A homecoming after 66 years with Kiowa

Ozona—In the quiet town of Newcastle, an event unfolded one Monday night in October 1930 that was anything but ordinary. Millie Durgan, a woman whose life story read like a script from a bygone era, returned to the place of her birth after 66 years among Kiowa Indians. Her journey back home was not just a personal milestone but a poignant chapter in the history of the Texas frontier.

Millie was just a toddler when she was abducted during a raid by Kiowa and Comanche tribes on Oct. 13, 1864. This incident saw her family torn apart, with several deaths and abductions, marking a grim day in the annals of Young County. Millie was believed to have been lost forever, her fate unknown to her family and community.

Adopted by Chief Aperian Crow and his wife A-Mah-Ti, Millie was raised as one of their own, named Sain-toh-oodie, and immersed in the Kiowa culture. She learned her adopted people's language, customs, and survival skills. Her life was one of hardship, marked by the tumultuous times of Native American displacement. Yet, through it all, Millie found love and a life rich with family and progeny, 57 descendants in total, owing to her integration into the Kiowa community.

The journey back to her roots began at the unveiling of a monument to Quanah Parker, a Comanche chief, in Lawton. Millie's true identity was pieced together through diligent efforts by her daughter, son-in-law, and several others. Although Millie, now known as Mrs. Goombi, expressed no desire to leave her life with the Kiowa, her curiosity about her origins led to a visit to Newcastle.

The reunion at Newcastle High School was an emotional spectacle. Here was Millie, now 68, standing before a community she was part of but never knew. Two childhood playmates, Henry C. Williams and Mann Johnson, were among the crowd, their presence bridging the vast gap of time since their youth and her abduction.

On stage, Millie spoke in Kiowa, her words translated by her Kiowa son-in-law, George Hunt. The program included traditional Kiowa music and dance, symbolizing Millie's life at the crossroads of two cultures. The event at Graham High School the following day further highlighted this blend, with Millie and her family participating in American and Kiowa traditions, including the adoption of two local girls into the Kiowa tribe through song and dance.

Millie Durgan expressed in a few words her pleasure in being present in Newcastle and briefly referred to some of the ideals imparted to her by her foster father and mother. A school official sang a beautiful rendition of Longfellow's "Hiawatha," and Indian dances by Kiowa youth concluded the program. When the program ended, the Graham High School staff members presented Millie with a bouquet of roses.

Millie's story is \ one of personal tragedy and reunion as well as of cultural synthesis. Despite the harsh circumstances of her early life, she forged an existence filled with family and tradition. Her return stirred the hearts of those in Newcastle and beyond, offering a tangible connection to the past, a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit, and the complex tapestry of American history.

Following the program, a short reception was held during which hundreds of Graham residents extended personal greetings to Millie Durgan and her party. Among those who extended a welcome was Mrs. J. T. Rogers, who had known the captive woman's sister, Lottie Durgan, as a child.

Her planned return visit to Young County during the Kutch-Manning Reunion was anticipated as another chapter in her ongoing story, though whether she made this journey remains unsaid. However, Millie Durgan's legacy endures in her descendants, and the stories are passed down through generations in both her Kiowa and American families.

Millie Durgan's homecoming serves as a historical mirror, reflecting the often painful intersections of cultures in America's past. It's a testament to survival, identity, and, ultimately, the indomitable will to connect with one's roots, no matter how deep they have been buried by time and circumstance. Her life, a bridge between two worlds, continues to inspire and educate, reminding us of the enduring human quest for belonging and understanding.