The Comanche did not like life on the reservation. The
Comanche wanted to hold on to their culture and traditions. That was
hard to do on a reservation. They were not farmers. They were hunters
and gatherers.
Before their forced move to a reservation, the
Comanche wandered the prairie in small groups called bands. A band was
usually made up of family members. The Comanche believed in freedom. You
did not have to stay with your own band. You were free to join another
band if you wished.
Each band had its own leaders. There was a peace
chief and a war chief. The band council included all the men of the
band. The council decided when to go to war and where to hunt.
Although bands were free to go their own way,
Comanche bands had many things in common. They had a common language.
They believed in the same gods. They had the same customs. Depending
upon where they lived, they dressed in similar ways. They wore buffalo
capes instead of shirts.
The men wore headdresses made of eagle feathers.
The number of feathers was symbolic of the number of brave acts they had
performed.
The woman wore dresses decorated with fringe and
beads. The women braided their hair with beads. They wore bead
necklaces. Like the Apache women, Comanche women spent time on their
appearance.
The bands got together at annual powwows
(gatherings, festivals.) The Comanche sang and danced at powwows to
honor their beliefs. People often met their future husbands and wives at
powwows.
To learn more about the fabulous Comanche, read the
very short story The
Clever Coyote.
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