Hierarchy of the Comanche Indians

In the various tribes among the Comanche people there was often more than one leader. In each tribe there were small groups of leaders to help make decisions that affected everyone in the tribe. Each tribe had a trusted Elder, whom was called a “Peace Chief”. However, during times of war a brave fighter was elected the “War Chief”. All Chiefs throughout the history of the Comanches were male and the leadership was not hereditary. The honour of being a Chief was acquired through someone’s generosity, war honours and family relations. Regardless of what was going on at any given time no one person made all the decisions.

The tribal hierarchy consisted of the men doing the hunting of large game, managing horse herds as well as conducting raiding and trading expeditions. They also built tee-pee poles, the tribe’s weapons and tack. The women were charged with the gathering of small animals and game. The women also had the responsibility to clean out the tee-pees, butchering the meat and processing hides, as well as making tee-pee covers and clothes. However they were first and foremost the carers of children. In a similar way to the native Australians, the Comanche Indians rely heavily on their wider family to discipline their children. The reason for this being that children were seen as precious gifts by their parents and therefore disciplining them was not looked favourably upon by parents.