They considered hunting with a lance a sign of pride.īuffalo meat was either cooked over the open fire or sun-dried, either as jerky or pemmican (meat with nuts, marrow and fat). Comanche hunters used huge spears, sometimes 14-feet long, instead of bows and arrows to kill buffalo.
When spring arrived and the buffalo came the Comanche moved onto the plains to follow them, setting up camp in traditional circles.Īs to many Plains tribes, the buffalo was key to Comanche survival, providing food, clothing, shelter and tools. The country was rough, and in winter they lived in rows of tipis placed along sheltered canyons while hunting deer, elk, antelope and small game. The Comanche, “those who are always against us,” lived in a vast area of rugged high country that today includes parts of four states.
