The Comanche Land that was home to the tribe, as indicated on the Comanche Land Map, had been occupied by the tribe before the arrival of the Europeans. They had never experienced the way of the Europeans especially in relation to the subject of Land Ownership.

The ownership of Comanche land became the source of the bitter conflicts between the white European settlers, the U.S. and the Native American Indians. The Comanche Native Americans lived in harmony with the land which was emphasized by the their culture, religion and beliefs. The idea of an individual person having exclusive use of a particular piece of land was completely alien to Native Americans.

Comanche Land - Ownership?
The Comanche fought, as communities, with other tribes over hunting rights to their territory. But the "right" to the land was very different from the legal terms understood by the white settlers relating to individual ownership. The Comanche Indians had no concept of "private property," as applied to the land, but were soon to experience this European idea, through the constant encroachment on the tribal territories and Comanche land.

Comanche Land - Wars and Conflicts
The American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of wars, battles and conflicts between American settlers or the U.S. army, and the Native American Indians before and after the American Revolutionary War. During the 1800's the Comanche waged war against the colonizers who invaded their lands. In 1864 Colonel Kit Carson led U.S. forces in an unsuccessful campaign against them.

Comanche Land - Moved to the Reservation
Treaties were signed with the Comanche in 1865 and 1867, but the U.S. government failed to keep settlers off the land promised to the tribe, which led to violent conflicts. Comanche resistance was broken in 1875, and the survivors (approximately 1,400 persons) were sent under escort to reservations in Oklahoma.

Comanche Land - Dawes General Allotment Act
The Dawes General Allotment Act was passed by Congress in 1887 which led to the break up of the large Indian Reservations and the sale of Indian lands, including Comanche lands to white settlers.