Comanchi Indians

The Comanche Indians had their origins in the mountains of the Great Basin in the south west of the U.S.

They were originally a band of the Northern Shoshones who roamed the Great basin area.

They were basically hunter gatherers hunting and gathering whatever they could.

Sometime during the seventeenth century they acquired the horse probably from the Apache tribe.

Their language is identical to the Shoshone people.

After acquiring the horse and becoming mobile this allowed them to move out on to the plains leaving behind their Shoshone neighbours and the mountains.

This new mobility allowed them to roam vast areas after bigger and better game on the eastern Colorado and Western Kansas.

They then continued to move south to where it was warmer, and they had access to the Mustang. The Mustang horse was a fast nimble type of horse introduced by the Spanish Highley suited to the southern terrain of the U.S

. They also came into contact with the Wichita tribe where they bartered for guns.

A vast area in the Southern plains became their hunting ground in what is today Central and Western Texas.

Their arrival on to the plains was not one big migration but in small family groups.

The structure of the tribe was not all the same they coalesced and broke apart depending on the needs of individual groups.

Their mode of dress was for men was breechclout leggings and moccasin’s.

Women wore fringed a fringed skirt poncho style blouse, leggings and moccasins.

In the winter months both sexes wore a buffalo hide to keep out the cold weather.

Democratic principals were very much part of political structure of the tribe.

They had both War chiefs and peace chiefs. These chiefs only maintained their position by common.

Consent of other members of the tribe.

However, individuals did not have to abide by the decisions of the councils and that autonomy.

This had a far-reaching effect on relations with European settlers who began to move into the plains.

By the mid eighteenth century the well-armed and mounted Comanche had become a very powerful and formidable force in Texas.

Spanish governors eventually negotiated a peace treaty with the Comanche in 1875.

However due to Mexico gaining independence from Spain in 1821again the Comanche s became war like and aggressive.

When Texas became independent from Mexico in 1836this did not stop the warlike Comanche.

Eventually they lost the battle with the U.S Army and were forced on to reservations.

Their Number were greatly diminished by disease and poor living conditions and the loss of their nomadic way of life.

Famous Comanche Chiefs were Chief El Sordo, Chief Buffalo Hump, Quanah Parkers and Chief White Eagle.

In warfare they gained a reputation for their brutality regardless of who their enemy was.

They took no prisoners but killed as many men women children as they could regardless of who they were.

“This probably led to the Indians being known as savages “particularly in the Eastern part of the U.S.

Even the Apache who were known as fierce warriors and some of the world’s best Commando style

Fighters asked for protection from the Spanish Mexicans to stop the Comanche raids.

Of all the plains Indians the Comanche had the worst reputation for Brutality.

Today like all other native people in the U.S and Canada the Comanche have their own reservation in and around Lawton, Fort Sill and the surrounding areas in Southwest Oklahoma.

There are about 1700 registered people in the Comanche nation.

Not all live on tribal lands some now live-in urban area and cities .