The Texas Democratic Convention kicked off in the usual style these days — with a land acknowledgement. One of the tribes referenced in the statement has historical accounts tied to ritual cannibalism. Another, the Comanche, built a reputation as one of the most dominant and feared warrior societies on the continent through relentless raiding, captive-taking, and brutal warfare.
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The speaker at the convention read through a list of indigenous groups who once lived in the area, framing modern Texas as somehow “stolen” or occupied land that requires ritualistic recognition. It’s the same empty performance happening at universities, corporate events, and now political conventions across the country.
The irony is hard to miss. Many of the tribes honored in these statements lived in constant conflict with one another long before European arrival. The Comanche, in particular, expanded their territory through superior horsemanship and military skill, often displacing or subjugating other groups. Historical records describe them taking captives — including women and children — during raids on settlements and rival tribes. Accounts of violence, scalping, and harsh treatment of prisoners are well-documented. Some Texas coastal tribes, such as the Karankawa, have separate historical reports linking them to ritual cannibalism in certain contexts.
The idea that pre-colonial Texas was some peaceful, harmonious paradise waiting to be “acknowledged” falls apart under basic history. Every square mile of land on Earth has changed hands through migration, conquest, and settlement. Native groups fought each other for territory for centuries. The Comanche empire at its height controlled a massive region through force of arms. A small group of them on horseback would have made short work of a modern convention crowd in the same way they dominated earlier eras.
These land acknowledgements aren’t about genuine history or respect. They’re performative virtue signaling designed to signal moral superiority while changing nothing. The people reciting them almost never offer to give up their own homes or property. It’s cheap symbolism that flattens complex realities into a simple “settler bad, indigenous good” narrative.
Texas Democrats chose to open their gathering this way. It says something about where the party’s priorities and worldview sit right now. While real issues like border security, energy policy, and economic growth matter to most Texans, the convention opened by romanticizing historical tribes whose own records include warfare, slavery, and in some cases cannibalism.
The Comanche and other groups were formidable. They weren’t the noble, peaceful environmentalists of modern mythology. Pretending otherwise to score points in 2026 is just historical illiteracy dressed up as enlightenment. The video captures the moment perfectly — another ritual in a long line of them that accomplish nothing except making the people involved feel better about themselves.
