Internet Resources
- Comanche NationWe are the Comanche Nation and in our native language “Nʉmʉnʉʉ” (NUH-MUH-NUH) which means, “The People”. We are known as “Lords of the Plains” and were once a part of the Shoshone Tribe. In the late 1600’s and early 1700’s we moved off from our Shoshone kinsmen onto the northern Plains and then southerly in search a new homeland. We Migrated across the Plains, through Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. We ultimately settled here in Southwest Oklahoma. The horse was a key element in Comanche culture. The people mastered their skills on horseback and gained a tremendous advantage in times of war.
- Comanche MuseumThe mission of the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center (CNMCC) is to provide communities with programs and exhibits that deepen the understanding and appreciation of Comanche history, culture and fine art. Through collections, preservation and education, the Museum seeks to become a recognized resource for information about the Nʉmʉnʉʉ (Comanche People). With the assistance of tribal elders and enrolled Comanche cultural experts, CNMCC will strive to meet all of the above goals, and provide visitors with a new understanding about the people of the great Comanche Nation.
- Comanche IndiansHistorical information, including images, of the Comanche Indians from the Texas State Historical Association.
Streaming Media
- The Comanche TribeA brief Native American documentary about the Comanche people. The Comanches played a crucial role in the history of North America. They were a nomadic tribe, fierce in warfare and had no equals when it comes to horsemanship. Known for having many native tribes as enemies, for almost 200 years they fought with Spain, Mexico and the US. Comanche raids were famous and very feared at that time. Their territory was known as Comancheria. It spread across New Mexico, west Texas and nearby areas. At the height of their power it is estimated the Comanche tribe counted between 20 000 and 40 000 members. The most famous Comanche was Quanah Parker. He’s known as the last free Comanche chief who surrendered last to US authorities.
Primary Sources & Reference Materials (Log in Required)
- History Commons (Formerly Accessible Archives) This link opens in a new window
This database includes primary sources from 18th and 19 century America. A search for Comanche reveals a large number of primary sources.
- Comanche: Credo ReferenceAccess the Credo Reference landing page for the Comanche. This page includes links to library materials, a mind map, and more
Perspectives
Comanche Society: Before the Reservation
Once called the Lords of the Plains, the Comanches were long portrayed as marauding raiders who capitalized on the Spanish introduction of horses to raise their people out of primitive poverty through bison hunting and fierce warfare. More recent studies of the Comanches have focused on adaptation and persistence in Comanche lifestyles and on their political organization and language-based alliances. In Comanche Society, Gerald Betty develops an exciting perspective on the driving force of Comanche life: kinship. He details the kinship patterns that underlay all social organization and behavior among the Comanches and uses these insights to explain the way Comanches lived and interacted with Europeans. This account analyzes the formation of clans, the hierarchy in family and generational relationships, and ancestor worship and related religious ceremonies. In clear language and detail, Betty considers a number of aspects of Comanche life - pastoralism, migration and nomadism, economics and trade, and warfare - and how these developed along kinship lines. This is cutting-edge history, drawing not only on original research in extensive primary documents but also on theoretical perspe
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History
Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize In the tradition of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, a stunningly vivid historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West, centering on Quanah, the greatest Comanche chief of them all. S. C. Gwynne's Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches. Although readers may be more familiar with the tribal names Apache and Sioux, it was in fact the legendary fighting ability of the Comanches that determined just how and when the American West opened up. Comanche boys became adept bareback riders by age six; full Comanche braves were considered the best horsemen who ever rode. They were so masterful at war and so skillful with their arrows and lances that they stopped the northern drive of colonial Spain from Mexico and halted the French expansion westward from Louisiana. White settlers arriving in Texas from the eastern United States were surprised to find the frontier being rolled backward by Comanches incensed by the invasion of their tribal lands.
The Comanche Empire
In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a Native American empire rose to dominate the fiercely contested lands of the American Southwest, the southern Great Plains, and northern Mexico. This powerful empire, built by the Comanche Indians, eclipsed its various European rivals in military prowess, political prestige, economic power, commercial reach, and cultural influence. Yet, until now, the Comanche empire has gone unrecognized in American history. This compelling and original book uncovers the lost story of the Comanches. It is a story that challenges the idea of indigenous peoples as victims of European expansion and offers a new model for the history of colonial expansion, colonial frontiers, and Native-European relations in North America and elsewhere. Pekka H#65533;m#65533;l#65533;inen shows in vivid detail how the Comanches built their unique empire and resisted European colonization, and why they fell to defeat in 1875. With extensive knowledge and deep insight, the author brings into clear relief the Comanches' remarkable impact on the trajectory of history.
Sanapia: Comanche Medicine Woman
This case study is an ethnographic portrait of Sanapia, Comanche medicine woman. Jones attempts to describe every aspect of Sanapia's role, including detailed accounts of her ritual behavior, her attitude toward her profession, the paraphernalia she employs, & her Comanche society.