Comanche

The Comanche are a Native American people whose traditional homeland covered much of the southern Great Plains, including present-day Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, and northern Mexico. They formed as a distinct group after migrating from the northern Great Basin region, with roots in Shoshone groups, and adopted a horse-based economy after the introduction of horses by Europeans in the 17th and 18th centuries. Their language, Comanche, belongs to the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family.

The Comanche established a large, loosely organized sphere known as the Comanchería, a network of bands led by chiefs and war leaders. They became renowned as mounted hunters and raiders, controlling trade routes and resources across a vast area and shaping relations with neighboring peoples, Spanish and Mexican authorities, and later the United States.

In the 19th century, sustained conflict with settlers and the U.S. government led to cession of land and removal to reservations. Treaties and military campaigns reduced their territory and, together with the decline of the bison, undermined the Comanchería economy.

Today, the Comanche Nation is a federally recognized tribe based in Lawton, Oklahoma, with programs to preserve language and culture. Notable figures include Quanah Parker, a prominent leader who bridged eras, and during World War II, Comanche soldiers served as code talkers in the Pacific theater.