"Cotekya" Ghost Warrior of Spirit Lake

In 1541, Hernando De Soto slaughtered all the people of a tiny village of Quapaw Indians except for a 15 year old boy named Kyota. Kyota fought back killing many Spanish soldiers, and finally put the fatal shot into De Soto. The village was rebuilt, and Kyota vowed to never allow his village be destroyed again. But he died in 1593, leaving his son Cotekya in charge of their safety. The village is near Spirit Lake, as the Indians called it, and is nestled in the foothills of the Osark Mountain range in Northeast Arkansas, near the present day town of Pocahontas. The year is 1610 and the Spaniards have returned. They were in search of the fabled city of gold that De Soto had sought long and unsuccessfully for. But this time it would be different. The Chief, Cotekya, had a grandson also named Cotekya. This is his story.