Blue Duck is a fictional character, a biracial Indian appearing in two books in the Lonesome Dove series

Lonesome Dove series

The Lonesome Dove series refers to a series of four western novels written by Larry McMurtry and the four television mini-series based upon them.-Novels:# Lonesome Dove # Streets of Laredo # Dead Man's Walk...

. He is the son of Buffalo Hump

Buffalo Hump (Lonesome Dove series)

Buffalo Hump is a Comanche Indian who appears in two books in the Lonesome Dove series. His son, Blue Duck is also a major character.The character Buffalo Hump was likely inspired by the historic Comanche war chief of that name.-Dead Man's Walk:...

 and a kidnapped Mexican woman. The fictionalized character of Blue Duck was partially based on the life and death of the Kiowa

Kiowa

The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...

 war chief Satanta (White Bear)

Satanta (White Bear)

This article refers to the Kiowa chief Satanta. For the Irish hero Sétanta, please see Cú Chulainn.Satanta was a Kiowa war chief. He was a member of the Kiowa tribe, he was born around 1820, during the height of the power of the Plains Tribes, probably along the Canadian River in the traditional...

. Bluford Duck, a Cherokee

Cherokee

The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...

, was a confidant of Belle Starr

Belle Starr

Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr , better known as Belle Starr, was a notorious American outlaw.-Early life:...

 who was convicted of murder in the 1880s and died around 1894.

Comanche Moon

Blue Duck begins this story as a member of his father's Indian band, showing himself to be repeatedly defiant of this father. Eventually, Buffalo Hump banishes him from the tribe. Blue Duck then gathers his own group of bandits, committing attacks against the white man on his own. Several years after he is banished, his uncle visits him to tell him that Buffalo Hump has left the tribe to find a good place to die. Determined to take revenge, Blue Duck tracks him down and kills him by piercing his hump with a spear.

In the film version of Comanche Moon

Comanche Moon

Comanche Moon is a 1997 western novel by Larry McMurtry. It is the fourth and final book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the second installment in terms the chronology of the narrative.-Plot introduction:...

, Blue Duck is played by Adam Beach

Adam Beach

Adam Ruebin Beach is a Canadian Saulteaux actor.He is best known for his roles as Tommy on Walker, Texas Ranger, Kickin' Wing in Joe Dirt, Marine Private First Class Ira Hayes in Flags of Our Fathers, Private Ben Yazzie in Windtalkers, Dr...

.

Lonesome Dove

The cattle drive led by Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call passes through the Comancheria. Blue Duck happens to spy the campsite used by Jake Spoon and Lorena Wood. Jake had gone to San Antonio to gamble, but Lorena refused to go with him. When Blue Duck first came by the camp, Lorena hid (in the novel she didn't hide) and Gus, who was visiting her, tried to draw Blue Duck's attention. After Blue Duck leaves, Gus sends Newt to protect Lorie. Blue Duck knocks the youth unconscious and captures Lorie. When Gus discovers what has happened, he sets out to find her. Blue Duck uses Lorie as collateral in a poker game, tricking his men into betting with her and losing her, so that he can get them to kill McCrae for him. Gus meets up with July Johnson, an Arkansas sheriff tracking Jake Spoon, and rescues Lorie. Gus manages to kill many of Blue Duck's men, and rescue Lorena, but Blue Duck himself gets away.

He does not appear again until close to the end. Woodrow Call is bringing Gus's body back to Texas to be buried, and passes through a town (Santa Rosa, NM) where Blue Duck has finally been captured, tried, and sentenced to hang. Before he can be hanged, though, Blue Duck attacks his captors and falls through a top-story jail window, killing himself and his guard when they hit the ground.

In the film version of Lonesome Dove

Lonesome Dove

Lonesome Dove is a 1985 Pulitzer Prize–winning western novel written by Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the Lonesome Dove series, but the third installment in the series chronologically...

, Blue Duck is played by Frederic Forrest

Frederic Forrest

-Life:Forrest was born in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Virginia Allie and Frederic Fenimore Forrest, a furniture store owner. He is known for his roles as Chef in Apocalypse Now, When The Legends Die, It Lives Again, the neo-Nazi surplus store owner in Falling Down, Right to Kill? and for playing...

.

Streets of Laredo

Though Blue Duck is long since dead at the time this novel takes place, this volume does some retconning regarding his appearance in Lonesome Dove, making the pyromaniac Mox Mox one of his associates, having Blue Duck leave Lorena Wood Parker

Lorena Wood Parker

Lorena Wood Parker is a fictional character who appears in two of the novels and films in the Lonesome Dove series-Lonesome Dove:She first appears in Lonesome Dove, the first book published, but the third chronologically....

 in his custody and, later, having to stop him from burning her alive so he can use her to lure Augustus McCrae into a trap. In the film, a flashback scene is included, in which Blue Duck is played by Bill Gribble.