Tribal Traditions
Death Rituals for the Comanche People.
When a Comanche is dying, while the death-rattle may yet be
faintly heard in the throat, and the natural warmth has not departed from the body, the knees are strongly bent upon the chest, and the legs flexed upon the thighs. The arms are also flexed upon each side of the chest, and the head bent forward upon the knees. A lariat, or rope, is now used to firmly bind the limbs and body in this position. A blanket is then wrapped around the body, and this again tightly corded, so that the appearance when ready for burial is that of an almost round and compact body, very unlike the composed pall of his Wichita or Caddo brother. The body is then taken and placed in a saddle upon a pony, in a sitting posture; a squaw usually riding behind, though sometimes one on either side of the horse, holds the body in position until the place of burial is reached, when the corpse is literally tumbled into the excavation selected for the purpose. When a Comanche is dying, while the death-rattle may yet be faintly heard in the throat, and the natural warmth has not departed from the body, the knees are strongly bent upon the chest, and the legs flexed upon the thighs. The arms are also flexed upon each side of the chest, and the head bent forward upon the knees. A lariat, or rope, is now used to firmly bind the limbs and body in this position. A blanket is then wrapped around the body, and this again tightly corded, so that the appearance when ready for burial is that of an almost round and compact body, very unlike the composed pall of his Wichita or Caddo brother. The body is then taken and placed in a saddle upon a pony, in a sitting posture; a squaw usually riding behind, though sometimes one on either side of the horse, holds the body in position until the place of burial is reached, when the corpse is literally tumbled into the excavation selected for the purpose. A tradition of independence.
The Comanche Indians of the southern North American Great Plains have traditionally been characterized by scholars of human behavior as an ethnographic anomaly. The anomalous nature of Comanches has especially been noted with regards to their social organization. Socially, Comanches have been portrayed as being without kinship institutions such as clans, and have been understood either as loosely organized around the free association of individuals,# as an effect of a shared communicative competence through symbols and language, or as a consequence of the geographic availability of material resources.
Essentially, their independence is a tradition/ritual that they inadvertently partake in. |
After the first few days of continued grief, the mourning is
conducted more especially at sunrise and sunset, as the Comanches venerate the sun; and the mourning at these seasons is kept up, if the death occurred in summer, until the leaves fall, or, if in the winter, until they reappear. It is a matter of some interest to note that the preparation of the corpse and the grave among the Comanches is almost identical with the burial customs of some of the African tribes, and the baling of the body with ropes or cords is a wide and common usage of savage peoples. The hiring of mourners is also a practice which has been very prevalent from remotest periods of time. Powwow Tradition
In the Comanche tribe, every year a a North American Indian ceremony involving feasting, singing, and dancing is held. This is known as a powwow - a celebration of life and existence.
Games
They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Comanche children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play in their daily lives, just like colonial children. But they did have dolls, toys, and games to play. Here is a picture of a hoop game played by Plains Indian kids. Once the Comanches acquired horses, girls and boys as young as five years old learned how to ride. A Comanche mother traditionally carried a young child in a cradleboard on her back--a custom which many American parents have adopted now.
Jewelry and Story Telling
One of the many traditions of the Comanche people is creating jewelry - apart from the games and horseback riding. Jewelry is used to help consume time and act as an income for the Native American people. Starting at an early age, the making of jewelry can take several weeks to several months, and is practiced to demonstrate their ability to construct fine arts that represent the Comanche people.
Additionally, there are lots of traditional Comanche legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Comanche Indian culture. Hatred.
The Comanche people hated the White Man, otherwise known as the colonists, as they had single-handedly caused thousands of the Comanche's people's deaths. So, with this, the tradition to hate on the White Man became much more apparent.
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Major Events
Trading with colonists ensues - 1813
American traders trade with Comanches for horses in regards to the movement to the west. Lastly, John Jamison meets with Comanche Chiefs for trade.
Trading became a large factor for the Comanche in the beginning of the 19th century. (Subordinate event) Capture of Cynthia Ann Parker - 1836
Cynthia Ann Parker captured at Fort Parker, Texas. Soon births Quanah Parker.
Treaty between Comanche and Texas - 1838Texas and Comanches make peace treaty. Texas ensures that no more battles will happen. The Comanche people will be at peace.
Smallpox - 1839With the establishment of colonies, and the subsequent colonization of the more western regions, the Comanche people were subjected to foreign diseases that completely devastated thousands of families and lives. (Roughly 8,000 people died).
The treaty is broken - 1840
Texas with Tonkawa warriors attack Comanches at Plumb Creek. Also,
Texas Rangers formed to fight Comanches. |
(Subordinate event) Quanah Parker is born - 1845 Quanah Parker lives to become a legacy amongst American culture.
Reservations - 1854In 1854, mid 19th century, a Texas Congressman provides 23,000 acres and establishes three Indian reservations on the upper Brazos River for the Texas tribes of Caddo, Cherokee, Delaware, Shawnee, Wichita and Tonkawa. The Comanche are subjected to movement as well. After a certain period of time, they were forced to move.
Surrender - 1875
In April, 200 Kwahada, who had never surrendered arrived at Ft. Sill. In June the last 400 Kwahada with Quanah Parker surrendered.
Buffalo hunters and hunting - 1879The Buffalo of the Great Plains were gone, over 65 million were destroyed by white hunters. Estimation taken in 1879 reported less than 1500 buffalo left on the Plains. This completely devastated the Comanche's, as that was their food, clothing, and even shelter supply.
Reservation Breakup - 1901
The Comanche reservation is broken up due to Government pressure to open the land for settlement.
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Religion, Spirit, and Nature
Different denominations of Christianity have come through Comanche land in the past. Some seemed more appealing to reservation Indians than others. It seems the market is still open. Pentecostals are the latest “trader” in Comanche land.
Let’s look at the lay of that land. By 1881, six years after the final Quahada band came into Fort Sill (1875), the Episcopalians started a mission program under J. B. Wicks. But before then, as early as 1869, the Quakers were working in southwestern Oklahoma among the plains tribes. Yet, even Laurie Tatum made no progress among the Comanche–who still resisted the “civilized” life. (The Comanche got into peyote, anyway, once they did start settling. Some say Quanah Parker brought it into the tribe, but others say Mumsekai.) Commissioner Thomas J. Morgan (under U.S. President Harrison) was a strong assimilationist, and missionaries influenced him to clamp down on the peyote “religion.” But the Comanches were not really considered much of a market for the missionaries. Comanches were still isolationists, psychologically, as well as demographically.
However, religion wasn't exactly a "thing" to the Comanche in the past. Especially, in the 1800's, the Comanche Indians believed that the dead's spirits lived among them. They felt like death was something to praise, in a sense. Often times, suicide was practiced and was not considered taboo, as the dead's spirits would come back one day.
Let’s look at the lay of that land. By 1881, six years after the final Quahada band came into Fort Sill (1875), the Episcopalians started a mission program under J. B. Wicks. But before then, as early as 1869, the Quakers were working in southwestern Oklahoma among the plains tribes. Yet, even Laurie Tatum made no progress among the Comanche–who still resisted the “civilized” life. (The Comanche got into peyote, anyway, once they did start settling. Some say Quanah Parker brought it into the tribe, but others say Mumsekai.) Commissioner Thomas J. Morgan (under U.S. President Harrison) was a strong assimilationist, and missionaries influenced him to clamp down on the peyote “religion.” But the Comanches were not really considered much of a market for the missionaries. Comanches were still isolationists, psychologically, as well as demographically.
However, religion wasn't exactly a "thing" to the Comanche in the past. Especially, in the 1800's, the Comanche Indians believed that the dead's spirits lived among them. They felt like death was something to praise, in a sense. Often times, suicide was practiced and was not considered taboo, as the dead's spirits would come back one day.