The Comanche Indians, Texas Indians (original) (raw)
Because they moved around so much they liked things that were light weight and that did not break easily. This is why they did not make or use much pottery. They made and used baskets and leather to make containers. They also used animal skins and woven grass mats on the floors of their tee pees.
Here is a good Comanche myth. Thanks to Jane Archer and Wordware Publishing for sharing it with us. This is Jane's favorite Indian myth. She calls it Indian fast food!!! Read it and see why.
Deer Medicine
from Texas Indian Myths and Legends
by Jane Archer
One time the People camped at the base of a mountain near a rushing stream. Over time a person disappeared, then another. The band grew troubled and took their worries to their medicine makers. After sweat lodge purification, after sage and sweet grass cleansing, the medicine makers held council. "I do not trust those deer," Medicine Man said. "I trust them less than you." Medicine Woman looked up at the mountain where the deer lived near a large cave. "I suspect they are stealing our people." "And keeping them in their cave." "To eat," Medicine Man said. "Our people depend on us to care for them." "And we must do so. Medicine Man and Medicine Woman walked up the mountain to the cave of the deer. Guard Deer stood near four sticks at the dark hole of an entrance. "Good morning," Medicine Woman said. "How are you?" "You look plump and well," Medicine Man said. "What food do you eat?" Medicine Woman asked. "We eat good food," Guard Deer said. "Would you like to see?" "Yes, we would." Guard Deer picked up one of the sticks and knocked on the entrance. "One fat buffalo." A buffalo trotted out. "That is impressive," Medicine Woman said. "Watch this." Guard Deer hit the entrance again. "One buffalo calf." A buffalo calf walked out. "I am really impressed," Medicine Man said. "Now you know how we get our food," Guard Deer said. "You may see no more." "Thank you," Medicine Woman said. As the medicine makers walked away, they whispered to each other. "I do not believe that is all in their cave," Medicine Man said. "I agree. We must find out what else is in there." They hid behind a large rock while they considered their problem. "Maybe we could change the sticks when Guard Deer looks the other way," Medicine Man said. "Guard Deer is too sharp." "That is true." "They must change guards soon and the entrance will be unguarded for a brief time," Medicine Woman said. "We must strike then." "Yes." Without making a sound, they worked their way back to the entrance. Concealed behind rocks and plants, they watched and waited. Soon Guard Deer stepped away to consult the next Guard Deer. They raced to the entrance. Medicine Woman grabbed a stick and hit the cave. "Two people." Two warriors walked out. Medicine Man placed his hand on the stick, and they struck again. "More men." Many men ran out of the cave. All of them carried bows with arrows in quivers on their backs. Deer erupted from all directions, but the warriors fought together to drive them back. When the battle was won by the People, most of the deer lay dead. The medicine makers turned to the deer still alive. "We are the strongest so hereafter we will eat you," Medicine Man said. "Your skin and bones, all of your body, will be used to help the People," Medicine Woman added. Guard Deer raised a head. "So be it."
Copyright, 2000, Jane Archer
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When the Spanish tried to settle in Texas in the 1700s it was the Comanches who kept them in the south of Texas. After conquering so many other Indian cultures the Spanish could not defeat the Comanches and move farther north. When the Germans and Americans started moving near and into Comanche territory they were asking for trouble and they got it. The Comanches attacked settlers and stole horses and cattle from settlers just like they did from other Indian cultures and the Spanish. The Comanches would take captives whom they would offer to return for a price. The Comanches were not very good to have as neighbors.
The early Texans were not such nice guys either. At the Council House fight in San Antonio in 1840 the Texans used a flag of truce to lure 33 Comanche chiefs into town to talk and make peace. They then made demands the Indians could not meet or agree to. One of the goals of the meeting was to get captive whites back from the Comanche. The Comanche brought one captive to the meeting. They held others back to have something to negotiate with. Also, some white captives were under the control of bands of Comanche who did not come to the meeting. The Texans demanded that the Comanche turn over all the captives right away. When the Indians did not immediately give in to the demands, instead of honoring the white flag of truce, the Texans started shooting the surprised unarmed Indians. The Comanches fought back, but all of them were killed. Even the Comanches camped outside of town were attacked by surprise and many were killed. Everyone knows that white flag means a truce and not dirty tricks like that. After that the Comanches had a hard time trusting the word of any European. Recall in all of this that the Comanches had been taking captives from everyone around them and then negotiating and trading for goods to give them back for 200 years. The Texans either knew this or should have known. The Texans probably would have gotten the captives back without bloodshed if they had just negotiated in good faith.
The Council House fight led to the Great Raid of 1840. In August of 1840 the Comanches, led by war chief Buffalo Hump, raided all the way to the Texas coast. This was revenge for the Council House fight. They raided and burned the towns of Victoria and Linnville. They stole hundreds of horses and mules and as much stuff as they could carry. They then returned to their own lands. On the way back they fought the battle of Plum Creek near Lockhart.
In 1846 Buffalo Hump signed a treaty with the US government at Council Springs. He led the Comanches to the Brazos river reservation in 1849. In 1856 he led the Comanches to the Oklahoma reservation at Ft. Cobb. In 1892 the reservation was dissolved. Each family was given 160 acres. This was called an allotment. Allotment means dividing something up and allotting (giving parts) the parts to individuals. An allotment is like a share. The US Government got all the land that was not given to Comanche families and that was a lot of land. This land was sold to white settlers in 1901. 500,000 acres of Comanche land was held back, but it was leased to white ranchers in 1906. The Comanches still live in the area around the town of Lawton.
This was the time period of tribal enrollment. To get an allotment an Indian had to be enrolled in the tribe. Enrollment means they registered with the United States Government as a member of the tribe. Many Indians did not register for many reasons. This has caused trouble ever since. The Indians who did register say the Indians who did not are not really Indians anymore.
One reason many Indians did not enroll is because some of them were passing as white people. Many Indians were and are part white and look enough like a white person to mistaken for white. Being seen as white was important back in the 1890s because of the racism back then.
For you younger readers, there were many laws and customs in the 1890s and later that discriminated against what were called "persons of color" or colored persons. Persons of color were Africans, Mexicans, Chinese and of course Indians. Of course the term colored means their skin was not white. There were laws back then called Jim Crow laws that banned colored persons from sitting in or eating in white only restaurants. Persons of color were not allowed in the city limits of many towns after dark. Businesses could refuse to do business with them and did so. In some places Jim Crow laws required persons of color to always be employed or be sent to prison to work on convict labor gangs. Persons of color or "coloreds' as they were called by whites were not allowed to vote, could not hold elected office, and were not allowed to sue or use the court system. Their children had to go to substandard colored schools and often had no schools. Many jobs and professions were forbidden to coloreds. Most colleges in the south refused colored students by law. In most towns they had to live in colored sections of town and could not buy or live in white only parts of town. So, if an Indian could pass as being white they did. Many did not want to enroll and come under the Jim Crow laws.
Life on the reservations was very hard on all the Indians. Often the U S government did not honor its promises to provide food and shelter. As time went on the better land on the reservation was taken away and given to whites. But the worst part was the racial discrimination. Indians were treated the way black and Hispanic people were treated and often worse. They had few or no rights. They were not allowed to have good jobs or a good education. Indian children were often taken away from their families and sent to far off schools. Schools where the boys were trained to be farm hands and laborers for white people and the girls were taught to be maids and cooks. For many years they were not allowed to have good jobs . All of this forced the Comanches to live in poverty for many years.
Much has changed for the Comanche and now they are doing much better. They have much better schools and many of them now got to college. There are Comanche doctors, lawyers and teachers now. Most of them live in decent houses and own cars or trucks.
There are quite a few Comanches living today and they are all proud of their culture. Comanches today live in houses like everyone else. They drive cars and the kids go to schools on busses. They can get a burger down at McDonalds if they want. They also still get together and do the old dances and sing the old songs in Comanche. Elders still tell the old stories about Comanche heroes and the old days when the Comanches ruled the southern plains.
Names from Comanches
Americans : pabotabeb
Arrow : pacande
Arrowhead : tahka
Bear : guasape White bear : tosaguara
Bird : juhtzu
Black : tuhubit
Brave : teconiuap
Buffalo : cuhtz
Butterfly : ueyahcora
Cardinal bird : ecjuhtzu
Chewing gum : sanahco
Clothing : nenamuiecap
Colt : pucurua
CORN : janib
Cougar : toyarohco
Coyote : tzena
Dance : nihcaro
Dawn : nabuni
Deer : areca
Dream : nabusiaep
Drink : jibito
Drum : sabahpaqui
Eagle : piajuhtzu
Flea : ecapusia
Flint : tetecae
Flower : sahtotzip
Gold : oaui
Gourd : oteauh
Grandfather : roco
Grandmother : caco
Hand : moo
Hat : suparello
Honey : uobipihuab
Horse : puc ; Mustang horse cobe
Hummingbird : temuqit
Jaguar : naboroya
Kiss : murrae
Knife : ui
Leather : taibobicap
Man : tenahpua
Meat : tehcap
Morning star : tahtatzi-nupi
Mother : pia
North Star : tatzinupi-puetuh-catutamiae
Old : puetep
Owl : mupitz neminoet
PayPal : PayPal see Gol_d : auui_
Rabbit : tabo
Rainbow : paracoa
Rattle Snake : uehquetzutzu
Skunk : nabohcutz
Sky : tomobi
Spider : tatetz
Sun : taabe
Thunder : tomoyaque
Turkey : cuyon
Turtle : uacani
Ugly : ayaquia ayo
Warbonnet : tunahuasa
Water : uahpahcaep
White : tosabite
Wolf : piasa
Woman : guahpe
Wood : juhpi
Worm : uoabi
Yellow : ojapite
Yes : jaa
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