Comanche Tribe
Comanche is pronounced "kuh-MAN-chee." It means "enemy" in the language of their Ute neighbors. In their own language, the Comanches call themselvesNuminu (the people.)
The Comanche Indians were once part of the northern Shoshone tribe of Wyoming, but split off from them and migrated to their modernlocation in the Southern Plains.By the time Europeans encountered them, the Comanches were primarily living in Texas, Oklahoma, andand New Mexico. Most Comanche people today live in Oklahoma.
The Comanche tribe has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. However, the Comanchesare also US citizens and must obey American law.In the past, the Comanche tribe was made up of many different bands, and each band had its own chief who was chosen bya council of important men. Today, the Comanche councilmembers and tribal chairperson are popularly elected.
The Comanche people speak English today. Some Comanches, mostly elders, also speak their native Comanche language.If you'd like to know a few easy Comanche words, "maruawe" (pronounced mah-ruh-ah-way) is a friendly greeting, and "ura" (pronounced ur-ah) means "thank you." You can read a Comanche picture glossary here.
Today Comanche is an endangered language because most children aren't learning it anymore.However, some Comanche people are working to keep their language alive.
Here's a link to the homepage of the Comanche Nation.On their site you can find information about the Comanche people in the past and today.
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They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Comanche children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play in their daily lives, just like colonial children. But they did have dolls, toys, and games to play.Here is a picture of a hoop game played by Plains Indian kids. Once the Comanches acquired horses, girls and boys as young as five years oldlearned how to ride. A Comanche mother traditionally carried a young child in acradleboard on her back. Here is a website with Native American cradleboard pictures.
Comanche women were in charge of the home. Besides cooking and cleaning, a Comanche woman built her family's house and dragged the heavy posts with her whenever the tribe moved. Houses belonged to the women in the Comanche tribe. Comanche men were hunters and sometimes went to war to defend their families. Nearly all Comanche chiefs and warriors were men. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine.
The Comanches lived in buffalo-hide houses called tipis (or teepees). Here are some pictures of tipis.Since the Comanches moved frequently to follow the buffaloherds, a tipi was carefully designed to set up and break down quickly, like a modern tent. An entire Comanche village could be packed up and ready tomove within an hour.
Today, Native Americans only put up a tepee for fun or to connect with their heritage, not as shelter. Most Comanche people live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.
Comanche women wore long deerskin dresses, and the men wore buckskin war shirts and breechcloths with leather leggings.The Comanches wore moccasins on their feet, and in cold weather, they wore long buffalo-hide robes.A Comanche lady's dress or warrior's shirt was fringed and painted with tribal designs. Later, Comanche people adapted European costume such as cloth vests and colorful blanket robes. Here is a site about the symbolism of Plains Indian war shirts, and some photos and linksabout Indian apparel in general.
The traditional style of Comanche headdress was a cap with eagle feathers and ermine tails trailing behind it.In the 1800's, though, some Comanche Indian men preferred to wear the long featherhead dress of the northern Plains tribes. Traditionally, Comanche people only cut their hair when they were in mourning.Comanche men usually wore their hair in two braids, which they sometimes wrapped in fur.Comanche women usually wore their hair loose, and sometimes painted the center parts red.Here is a website with pictures of these Native American hair styles.The Comanches also painted their faces for special occasions. They used different patterns for war paint, religious ceremonies, and festive decoration.Both men and women sometimes wore tattoos on their chests.
Today, some Comanche people still have moccasins or a buckskin dress, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths... and they only wear traditional regalia on special occasions like a wedding or a dance.
No--the Comanche Indians weren't coastal people, and rarely traveled by river. Originally they just walked. There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe, so the Comanches used dogs pulling travois (a kind of drag sled) to help them carry their belongings. Here is a website with pictures of travois/ Once Europeans brought horses to America, the Comanches quicklybecame known as expert riders and could travel much more quickly than before.
The Comanche staple food was buffalo. Comanche men usually hunted the buffalo by driving them off cliffs or stalking them withbow and arrow. As they acquired horses, the Comanche tribe began to pursue the buffalo herds for communal hunts, moving their villages often as the buffalo migrated. In addition to buffalo meat, the Comanche Indians ate small game like rabbits, fished in the lakes and rivers, and gathered nuts, berries, and wild potatoes. Here is a website with more informationabout Native American foods.
Comanche hunters used bows and arrows. In war, Comanche men fired their bows or fought with long spears and buffalo-hide shields.Here is a website with pictures and information about Comanche Indian weapons.
What other Native Americans did the Comanche tribe interact with?
