Abra-Comanches

The Abra-Comanches are a native group from Abra, the ancestors of the Sapiens and the first people to contact the Overlords.
The Comanche mainly use horse-drawn travois for transportation. Since horses are faster, easier to control and able to carry more, this helps with their hunting and warfare and makes moving camp easier. Being herbivores, horses are also easier to feed than dogs, since meat was a valuable resource. The horse is of the utmost value to the Comanche. A Comanche man's wealth is measured by the size of his horse herd. Horses are prime targets to steal during raids; often raids are conducted specifically to capture horses. Often horse herds numbering in the hundreds are stolen by Comanche during raids against other nations. Horses are used for warfare, with the Comanche being considered to be among the finest light cavalry and mounted warriors in history.
The Comanche sheath their tepee with a covering made of buffalo hides sewn together. To prepare the buffalo hides, women first spread them on the ground, then scraped away the fat and flesh with blades made from bones or antlers, and left them in the sun. When the hides are dry, they scrape off the thick hair, and then soak them in water. After several days, they vigorously rub the hides in a mixture of animal fat, brains, and liver to soften the hides. The hides are made even more supple by further rinsing and working back and forth over a rawhide thong. Finally, they were smoked over a fire, which gave the hides a light tan color. To finish the covering, women lay the tanned hides side by side and stitch them together. As many as 22 hides can be used, but 14 is the average. When finished, the hide covering is tied to a pole and raised, wrapped around the cone-shaped frame, and pinned together with pencil-sized wooden skewers. Two wing-shaped flaps at the top of the tepee are turned back to make an opening, which could be adjusted to keep out the moisture and held pockets of insulating air. With a fire pit in the center of the earthen floor, the tepees stay warm in the winter. In the summer, the bottom edges of the tepees can be rolled up to let cool breezes in. Cooking is done outside during the hot weather. Tepee are very practical homes for itinerant people. Working together, women can quickly set them up or take them down. An entire Comanche band can be packed and chasing a buffalo herd within about 20 minutes.
The Comanche are hunter-gatherers. Both men and women shared the responsibility of gathering and providing food. Hunting is considered a male activity and is a principal source of prestige. For meat, the Comanche hunt buffalo, elk, black bear, pronghorn and deer. When game is scarce, the men hunt wild mustangs, sometimes eating their own ponies. They do not eat fish or fowl, unless starving, when they would eat virtually any creature they could catch, including armadillos, skunks, rats, lizards, frogs and grasshoppers. Buffalo meat and other game is prepared and cooked by the women. The women also gather wild fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, roots, and tubers; including plums, grapes, juniper berries, persimmons, mulberries, acorns, pecans, wild onions, radishes and the fruit of the prickly-pear cactus. Most meats are roasted over a fire or boiled. To boil fresh or dried meat and vegetables, women dig a pit in the ground, which they line with animal skins or buffalo stomach and fill with water to make a kind of cooking pot. They place heated stones in the water until it boils and has cooked their stew. Women used berries and nuts, as well as honey and tallow, to flavor buffalo meat. They store the tallow in intestine-casings or rawhide pouches called parfleches. They especially liked to make a sweet mush of buffalo marrow mixed with crushed mesquite beans. The Comanches sometimes eat raw meat, especially raw liver flavored with spices. They also drink the milk from the slashed udders of buffalo, deer, and elk. Among their delicacies is the curdled milk from the stomachs of suckling buffalo calves. They also enjoyed buffalo tripe, or stomachs. Comanche people generally had a light meal in the morning and a large evening meal. During the day they ate whenever they were hungry or when it was convenient. The Comanche are very hospitable people. They prepare meals whenever a visitor arrived in camp.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Mukwooro, Musipitku, Myxlxhet, Nocona, Istuka

Masculine names

Pawʉʉrasʉmʉnunʉ, Puhihwikwasu'u, Tʉhʉyakwahipʉ, Tahdooahnippah, Tnevaquaya

Family names

Cheah, Sequa, Da'ra, Chibitty, Quanah

Other names

Titles:
Kotsoteka (chief)
Pakra (priest)
Mo'o-wai (leader)
Rackckaukan (warrior/general)

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Abra-Comanches speak Numutekwapu, a dialect of Ka'aian.

Culture and cultural heritage

Abra-Comanches are descended from the first people to settle in Ka'a'.

Shared customary codes and values

Comanche groups do not have a single acknowledged leader. Instead, a small number of generally recognized leaders acted as counsel and advisors to the group as a whole.These included the "peace chief", the members of the council, and the "war chief". The peace chief was usually an older individual, who could bring his experience to the task of advising. There was no formal inauguration or election to the position, it was one of general consensus. The council made decisions about where the band should hunt, whether they should wage war against their enemies, and whether to ally themselves with other bands. Any member could speak at council meetings, but the older men usually did most of the talking. In times of war, the band selected a war chief. To be chosen for this position, a man had to prove he was a brave fighter. He also had to have the respect of all the other warriors in the band. While the band was at war, the war chief was in charge, and all the warriors had to obey him. After the conflict was over, however, the war chief's authority ended.

Average technological level

Bows and arrows, swords, daggers and spears are mainly used by the Comanche.

Common Etiquette rules

The Comanche look on their children as their most precious gift. Children are rarely punished. Sometimes, though, an older sister or other relative is called upon to discipline a child, or the parents arrange for a "Bad-Man" to scare the child. Occasionally, old people don sheets and frighten disobedient boys and girls.

Common Dress code

Comanche clothing is simple and easy to wear. Men wear a leather belt with a breechcloth, a long piece of buckskin that was brought up between the legs and looped over and under the belt at the front and back, and loose-fitting deerskin leggings. Moccasins have soles made from thick, tough buffalo hide with soft deerskin uppers. The Comanche men wear nothing on the upper body except in the winter, when they wear warm, heavy robes made from buffalo hides (or occasionally, bear, wolf, or coyote skins) with knee-length buffalo-hide boots. Young boys usually went without clothes except in cold weather. When they reach the age of eight or nine, they begin to wear the clothing of a Comanche adult. The women decorate their shirts, leggings and moccasins with fringes made of deer-skin, animal fur, and human hair. They also decorate their shirts and leggings with patterns and shapes formed with beads and scraps of material. Comanche women wear long deerskin-dresses. The dresses have a flared skirt and wide, long sleeves, and were trimmed with buckskin fringes along the sleeves and hem. Beads and pieces of metal are attached in geometric patterns. Comanche women wear buckskin moccasins with buffalo soles. In the winter they, too, wear warm buffalo robes and tall, fur-lined buffalo-hide boots. Unlike the boys, young girls do not go without clothes. As soon as they are able to walk, they were dressed in breechcloths. By the age of twelve or thirteen, they adopt the clothes of Comanche women.

Art & Architecture

Basketry, weaving, wood carving, and metal working are unknown among the Comanches. Instead, they depend upon the buffalo for most of their tools, household goods, and weapons. They make nearly 200 different articles from the horns, hide, and bones of the buffalo. Removing the lining of the inner stomach, women make the paunch into a water-bag. The lining is stretched over four sticks and then filled with water to make a pot for cooking soups and stews. With wood scarce on the plains, women rely on buffalo chips (dried dung) to fuel the fires that cook meals and warm the people through long winters. Stiff rawhide is fashioned into saddles, stirrups and cinches, knife cases, buckets, and moccasin soles. Rawhide is also made into rattles and drums. Strips of rawhide are twisted into sturdy ropes. Scraped to resemble white parchment, rawhide skins are folded to make parfleches in which food, clothing, and other personal belongings were kept. Women also tan hides to make soft and supple buckskin, which was used for tepee covers, warm robes, blankets, cloths, and moccasins. They also rely upon buckskin for bedding, cradles, dolls, bags, pouches, quivers, and gun cases. Sinew is used for bowstrings and sewing thread. Hooves are turned into glue and rattles. The horns are shaped into cups, spoons, and ladles, while the tail makes a good whip, a fly-swatter, or a decoration for the tepee. Men make tools, scrapers, and needles from the bones, as well as a kind of pipe, and fashion toys for their children. As warriors, however, men concentrate on making bows and arrows, lances, and shields. The thick neck-skin of an old bull is ideal for war shields that deflected arrows as well as bullets. Since they spend most of each day on horseback, they also fashion leather into saddles, stirrups, and other equipment for their mounts. Buffalo hair is used to fill saddle pads and is also used in rope and halters.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Comanche people take pride in their hair, which is worn long and rarely cut. They arrange their hair with porcupine-quill brushes, grease it and part it in the center from the forehead to the back of the neck. They paint the scalp along the parting with yellow, red, or white clay. They wear their hair in two long braids tied with leather thongs or colored cloth, and sometimes wrapped with beaver fur. They also braided a strand of hair from the top of their head. This slender braid, called a scalp lock, was decorated with colored scraps of cloth and beads, and a single feather. Comanche men rarely wear anything on their heads. If the winter is severely cold, they might wear a brimless, woolly buffalo hide hat. When they go to war, some warriors wear a headdress made from a buffalo's scalp. Warriors cut away most of the hide and flesh from a buffalo head, leaving only a portion of the woolly hair and the horns. This type of woolly, horned buffalo hat is worn only by the Comanche. Comanche women do not let their hair grow as long as the men did. Young women might wear their hair long and braided, but women part their hair in the middle and keep it short. Like the men, they paint their scalp along the parting with bright paint.
Before calling a public event, the chief takes a morsel of food, holds it to the sky, and then buried it as a peace offering to the Great Spirit. Many families offer thanks as they sit down to eat their meals in their tepee.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

If a woman went into labor while the band was in camp, she was moved to a tepee, or a brush-lodge if it was summer. One or more of the older women assisted as midwives. Men were not allowed inside the tepee during or immediately after the delivery. First, the midwives softened the earthen floor of the tepee and dug two holes. One of the holes was for heating water and the other for the afterbirth. One or two stakes were driven into the ground near the expectant mother's bedding for her to grip during the pain of labor. After the birth, the midwives hung the umbilical cord on a hackberry tree. The people believed that if the umbilical cord was not disturbed before it rotted, the baby would live a long and prosperous life.
The newborn was swaddled and remained with its mother in the tepee for a few days. The baby was placed in a cradleboard, and the mother went back to work. She could easily carry the cradleboard on her back, or prop it against a tree where the baby could watch her while she collected seeds or roots. Cradleboards consisted of a flat board to which a basket was attached. The latter was made from rawhide straps, or a leather sheath that laced up the front. With soft, dry moss as a diaper, the young one was safely tucked into the leather pocket. During cold weather, the baby was wrapped in blankets, and then placed in the cradleboard. The baby remained in the cradleboard for about ten months; then it was allowed to crawl around. Both girls and boys are welcomed into the band, but boys were favored. If the baby was a boy, one of the midwives informed the father or grandfather, "It's your close friend". Families might paint a flap on the tepee to tell the rest of the tribe that they had been strengthened with another warrior. Sometimes a man named his child, but mostly the father asked a medicine man (or another man of distinction) to do so. He did this in the hope of his child living a long and productive life. During the public naming ceremony, the medicine man lit his pipe and offered smoke to the heavens, earth, and each of the four directions. He prayed that the child would remain happy and healthy. He then lifted the child to symbolize its growing up and announced the child's name four times. He held the child a little higher each time he said the name. It was believed that the child's name foretold its future; even a weak or sick child could grow up to be a great warrior, hunter, and raider if given a name suggesting courage and strength.Boys were often named after their grandfather, uncle, or other relative. Girls were usually named after one of their father's relatives, but the name was selected by the mother. As children grew up they also acquired nicknames at different points in their lives, to express some aspect of their lives.

Coming of Age Rites

When he was ready to become a warrior, at about age fifteen or sixteen, a young man first "made his medicine" by going on a vision quest (a rite of passage). Following this quest, his father gave the young man a good horse to ride into battle and another mount for the trail. If he had proved himself as a warrior, a Give-Away-Dance might be held in his honor. As drummers faced east, the honored boy and other young men danced. His parents, along with his other relatives and the people in the band, threw presents at his feet, especially blankets, weapons and horses symbolized by wrapped sticks. Anyone might snatch one of the gifts for themselves, although those with many possessions refrained; they did not want to appear greedy. People often gave away all their belongings during these dances, providing for others in the band, but leaving themselves with nothing.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Comanche people bury their dead in coffins in graveyards, after they soak their dead in salt and cover them with resin.

Common Taboos

Using a gun is considered a big taboo. Guns, better known as "devil-sticks" by the Comanche, are instead replaced with arrows made of Tapictacarre, Poiwishtcarre and Poacatlepilecarre (hard, thick, heavy, and dense metals infused with magic naturally).

Common Myths and Legends

Children are told stories about Big-Maneater-Owl (Pia-Mupitsi), who lives in a cave on the south side of the Mountains and eats bad children at night.

Historical figures

Chief Chosequah, considered one of the bravest Comanche warriors.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Comanche men usually have pierced ears with hanging earrings made from pieces of shell or loops of brass or silver wire. A female relative pierces the outer edge of the ear with six or eight holes. The men also tattoo their face, arms, and chest with geometric designs, and paint their face and body. Traditionally they use paints made from berry juice, colored clays, vermilion (red pigment) and bright grease paints. Comanche men also wear bands of leather and strips of metal on their arms. Except for black, which is the color for war, there are no standard color or pattern for face and body painting: it is a matter of individual preference. For example, one Comanche might paint one side of his face white and the other side red; another might paint one side of his body green and the other side with green and black stripes. One Comanche might always paint himself in a particular way, while another might change the colors and designs when so inclined. Some designs have special meaning to the individual, and special colors and designs might have been revealed in a dream. Comanche women might also tattoo their face or arms. They are fond of painting their bodies and are free to paint themselves however they please. A popular pattern among the women is to paint the insides of their ears a bright red and paint great orange and red circles on their cheeks. They usually paint red and yellow around their lips.

Gender Ideals

The Comanche men do most of the hunting and all of the fighting in the wars. They learn how to ride horses when they are young and are eager to prove themselves in battle. On the plains, Comanche women carry out the demanding tasks of cooking, skinning animals, setting up camp, rearing children, and transporting household goods.

Diverged ethnicities

• Sapiens

Encompassed species

• Mountain-Elves
• The Overlords

Related Organizations

• Awenism
• Dawnguard

Related Items

• Dollars (Currency)
• Zappers

Languages spoken

• Ka'aian