Comanche Indians

Comanche Indians, a nomadic offshoot of the Eastern Shoshoni Indians, lived on the North-American Southern Great Plains during 1800-1900s.The tribe is divided into several bands, and all are expert horsemen.

COMANCHE MAP

Comanche groups did not have a single acknowledged leader. Instead, a small number of generally recognized leaders acted as counsel and advisors to the group as a whole. These included the "peace chief," the members of the council, and the "war chief."

The peace chief was usually an older individual, who could bring his experience to the task of advising. The council made decisions about where the band should hunt, whether they should war against their enemies, and whether to ally themselves with other bands. Any member could speak at council meetings, but the older men usually did most of the talking.

In times of war, the band selected a war chief. To be chosen for this position, a man had to prove he was a brave fighter. He also had to have the respect of all the other warriors in the band. While the band was at war, the war chief was in charge, and all the warriors had to obey him. After the conflict was over, however, the war chief's authority ended.

One of the most important Comanche people was Quanah Parker; he was the last Chief of the Commanches and never lost a battle to the white man. He was never captured by the Army, but decided to surrender and lead his tribe into the white man's culture, only when he saw that there was no alternative.

The Comanche looked upon their children as their most precious gift. Children were rarely punished. Children learned from example, by observing and listening to their parents and others in the band.

A nomadic people, the Comanche lived by hunting meat from buffalo, elks, black bears, pronghorns, and deers. They did not eat fish or fowl, unless starving, when they would eat virtually any creature they could catch, including skunks, rats, lizards, frogs, and grasshoppers.

Families sheathed their teepees with a covering made of buffalo hides sewn toget

her. To prepare the buffalo hides, women first spread them on the ground, then scraped away the fat and flesh with blades made from bones or antlers, and left them in the sun. When the hides were dry, they scraped off the thick hair, and then soaked them in water.

Both men and women practiced tattooing. Comanche religion stressed visionary experiences, which an individual deliberately sought out in isolated situations of privation.

Comanche clothing was simple and easy to wear. Men wore a leather belt with a breechcloth — a long piece of buckskin that was brought up between the legs and looped over and under the belt at the front and back. Loose-fitting deerskin leggings were worn down to the mocassins and tied to the belt.

The Comanche language, Uto-Aztecan (Numic), is closely related to the Shoshoni (Ute) linguistic stock.

Contemporary life

In the 2000 U.S. census about 10,000 people identified themselves as Comanche only; an additional 9,300 reported being part Comanche. Today many live on private landholdings in Oklahoma. The Comanche Indian Tribe (also called the Comanche Nation) has its headquarters at Anadarko, Oklahoma. Ranching, farming, and the leasing of mineral rights to shared trust lands provide income for tribal members. Powwows, intertribal celebrations of Native American culture, help preserve traditional songs, dances, arts, and crafts. The annual Comanche Homecoming in Walters, Oklahoma, is one of the largest powwows in the region.