 containing that mountain. After the necessary preparations are concluded, the tribe will be making the site accessible to the public as a historic park, for public enjoyment of its beauty, as well as to educate the public about the tribe’s Texas history.Chief Russell Martin, Secretary/Treasurer Racheal Starr, and Tribal Historian Don Patterson traveled to Texas for the closing of the purchase, taking possession of the land with Red Mountain in view. “I can hardly find words to describe how important this purchase is to our tribe,” said Russell Martin, President of the Tonkawa Tribe. “This past summer when it became clear we had the opportunity to purchase the site, we held a tribal meeting to discuss the situation. When we called for a vote, every hand in the room was raised in favor of the purchase. We felt part of a story that was bigger than all of us. Many eyes had tears.”Red Mountain’s place in the tribe’s history is significant in many respects. Its geological formation and color in Central Texas is unusual; its location along ancient trade routes was strategic; it served as a regional navigational landmark; it was a gathering place for seasonal tribal celebrations; and it presided over a large collection of area campsites that provided new homes to many tribes seeking refuge during the difficult days of the Spanish period, often referred to as Rancheria Grande.While the Tonkawa creation story had been passed down in its oral history for generations, after the tribe’s second and final removal to Oklahoma in 1884, the mountain’s exact location was lost. Using in part the old Spanish records, Donald Patterson rediscovered the mountain’s location in the early 1980s. Key to the rediscovery was the fact that the tribe was often said to reside at the confluence of the Brazos and Little Rivers, near what is today Gause Texas, a 30 minute drive Northwest of Bryan-College Station. Patterson later served multiple terms as President of the Tribe, and is now the oldest living male elder. Patterson has also filled ...
