328 



COMANCHE 



[b. a. e. 



The Comanche were nomad buffalo 

 hunters, constantly on the move, cultiva- 

 ting little from the ground, and living 

 in skin tipis. They were long noted as the 

 finest horsemen of the plains and bore a 

 reputation for dash and courage. They 

 have a high sense of honor and hold 

 themselves superior to the other tribes 

 with which they are associated. In per- 

 son they are well built and rather corpu- 

 lent. Their language is the trade lan- 

 guage of the region and is more or less 

 understood by all the neighboring tribes. 

 It is sonorous and flowing, its chief char- 

 acteristic being a rolling r. The lan- 

 guage has several dialects. 



The gentile system seems to be uuKnown 

 among the Comanche. They have, or still 

 remember, 12recognizeddivisionsorbands 

 and may have had others in former times. 

 Of these all but 5 are practically extinct. 

 The Kwahari and Penateka are the most 

 important. Following, in alphabetic or- 

 der, is the complete list as given by their 

 leading chiefs: Detsanayuka or Nokoni; 

 Ditsakana, Widyu, Yapa, or Yamparika; 

 Kewatsana; Kotsai; Kotsoteka; Kwahari 

 or Kwahadi; Motsai; Pagatsu; Penateka 

 or Penande; Pohoi (adopted Shoshoni); 

 Tanima; Tenawa or Tenahwit; Waaih. 

 In addition to these the following have 

 also been mentioned by writers as Coman- 

 che divisions: Guage-johe, Ketahto, 

 Kwashi, Muvinabore, Nauniem, Parkee- 

 naum. See Dotame. (.i. m. ) 



AUebome,— Lewis and Clark, Discov., 39, 1806 (so 

 calli'd by the French; see Ne'-mo-sin, below). 

 Bald Heads.— Long, Exped. Rocky Mts., I, 155, 

 1823. Bo'dalk'iiiago. — Mooney in 14th Rep. B. A. 

 E., 1043, 1896 (Kiowa name: 'reptile people', 

 'snake men'). Cadouca. — Domenech, Deserts N. 

 Am., II, 100, 1860 (misprint of Padouoa). Caman- 

 che. — Pike, Trav., xiv, 214, note, 1811. Caman- 

 chees, — Pileher in Sen. Doc. 19.S, 25th Cong., 2d 

 sess., 23, 1838. Camarsches. — ISIorse, Rep. to Sec. 

 War, 367, 1822. Ca'-tha,— Hayden, Etlmog. and 

 Philol. Mo. Val., 326, 1862 ('having many liorses': 

 Arapahoname). Caumuches. — La Harpe (1719) in 

 Margry, Dec, vi, 289, 1886. Caunouche. — Beau- 

 rain, ibid. Caw-mainsh. — Gebow, Shoshonay 

 Vocab., 8, 1868 (Shoshoni name). Cemanlos, — 

 E.sealante (1776) misquoted by Harry in Simpson, 

 Explor. across Utah, 495, 1876. Cintu-aluka. — 

 Corliss, Dacotah MS. vocab., B. A. E., 106, 1874 

 (Teton name). Comances. — Schoolcraft, Pers. 

 Mem., 620, 18.51. Comancha. — Barreiro, Ojeada, 

 app., 9, 1832. Comanchees. — Abert in Emory, 

 Recon., 470, 1848. Comanchero. — Gregg, Comm. 

 Prairies, ii, .56, 1S44 (Spanish form). Comanches. — 

 Sanchez (17.57) in Doc. Hist. Mex., 4th s., i, 88, 

 1856. Comanchos. — Taylor in Cal. Farmer, Apr. 

 10, 1X63. Comandes.— Maximilian, Trav., 510, 1843. 

 Comandus.— Alegre, Hist. Comp. Jesus, I, 336, 

 1841. Comanshima. — Bourke, Moquis of Ariz., 

 118, 1884 (Hopi name). Comantz.— Gregg, Comm. 

 Prairies, ii, 34, 1844 (Comanche pronunciation). 

 Comauch.— Morse, Rep. to Sec. War, 374, 1822 

 (misprint). Cumanche. — Doc. of 17'20 quoted by 

 Bandelier in Arch. Inst. Pap., v, 183, 1890. Cuman- 

 cias.— Long, Exped. to Rocky Mts., I, 478, 1823. 

 Cumeehes. — Schermerhorn in Mass. Hist. Coll., ii, 

 29,1812. Da'tse-a-.— Gatschet, MS., B. A. E. (Ki- 

 owa Apache name). Gyai'-ko. — Mooney in 14th 

 Rep. B. A. E., 1043, 1896 ('enemies': Kiowaname). 

 Idahi. — Ibid. (Kiowa Apache name). Inda, — 

 Hodge, field notes, B. A. E., 1895 (Jicarilla name). 



Ka-man'-tci. — Dorsey, MS. Biloxi Diet., B. A. E., 

 1892 (Biloxi name). Kaumainsh. — B\irton, City 

 of Saints, 75, note, 1861. Kelamouches. — Jefferys, 

 Am. Atlas, map 5, 1776 (probably the same). 

 Komantsu.— Ind. Aff. Rep., '248, 1877. Komats.— 

 ten Kate, Reizen in N. Am., 326, 1885 (Ute form). 

 Ku-man-i-a-kwe. — Cushing, inf'n, 1891 (Zuiii 

 form). La Paddo. — Lewis and Clark, Discov., 64, 



1806 (Frencli name; cf. La Playea, below), la 

 Plais.— Long, Exped. Rocky Mts., i, 1.55, 1823 

 (French traders' name; perhaps corrupted from 

 Tete PeK'e). LaPlay. — Lewis and Clark, Discov., 

 17, 1806. La Playes.— Lewis and Clark, Trav., 177, 

 1809. La'ri'hta.— Gatschet, MS., B. A. E. (Pawnee 

 name). Le Plays. — Lewis and Clark, Discov., 17, 

 1806. Los Uecos. — Bollaert in Jour. Ethnol. Soc. 

 Lond., II, 265, 1850 (Mexican name). Mahan. — 

 Hodge, field notes, B. A. E., 1895 (Isleta name). 

 Mahana, — Ibid. (Taos name). Memesoon, — Lewis 

 and Clark, Discov., 39, 1806 (see Ne'-mo-sin, be- 

 low). Na''laiii. — Mooney in 14th Rep. B. A. E., 

 1043, 1896 (Navaho name; 'many aliens,' or 'many 

 enemies'; collective term for plains tribes). 

 Na'nita.— Ibid. (Kichai name). Nar-a-tah. — 

 Neighbors in Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, ii, 1'26, 1852 

 (Waco name). Na'taa'. — Mooney in 14th Rep. 

 B. A. E., 1043, 1896 (Wichita name: 'snakes,' i. e. 

 'enemies' or 'dandies)'. Naiine, — Schoolcraft, 

 Ind. Tribes, ii, ix, 1852. Na-u-ni.— Ibid., I, .518, 

 1851. Nazanne,— ten Kate, Reizen N. Am., 6, 1885 

 (Navahoname: 'richones'). Nemausin, — Scher- 

 merhorn in Mass. Hist. Coll., 2d s., ii, 38, 1812 

 (see Ne'-iiio-nin, below). Neme' ne. — Gatschet, 

 MS., B. A. E. (own name). Nemiseau, — Brown, 

 West. Gaz., 213, 1817. Nemonsin. — Am. State 

 Papers, iv,716, 1832. Nemosen.—Lewisand Clark, 

 Discov., 23, 1806. Ne'-mo-sin. — Ibid., 39 (given as 

 their own name; rove with Kiowa, Kiowa 

 Apache, and others at heads of Platte and Chey- 

 enne rs.; apparently a misprint of Nt>me'ne or 

 Nimenim, the Comanche name for themselves). 

 Neniousin.— Orig. Jour. Lewis and Clark, vi, 10'2, 

 1905. Neum.— Ind. Aff. Rep., 166, 1859 (own 

 name). Ne'-uma. — Buschmann (1859) quoted by 

 Gatschet, Karankawa Inds., 33, 1891. Ne'-ume. — 

 Ibid. Kimenim. — ten Kate, Reizen in N. Am., 

 382, 1885 (own name: 'people of people'). Ni- 

 mi-ou-sin. — Orig. Jour. Lewis and Clark, vi, 102, 

 1905. Ni'i-am. — Hoffman in Proc. Am. Philos. 

 Soc, X XIII, 300, 1886(own name). Kiunas. — School- 

 craft, Ind. Tribes, vi, 34, 18.57. Nota-osh.— Gat- 

 schet, MS., B. A. E. (Wichita name: 'snakes,' 

 'enemies'). No-taw. — Marcy, Explor. Red R., 

 273, 1854 (Wichita name). Niima, — Moonev in 

 14th Rep. B. A. E., 1043, 1896 (own name: 

 'people'). Padacus. — Lewis and Clark, Trav., 39, 



1807 (misprint), jadanka. — Dorsey, MS., B. A. 

 E., 1878 (Omaha and Ponka name). Padaws. — 

 Perrin du Lac, Voy. La., 261, 1805. Padducas. — 

 Pike, Trav., 347, 1811. Padokas.— Fabry (1741) in 

 Margry, Dec, vi, 475, 1886. Padoncas. — Bracken- 

 ridge, Views of La., 80, 1815. Padonees. — Morse, 

 N. Am., map, 1776. Padoo.— Orig. Jour. Lewis 

 and Clark, vi, 108, 1905 (Canadian French "nick- 

 name"). Padoucahs.— Hutchins (1764) quotedby 

 Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, in, 557, 1853. Padoucas.— 

 De I'Isle, map, 1712 (Siouan name; perhaps a 

 contraction of Penateka. — Mooney). Padoucee. — 

 McKenney and Hall, Ind. Tribes, ill, 82, 18.54. 

 Padoucies,— Orig. Jour. Lewis and Clark, vi, 108, 

 1905. Paduca.— Clarke in Jour. Anthrop. Inst., iv, 

 1.52, 1875. Paducahs. — Kingsley, Stand. Nat. Hist., 

 pt. 6, 186, 1S83. Paducas.— Jefferys, Fr. Dora. Am., 

 pt. 1, map, 1761. Paduka.— Dorsey, MS., B. A. E., 

 1882 (Kansa name). Padiika.— Hervas, Idea dell' 

 Univ., XVII, 90, 1781. Pah-to-cahs,— Butler in H. 

 R. Ex. Doc. 76, 29th Cong., 2d sess., 6, 1847. Pan- 

 aloga. — McKenney and Hall, Ind. Tribes, in, 81, 

 18.58. Pandoga.— Boudinot, Star in the West, 128, 

 1816. Pandouca. — Cass in Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, 

 III, 596, 18.53. Paneloga.— Douay (1687) in Shea, 

 Miss. Valley, 222, 1852 (probably the same; there 

 are many misprints and derivatives of this word, 

 all probably being traceable to this source). 

 Panelogo. — Hayden, Ethnog. and Philol. Mo. Val., 

 460, 1.S62. Paneloza.— Ibid., 346 (from Douay, 1687; 

 misprint). Panetoca, — Harris, Coll. Voy. and 



