Commanche

Introduction -(SLL-JackV)
 Back in the early 1500’s, the Comanche tribe was part of the Eastern Shoshone tribe who lived near the Platte River in Eastern Wyoming. When the Europeans entered were the tribes lived, the Comanche tribe fled away from the Shoshone tribe. When they left, the Comanche tribe had about 10,000 members. After they left, they went to Arkansas, Texas,Oklahoma, and New Mexico.The word Comanche means enemy. The Comanche tribe would rather have the name Numunuh instead of Camanche. They were the first plain Indian that had horses. Here are some camanche words.

hello-maruawe thank you-ura deer-aruka skunk--pisunii bearwasupe racon--paruuku buffilo-tasiwoo owlo'o eagle-kwihnai snakekwasinaboo



Habitat/Homes - (SLL-JackV)


**Teepees**
The Comanche tribe lived in houses called tipis(or teepees) that were covered with buffalo hide.One family lived in a teepee. As the herd buffalo moved so would the group of people, so the tipis were carefully designed to set up and take down easily. It would only take an hour to pack or unpack. Here’s tipis being set up.

The climate is hot in the daytime, and cold in the nighttime. Wolfs, horses, snakes, and coyotes live near the commache tribe.



Dress -(OSL-Danny)
 The Comanche used deerskin, bearskin and buffalo skin to make clothes. They made beautiful clothes for special ceremonies. They make crowns out of feathers. 

Food -(SLL-BryceR) 
WHAT THEY ATE AND HOW THEY GOT IT. The Comanche ate many different types of food. Let me name some of the meats. They ate buffalo, elk, rabbits, fish if necessary, bison, black bear, pronghorn, antelope, skunks, lizards, rats, frogs, and grasshoppers. They also ate nuts, berries, potatoes, plums, grapes, onions, tobacco, and dried pumpkin. They pretty much ate whatever they had to survive. They killed buffalo in two different ways. One, they stalked them and shot them before the buffalo noticed. Two, they would drove them off a cliff. The women and men were in charge of getting the food for the family. The women usually gathered nuts and berries for the family, while the men hunted. They did it this way because it was easier than farming.  HOW THEY COOKED IT. The women would take animal skin or a buffalo stomach and filled it with water. They would put stones in a fire to heat them. They took the rocks and placed them in the container. The rocks would make the water boil and then they would put in the meat. Women would use the nuts and berries they found and use them to flavor the meat. Two mane seasonings they used were honey and mallow (fat). They had a little breakfast and a large diner in the evening. Before they did that they skinned and gutted the animal. || [|Crystallinks-Commanche]  <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Customs - (SLL-BryceR)
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Women were in charge of the house hold. During time of travel the women carried pots, pans,and other house hold items. They also built the homes for the family. The men were warriors and often went off to war. Everybody took part in art work ,storytelling, music ,and medicine. The tribe was a tribe of gathering and hunting. They traveled in bands and had two chiefs, one of peace and one of war. They have powwows to worship their beliefs and often met their future husband or wife.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Adult Roles **

The Comanche children where carished and rarely ever got punished. Older siblings, and other relatives had to train the children. As soon old enough to walk the girls followed their mother around camp and was given a deer skin doll. She learned how to make cloths for the doll. A young boy learned to ride a horse before they could walk. He was expected to handle and ride a horse skillfully at the age of four and a half. He was given a bow and arrow at the age of five or six. A young boy was taught by his grandfather. When boys got older he went hunting for birds. He would range farther away from camp each time. They got more self –reliant and play with other boys his age. They also formed strong and cooperative bonds with the others that they use for raids and hunting. Boys where highly respected for they would become warriors and hunters. The closer he got to being a man he went on his first buffalo hunt. He was aloud on the war path when he killed his first buffalo. Girls learned to gather food and cared water and wood. When the girls were twelve they learned how to cook meals, build tipis sew clothing, and other task around the house. Then they were considered ready to be married.
 * Children**

Boys were brave but around girls bashful. A boy went to someone gifted in love potions. A boy offered a gift when he wanted to marry. He gave one or more horses for a gift. Most of the time the boy sent a relative to make the offer. The relatives brought goods or horses for an offer. Sometimes girls are arranged to marry old men of wealth but try to resist. Then trying to marry young men they loved. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Death** The Smoke Lodge was where old men not on the war path any lived there. Boys and girls didn’t go in the tent. Old and sick old person was left behind except for its close family. This didn’t happen because of any respect. They believed an evil spirit was invading his body. As he approached death he or she would give away all its possessions. He or she would create its last medicine and found a quiet place to wait for death. After he or she died Comanche right away buried the body. His knees were put on his chest and tied there. The eye lids were sealed and the face was painted red with paint. The body of the one who had died road on a horse to the burial spot which was a crevice, a ravine, or usually a cave. http://www.texasindians.com/comanche.htm <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Marriage **

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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Tool and Weapons - (OSL-Danny)
They used bone and stone to make tools and wood and string to make bows and arrows. They were for hunting animal. They yelled and screamed to drive buffalo off a cliff. Then they went down the cliff and got the remains of the buffalo. Stone and string and wood could make axes that easily could cut down the trees.



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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Miscellaneous Facts - (all group members)
The Comanche’s were new to Texas and so where the Spanish. The Comanche came from way north in Wyoming. The Comanche tribe was once part of the Shoshone tribe. In the early 1700s the Comanche’s started moving south to Texas and New Mexico. There were twelve bands in all witch varied every so often. The most famous band was the penatekas witch means honey eater in the Comanche language. In world war two there were twelve young called the code talkers that were trained to and worked for the U.S. army. They sent messages to command senters that can’t that the enemy can’t know.