Comanche Indians
New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas were the original home
to the Comanche Indians. This tribe numbered as many as 20,000
in their day, the majority of Comanche Indians today live in Oklahoma. Other
members of the Comanche Nation live in parts of Texas, California, and New
Mexico. Historically, the name Comanche is believed to come from the word
Komantcia, or the Spanish, which is their way of saying the Ute word Kohmahts,
which means “people.” However the root word is still
up for debates.
Many people are unaware that the Comanche Indians were actually part of the
Shoshone people until 1700, when they broke away as a separate group. Unfortunately,
because the Comanche never formed a cohesive group of people, they were just
as likely to fight amongst themselves, as they were to help each other. In
actuality, there were approximately twelve different groups of Comanche Indians
after the split.
Likewise and not surprisingly, the Comanche Indians did not have a central
leader but rather a council of people that made decisions regarding the group.
This council consisted of two chiefs, the peace chief and war chief and several
other leaders as well. The peace chief was more than likely an older male
tribe member who was seen as very wise and had much experience. The war chief
was usually elected during war times and was admired by others as a brave
warrior. The council was in charge of all decisions, from things such as where
the group should hunt to whether or not they should declare war at any given
time. As with most tribes of the times, the Comanche men were in charge of
hunting and fighting, while the women were busy at home cooking, gardening,
tending to their children and setting up the camps for their families.
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