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Indian Lover: Sam Houston and the Cherokees
Sam Houston was the Father of Texas, but before this incredible man became a United States Senator, before serving as Governor of Texas and congressman in the Texas House of Representatives, before being the first elected President of the Republic of Texas, Major General of the Texas Army, the 34 year old governor of Tennessee and U. S. Congressman from Tennessee, before all of it, a young Sam Houston was the adopted son of Cherokee Chief Oolooteka, and was give the name, "Coloneh" or Raven. For Sam, this bond was to last a lifetime and mark him as an .... Indian Lover.
120 pages
First published October 1, 1999
85 people want to read
About the author
Jack Jackson
138 books6 followersJack Edward Jackson, better known by his pen name Jaxon, was an American cartoonist, illustrator, historian, and writer. He co-founded Rip Off Press, and many consider him to be the first underground comix artist.
Jackson was born in 1941 in Pandora, Texas. He majored in accounting at the University of Texas and was a staffer for its Texas Ranger humor magazine, until he and others were fired over what he called "a petty censorship violation".
In 1964, Jackson self-published the one-shot God Nose, which is considered by many to be the first underground comic. He moved to San Francisco in 1966, where he became art director of the dance poster division of Family Dog. In 1969, he co-founded Rip Off Press, one of the first independent publishers of underground comix, with three other Texas transplants, Gilbert Shelton, Fred Todd, and Dave Moriaty. Despite this, most of his underground comics work (heavily influenced by EC Comics) was published by Last Gasp.
Jackson was also known for his historical work, documenting the history of Native America and Texas, including the graphic novels Comanche Moon (1979), The Secret of San Saba (1989), Lost Cause (1998), Indian Lover: Sam Houston & the Cherokees (1999), El Alamo (2002), and the written works like Los Mesteños: Spanish Ranching in Texas: 1721–1821 (1986), Indian Agent: Peter Ellis Bean in Mexican Texas (2005), and many others.
Jackson was born in 1941 in Pandora, Texas. He majored in accounting at the University of Texas and was a staffer for its Texas Ranger humor magazine, until he and others were fired over what he called "a petty censorship violation".
In 1964, Jackson self-published the one-shot God Nose, which is considered by many to be the first underground comic. He moved to San Francisco in 1966, where he became art director of the dance poster division of Family Dog. In 1969, he co-founded Rip Off Press, one of the first independent publishers of underground comix, with three other Texas transplants, Gilbert Shelton, Fred Todd, and Dave Moriaty. Despite this, most of his underground comics work (heavily influenced by EC Comics) was published by Last Gasp.
Jackson was also known for his historical work, documenting the history of Native America and Texas, including the graphic novels Comanche Moon (1979), The Secret of San Saba (1989), Lost Cause (1998), Indian Lover: Sam Houston & the Cherokees (1999), El Alamo (2002), and the written works like Los Mesteños: Spanish Ranching in Texas: 1721–1821 (1986), Indian Agent: Peter Ellis Bean in Mexican Texas (2005), and many others.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 25, 2025
My second Jack Jackson book and I was perplexed by the first and the historical missteps and misconceptions by him as he wants to present a strong thematic story with good and bad guys as an Indian Lover.
Now I think I'm getting into the rhythm. He's not trying to write history, but rather tell history as he feels it happened. This is typically for comic book history. I never quite get used to it, but it's like a movie. Indian Lover goes the same way with us needing to feel sympathy for American Indians. All his books are pro American Indian propaganda and they work as intended. Here he at least shows them kill civilians and women so when it happens he shows it this time around.
The subject is a White man, the first president of Texas. Indeed he was fighting for their rights as he once lived with them and it seems like people who lived with them learn to like all American Indians. The American Indians know how to use the White man they gift him a wife and make sure he belongs to their tribe. Sam Houston fights hard and later becomes a senator and fights as hard in the US government. He was governor for 2 different states too. Frankly even the political life I'm not clear about.
The author also gets into how Sam Houston made Texas independent as he won the war vs. Mexico. I'm not sure how much he personally did. The author proposes he's the guy who led the war effort basically. We also get chapters about his second wife and not a single mention of his third wife. So the girlfriend he had for 2 years is the main character. A woman no one knows anything about today. And the woman he married for 23 years while president of Texas too is not mentioned? That's when US annexed Texas so it should be significant.
It's clear the author is creating a myth. The Indian Lover is the myth. The American Indian girlfriend may have been significant, but he slept with other tribe women and they would have acted like girlfriends too I suppose. 3 wives. First one didn't want anything to do with him, second was a short affair and not even a clear marriage as living together was the marriage, and the third wife was the one he was known to have been married with. She was the woman he had children with and held power with and the woman who supported him. The woman who ordered his biography to be written using his letters. So you can ask yourself how much history this comic book is. Maybe it's lacking. He owned slaves all his life yet here the author has another opsie and forgets to mention this too and we only see the tribes he lives with own Black slaves.
I really liked it. But it's quite messy with much of the story jumping from panel to panel with no clear explanation. I highly recommend it for Indian Lovers. I will read his other comic books. But right now I'm seeking the other side of it too. The side of the American settler. I do feel like I'm getting too biased and one-sided when I only read history from one perspective. But I want to see myself as totally unbiased.
Now I think I'm getting into the rhythm. He's not trying to write history, but rather tell history as he feels it happened. This is typically for comic book history. I never quite get used to it, but it's like a movie. Indian Lover goes the same way with us needing to feel sympathy for American Indians. All his books are pro American Indian propaganda and they work as intended. Here he at least shows them kill civilians and women so when it happens he shows it this time around.
The subject is a White man, the first president of Texas. Indeed he was fighting for their rights as he once lived with them and it seems like people who lived with them learn to like all American Indians. The American Indians know how to use the White man they gift him a wife and make sure he belongs to their tribe. Sam Houston fights hard and later becomes a senator and fights as hard in the US government. He was governor for 2 different states too. Frankly even the political life I'm not clear about.
The author also gets into how Sam Houston made Texas independent as he won the war vs. Mexico. I'm not sure how much he personally did. The author proposes he's the guy who led the war effort basically. We also get chapters about his second wife and not a single mention of his third wife. So the girlfriend he had for 2 years is the main character. A woman no one knows anything about today. And the woman he married for 23 years while president of Texas too is not mentioned? That's when US annexed Texas so it should be significant.
It's clear the author is creating a myth. The Indian Lover is the myth. The American Indian girlfriend may have been significant, but he slept with other tribe women and they would have acted like girlfriends too I suppose. 3 wives. First one didn't want anything to do with him, second was a short affair and not even a clear marriage as living together was the marriage, and the third wife was the one he was known to have been married with. She was the woman he had children with and held power with and the woman who supported him. The woman who ordered his biography to be written using his letters. So you can ask yourself how much history this comic book is. Maybe it's lacking. He owned slaves all his life yet here the author has another opsie and forgets to mention this too and we only see the tribes he lives with own Black slaves.
I really liked it. But it's quite messy with much of the story jumping from panel to panel with no clear explanation. I highly recommend it for Indian Lovers. I will read his other comic books. But right now I'm seeking the other side of it too. The side of the American settler. I do feel like I'm getting too biased and one-sided when I only read history from one perspective. But I want to see myself as totally unbiased.
November 30, 2025
Indian Lover: Sam Houston and the Cherokees is one of those rare historical works that manages to be both deeply informative and emotionally resonant. Jack Jackson offers an unsentimental yet compassionate portrait of Sam Houston—soldier, statesman, and one of the most consequential Americans of the 19th century—by focusing on the part of his life most often reduced to a footnote: his long, complex, and genuine bond with the Cherokee people.
What makes the book stand out is the clarity with which Jackson dispels the mythology of the American Frontier. Instead of indulging in heroic clichés, he reveals the stark contrast between Houston’s respect for Native communities and the attitudes of nearly all other white leaders of the era—many of whom are still celebrated today. Houston emerges as a man shaped not just politically but morally by his time among the Cherokee, and this perspective reframes much of his later career with a kind of moral coherence that standard biographies often gloss over.
Jackson’s research is meticulous, but the storytelling remains vivid and accessible. The book shows both the tenderness and the tragedy of Houston’s ties with the Cherokee Nation, capturing moments of cultural exchange, political betrayal, and personal loyalty with a rare balance of empathy and historical rigor.
Whether you’re interested in early American history, the politics of Native–settler relations, or simply want a biography that challenges conventional narratives, this is an exceptional read. Thoughtful, moving, and sharply written—highly recommended.
What makes the book stand out is the clarity with which Jackson dispels the mythology of the American Frontier. Instead of indulging in heroic clichés, he reveals the stark contrast between Houston’s respect for Native communities and the attitudes of nearly all other white leaders of the era—many of whom are still celebrated today. Houston emerges as a man shaped not just politically but morally by his time among the Cherokee, and this perspective reframes much of his later career with a kind of moral coherence that standard biographies often gloss over.
Jackson’s research is meticulous, but the storytelling remains vivid and accessible. The book shows both the tenderness and the tragedy of Houston’s ties with the Cherokee Nation, capturing moments of cultural exchange, political betrayal, and personal loyalty with a rare balance of empathy and historical rigor.
Whether you’re interested in early American history, the politics of Native–settler relations, or simply want a biography that challenges conventional narratives, this is an exceptional read. Thoughtful, moving, and sharply written—highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews