What clothes did the Comanche women wear? The type of clothes worn by the women of the Comanche tribe were knee-length dresses and leggings. The women also wore the buffalo robes to keep dry and warm. Comanche women wore their hair in two, thick braids decorated with beads. The dresses of the Comanche women that were used for special occasions were elaborately decorated with beads and painted with signs and symbols that reflected family values celebrating acts of bravery by their men or sacrifices made for the well being of the family and tribe. What did the Comanche tribe live in? The Comanche tribe lived in tent-like homes called tepees. The tepeee were constructed from long wooden poles that were covered with weather-proof animal skins such as buffalo hides. The tent was pyramid shaped, with flaps and openings. The tepee was rounded at the base and tapered to an open smoke hole at the top. Most tepees were approximately 12 to 16 feet in diameter at the base. Buffalo hides were used for seating, bedding, and covers. A hearth was built in the center of the tepee for cooking and heating. The tepee suited the nomadic lifestyle of the Comanche tribeas it was quick to erect and easy to dismantle. The Comanche villages were well planned and highly organised. Their lodges were pitched in regular streets and squares which allowed for easy movement of their horses. What language did the Comanche tribe speak? The Comanche tribe spoke in the Shoshonean or a Uto-Aztecan language. The Plains tribes spoke in many different languages and used sign language to communicate with each other. The name for the Pawnee consisted of a representation of the crawling motion of the snake. What did the Comanche tribe eat? The food that the Comanche tribe ate included the meat from all the animals that were available in their vicinity: Buffalo, deer, elk, bear and wild turkey. These high protein foods were supplemented with roots and wild vegetables such as spinach, prairie turnips and potatoes and flavored with wild herbs. Wild berries and fruits were also added to the food available to the Comanche. When animals for food was scarce the tribe ate dried buffalo meat, called pemmican. What weapons did the Comanche use? The weapons used by the Comanche tribe included bows and arrows, stone ball clubs, jaw bone clubs, hatchet axe, spears, lances and knives. War Shields were used on horseback as a means of defence. The rifle was added to their weapons with the advent of the white invaders. The Comanche created maps to instruct war parties of the location of their enemies. The Comanche tribe were well known for attacking on nights with a full moon and for their skills of fighting while on horseback. What was the religion and beliefs of the Comanche tribe? The religion and beliefs of the Comanche tribe was based on Animism that encompassed the spiritual or religious idea that the universe and all natural objects animals, plants, trees, rivers, mountains rocks etc have souls or spirits. The Great Plains tribes such as the Comanche believed in Manitou, the Great Spirit. What were the rituals and ceremonies of the Comanche tribe? The rituals and ceremonies of the Comanche tribe and many other Great Plains Native Indians, included the Sweat Lodge ceremony, the Vision Quest and the Sun Dance Ceremony. The sacred, ceremonial pipe (called a Calumet), was ritually filled with tobacco was passed among participants at all sacred ceremonies of the Comanche. The Calumet, was often used to seal a peace treaty, hence the term 'Peace Pipe', but it was also used to offer prayers in religious ceremonies and in war councils. Who were the most famous leaders and chiefs of the Comanche tribe? The most famous leaders and chiefs of the Comanche tribe included Chief White Eagle, Chief El Sordo, Buffalo Hump and Quanah Parker. The Comanche tribe mounted many raids along the Santa Fe Trail over which the wagon trains, stage coaches and the settlers traveled from the Missouri River through southern and central Kansas, up along the Arkansas River and then southwest across the desert for Santa Fe in New Mexico, and the surrounding areas. Comanche History Timeline The following history timeline details facts, dates and famous landmarks and battles fought by the Comanche Nation. The Comanche tribe fought on the British side in the War of Independence and in the War of 1812. Comanche History Timeline 1500's: The Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado made first white contact with the tribe 1598: Spain builds colony in New Mexico and starts enslaving Native Indians 1680: It was about this time the Comanche obtained horses 1700: Comanche tribe trade at Taos, New Mexico and become allies of the Ute tribe 1716: Spanish attack Comanche Village north of Santa Fe, prisoners were taken and sold as slaves 1700's: The Comanche fight wars against the Apache. They separate from Shoshone Native Indians in Wyoming 1730: The Comanche - Ute alliance collapses starting a 50-year between the tribes 1781: Smallpox epidemic decimates the Comanche Tribe killing many people 1791: Comanche and Osage War - victory for the Comanches 1800's: With the wide spread use of the horse the Comanche tribe roamed the Southern area of the Great Plains living a nomadic way of life 1801: The Comanche suffered a terrible attack of smallpox, and many of them died 1818: The Comanche suffered another smallpox epidemic and this time they were also struck by cholera 1821: Spanish rule is replaced by Mexico 1821: Santa Fe trail opens 1829: Comanches and Kiowa come into conflicts with settlers and U. S. troops on the Santa Fe Trail 1830: The Comanche tribe war with the Cheyenne and Arapaho alliance 1835: US Treaty made at Camp Holmes 1840 Chief Buffalo Hump leads warriors against Texas on a thousand mile raid. Homes are burned and hundreds of Texans are killed 1840: The Texas Rangers are formed to fight the Comanche tribe 1848: Outbreak of another cholera and smallpox epidemic 1851: Fort Laramie Treaty with Plains Indian Tribes 1851: Comanche population drops from 20,000 to 12,000 due to the smallpox and cholera epidemics 1861: Santa Fe trail closed down by the Comanche, Kiowa, Cheyenne and Arapaho 1863: Full scale war in the Great Plains by an alliance for Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa and Comanche 1864: The First Battle of Adobe Walls - Kit Carson led a group of cavalry but was overwhelmed by the Comanche and forced to retreat 1864: Sand Creek Massacre 1867: Treaty of Medicine Lodge providing 4,000 square miles land reservations to many tribes of Plains Native Indians who, in return, had to surrender some 60,000 square miles of their own land 1868: Treaty is broken and Comanche raids target Texas and Kansas, all tribes are then ordered to Oklahoma 1869: Comanche-Kiowa Agency was relocated to Ft. Sill, and the Cheyenne-Arapaho agency to Darlington 1870: Comanche tribe population estimated at around 8,000 1874: Second Battle of Adobe Walls in the Texas Panhandle led by Chief White Eagle 1874: The Red River Wars (1874 - 1875) force the Kiowa and Comanche onto reservations 1874: Conflicts erupt at Wichita and Darlington Agencies and put down by US troops. 1875: Quanah Parker led the last free band of Comanche Indians, who surrendered and were moved to Fort Sill 1876: The Buffalo War - Buffalo are wantonly slaughtered all over the Great Plains (over 65 million were destroyed by white hunters) depriving the Native Indians of their means to live 1887: The Dawes General Allotment Act led to the break up of the large Indian Reservations and the sale of Indian lands, including Comanche lands to white settlers. 1892: Jerome Agreement was a treaty negotiated between Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache tribes reducing the reservation to roughly 600-700 square miles of land 1892: Measles killed more than 300 of the Kiowa and Comanche people 1901 The Comanche reservation is broken up due to Government pressure to open the land for settlement
Comanche History Timeline The Story of Comanche For additional facts and information refer to the legend and the Story of the Battle of Adobe Walls. |