Comanche Choose (1) Native American Tribe Residing

COMANCHE

Choose (1) Native American tribe residing continental United States (Lower 48 states) time European contact. Research aspect chosen tribe's culture history. Topics researched include limited: Describing tribe's pre-Columbian history, including settlement dates cultural details.

Comanche Indians: History and belief systems

The Plains Indian tribe of the Comanche, according to anthropological and linguistic evidence, began as a hunter-gatherer mountain tribe "who roamed the Great Basin region of the western United States" (Lipscomb 2012). They were one of the earliest Native American tribes to acquire horses, and became famed for their prowess as riders. The Comanche acquired horses fairly early -- in the late 17th century -- and this gave the tribe both military power and mobility. "By moving south, they had greater access to the mustangs of the Southwest. The warm climate and abundant buffalo were additional incentives for the southern migration. The move also facilitated the acquisition of French trade goods, including firearms" (Lipscomb 2012). The Comanche continued in their hunter-gatherer ways throughout most of their history, surviving mainly on the buffalo they killed, the produce they could forage, and whatever food they could obtain through trade. Their teepees and clothing were also made of buffalo hides and skins.

It is thought that the first Comanche horses were left over from the Spanish conquistadors, after the Pueblo Indians revolted against Spanish rule. The Spanish left many of their horses behind, which the Pueblo traded with neighboring tribes, including the Comanche (Moore 2012). Horses came to define Comanche culture, more so than any other tribe. "It gave them mobility to follow the buffalo herds and the advantage of hunting and conducting warfare from horseback. Horses also became a measure of Comanche wealth and a valuable trade commodity. In horsemanship the Comanches had no equal. Children learned to ride at an early age, and both men and women developed exceptional equestrian skills" (Lipscomb 2012). Although the Comanche did acquire guns, firearms were not the tribe's preferred weapon. "On foot a Comanche warrior was dangerous but nothing exceptional ... As a moving targets they were difficult to hit, and if an enemy fired and had to reload, a Comanche could close rapidly with his lance or send six arrows into an opponent while hanging under the neck of a galloping horse" (Sultzman n.d).

It is important to note that the Comanche did not call themselves by this name. They were known as Nermernuh, or 'the People' amongst themselves but were called Comanche by the Spaniards which means "anyone who wants to fight me all the time" in Ute (Lipscomb 2012). Despite their given name of 'enemy,' Comanche culture was extremely democratic. Tribes had both civil and war chiefs, "but traditionally the head civil chief was most influential" Decisions were made by a council of chiefs (Lipscomb 2012).

The Comanche came into direct conflict with the Spanish because of the Spanish alliance with the Comanche's sworn enemies, the Apache. In 1758 a band of 2,000 Comanche tribesmen razed the Santa Cruz de San Saba Mission and a "year later, a Spanish punitive expedition led by Col. Diego Ortiz Parrilla also met defeat at the hands of the Comanches and their allies in a daylong battle on the Red River near the site of present Spanish Fort" (Lipscomb 2012). The Comanche conflicts with whites further intensified with the settlement of Texas and Texan independence. Sam Houston, when president of Texas, attempted pursue a policy of accommodation with the Comanche and in 1844 the tribe signed an agreement with the Texans. This ultimately proved to be futile given that when Houston was out of office, Texas began to resume its aggressive actions against the Indians.

After Texas joined the United States, two reservations were established in 1854 for the Comanche, in an effort to quell the Comanche raiding. The tribe was initially not confined in its entirety and continued to spar with whites. In 1874, Isa-tai (later known as White Eagle) "called his people together for a Sun Dance in the spring of 1874 and promised victory over the whites (Lipscomb 2012). In response, the U.S. Army "began a relentless campaign that became known as the Red River War," with the intent of driving all Comanche Indians to reservations (Lipscomb 2012). "Very few Indians were killed in the engagements, but their mounts and supplies were so depleted that they could not survive the winter on the plains and were forced to enter the reservation" (Lipscomb 2012). Losing their horses, the staple of Comanche life, proved to be the tribe's downfall. The Comanche were miserable on enclosed reservations, given that most of their life had traditionally revolved around mobility, and the government attempted to change their culture and their ways, to make the tribe more agrarian in nature (Lipscomb 2012).

As a tribe whose culture was oral, rather than written, little is known of the Comanche belief structures, other than what has been said about the tribe by whites, who tended to characterize them as warlike, uncomplicated and practical. One common description was that "they have no visible, operative religion; and such notions as they do entertain, are mere fanciful speculations, that apparently have not the slightest practical influence on their lives and conduct...Their minds are too little intent upon the subject of a future state, ever to have formed a connected system of opinions in relation to it" (Gelo 1993: 70-71). Early anthropologists judged the tribe harshly, saying they lacked a cohesive spirituality. In contrast to other tribes with a more elaborate cosmology, the Comanche have often been described as 'aboriginal skeptics' (Gelo 1993).

However, there is evidence they possessed an elaborate ritual life, including their 'Deer Dance' and 'shield sunning' practices and there are extant myths employing many 'trickster' figures like the coyote (Gelo 1993:74). Many of these practices involve private vision quests (often under the influence of peyote), rather than reflect consistent mythological and symbolic ideals that extend from generation to generation. It is known that "the Comanches had their own version of the sun dance, but it was performed at irregular intervals. When the Ghost Dance movement swept across the plains in 1890, the Comanches did not participate" (Sultzman n.d.).