Men would take charge of older boys, but women raised the girls and prepared them for marriage and motherhood. They were also charged with raising children. Women had to actually build the tee pee, even if that meant carrying heavy wood and erecting the structure themselves. Women were also responsible for the home, which was usually a tee pee made form hides and wood. Women prepared meals for their men with the food they gathered and the meat brought home by hunters. Since the Comanche were a polygamous society, one or more women might be attached to a single man and care for him by collecting nuts, berries and other wild vegetation near their camp. The Comanche were hunters and gatherers and, as was often the case with such cultures, women were in charge of the gathering. A man could rise to such rank by exhibiting prowess in combat. These high-ranking men were from among the elite leadership of each tribe. High-ranking Comanche men accompanied the armed groups that led these captives to meeting places with relatives and/or diplomats and exchanged them for money or other goods. Men - TradeĪmong the transportable goods the Comanche acquired on these raids were members of other tribes or citizens from Mexico or the United States. On these raids, which might last for months, men occupied themselves with acquiring the transportable goods of whichever people they fought. Horse-mounted Comanche men went on raids that extended as far south as the jungles of Mexico. If rifles were available, the arts of marksmanship had to be learned, as well. Their young men trained to use bows and arrows and spears and shields made from buffalo hide. Many thought of them as savages, but they will always be known as the fierce warriors of the Great Plains.The Comanche used their horses most notably for warfare. The Comanche were once the mighty and dominant of the Great Plains. Outnumbered and starving, the Comanche finally did something that they were never known for–they surrendered to United States Army in 1874 and were moved onto a reservation. After many battles and resistance from the Comanches, the end finally came in the year of 1874, the Red River War, which lasted from August to November. When the United States Cavalry was brought in, the Comanches had fierce battles and many victors, but battles cost warriors, and while the Cavalry soldiers had many to replace their fallen comrades, the Comanches could not replace their losses. The arrival of the rifle, dramatically boosted the deadliness of the Comanche and made them even more dominant and fierce. Later, the gun or rifle was introduced to the American Indian by the white invaders. The lance was much more effective on horseback, because the additional power given by the horse. The wooden handle was covered with feathers and animal hides. The war lance was a eight-foot thrusting spear topped with an 12-inch iron blade. They could close the lance with accuracy and precision at an enemy or animal. The lance or “war lance” as the Comanche called it, was the second most deadliest close quarter weapon used by the Comanche. The tomahawk could also be use to chop wood or bone. The bows of the Apache and Comanche were simple bows four feet in length, made from a single piece of wood with animal sinew for bowstrings. It was the Long-Range weapon of both the Apache and Comanche. The tomahawk, knife and stone ball club would be used in close quarter combat or to defend themselves. Comanche Warrior Lancing an Osage, at Full Speed, 1837-1839. The Bow and Arrow was the deadly long-range weapon of the Native American warriors. When riding a horse in battle or hunting, the Comanche Indian was so skilled that he could shoot an enemy or prey with a bow and arrow while riding on the side of a horse. The first weapons used by the Comanche tribe was the tomahawk, bow, lance, stone ball club, knifes and a shield used as defense on horseback. The lance or war lance as the Comanche called it, was the second most deadliest close quarter weapon used by the Comanche.
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