Comanche
Comanche,
Native North American tribe, a southern branch of the
Shoshone, of Uto-Aztecan
language family, and of the Plains culture area.
The
Comanche left their original arid territory west of the
Rocky Mountains to move to the southern Great Plains around
the 15th century. Here they drove out the Apache
people and dominated a vast area during the late 18th
and early 19th centuries.
The
Comanche were the most skillful equestrians of the Plains.
The pinto ponies they preferred were originally acquired
by raiding the Spanish and later were bred by the tribe.
Extremely
warlike, the Comanche made frequent raids on both European
and Native American settlements over a wide area. They
extended their forays as far south as Mexico and kept
settlers out of their territory for more than a century.
They
made peace with the United States government in 1875.
The Comanche probably numbered about 30,000 in the early
1800s but shortly thereafter an epidemic reduced their
population to fewer than 10,000.
A
nomadic people, the Comanche lived by hunting bison,
commonly called buffalo.
Families
dwelt in tepees and were organized
socially into patrilineal bands.
Tribe
members wore buckskins, with fur hats in the winter.
The Comanche war helmet was brashly impressive: a bison
scalp complete with horns. Both men and women practiced
tattooing.
Comanche
religion stressed visionary experiences, which an individual
deliberately sought out in isolated situations of privation.
Animal spirits were believed to favor particular individuals
and to render aid to them; protective spirits were also
believed to dwell in rocks and thunder.
Comanche
descendants numbered 11,456 in 1990. Some live on private
landholdings in Oklahoma.
"Comanche,"
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com
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