It was actually 1892....but to your point it IS late...
The military had captured most tribes and sent them to reservations.
This particular Chief had already been imprisoned 7 years, along with his family
The marauding Indians at the beginning of the movie are a band of Comanche.....
I’m guessing the little pioneer family felt safe at some level....however they had a plan for such an event.
I recommend it.
My ancestors homesteaded in Oklahoma in 1901, Kiowa county. They said that even then if you saw Indians traveling to Fort Sill you grabbed the guns and got your family to safety.
Just in case.
Today’s youth have no connection with the Frontier days. As a baby, I was held by my Great-grand-pappy who was born in 1868, when Custer raided the Oklahoma Indian camps, Eight when Custer died in Montana, bison on the plains, cattle drives heading north. He lived long enough to see the B-52 Bomber go into service.
Anyone interested in what the Military thought of the Indians back in 1863-1865 should read THE INDIAN WAR OF 1864 by Capt. Eugene Ware. (Bison Books). He lived it.
I watched “Hostiles” last night and really enjoyed it. The theme was most interesting — the intersection of a cavalry career officer, settlers, and Indians. I thought setting it immediately after the frontier closed (1890) was brilliant.
It blended so many things together - extreme violence, grief, sorrow, military orders, enemies overcoming lifelong hatred of each other, male and female perspectives of loss and grief, comradeship, strong femininity and masculinity. The tag line was “We are all hostiles” and that does sum it up.
I just had to resurrect this old thread to mention how much I liked it.