The Chiefdom of Comancheria

Big Tex

Now heres a topic no one has done. Idea popped in my head during finals and I drew an outline during my procrastination. I wrote up most of it yesterday so i could get the idea out of my head. Enjoy!


The Chiefdom of Comancheria
​
Chapter I: A New Nation

Originally part of the Shoshone of southeast Wyoming, the Comanche were characterized early on by two traits. The first trait was a timely genetic mutation exclusive of their people which gave them a heightened immune system compared to their Shoshone brethren. This mutation was timely because it coincided with the waves of European diseases which descended on the North American Rockies in the late 1500’s to mid 1600’s.

This mutation was both a blessing and a curse for the Comanche. Because of it they suffered much fewer losses to disease than other natives, suffering only 20-25% mortality rates to disease compared to other tribes which lost more than 40-50% of their people in some cases. So while this trait was a blessing in that order it was a direct invitation for surrounding tribes to attack them out of many reasons including fear, jealousy, politics, etc.

The Comanche were able to maintain themselves mainly thanks to their second defining trait, the mastery of the horse. The horse had been introduced to North America by the Spanish and had slowly made its way to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where the Comanche became quite adept at its use. With a newfound mobility under the horse, constant attacks by neighboring tribes, and a desire to pursue buffalo, the Comanche moved out of Wyoming and into the high plains of eastern Colorado, western Kansas and northeast New Mexico. Only two bands of Comanche remained behind, the Jupe (Timber People) and the Yamparika (Yap-Root Eaters).

comanche.jpg

A Comanche Warrior on his horse. Mastery of the horse gave the Comanche a great edge against their enemies.​

This southerly move gave the Comanche access to buffalo herds and allowed their tribe to form a more cohesive and distinct culture, including the further development of the Comanche language into what we know today. It also put them into direct contact with new tribes whose territory they were infringing on such as the Apache, Ute, and notably the Spanish. In addition the Jupe and Yamparika bands continued to hold Comanche territory against their traditional enemies and new opponents who desired the former Comanche territory. These included the Osage, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Lakota, Arikara, Pawnee, Kiowa, and Kansa.

The first conflict occurred around 1710 when the Comanche and Apache clashed on the high plains. The Jicarilla Apache were pushed into the mountains of New Mexico around 1716 and soon the balance of power in the southwest was changed. The Spanish threw themselves into the foray after a large influx of Comanche and Ute (The Ute and Comanche had signed an alliance against the Apache) settlers and traders began to appear in New Mexico. The 1719 massacre of a joint Ute-Comanche village instigated raids against the Spanish, mainly for horses as well as further attacks against the Apache, pushing them into south Texas, northern Mexico, and even Arizona where they became a real problem for the Spanish.

In the 1720’s the war between the Ute-Comanche and the Apache reached a climax, namely with the 1724 Battle of El Gran Cierra de el Fierro in which the allies struck a resounding blow to the Apaches and soon after forced the Apaches out of the Arkansas River area forever.
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comanche1720.png

The southern Great Plains as of 1725​
 

David S Poepoe

Banned
Interesting and original. But the genetic bit doesn't fly to some. The Comanches would be more immune to those diseases that were already present in their surroundings, but still vulnerable to those brought in from, say, Europe. How can the genetic mutation respond to something that it has never encountered before?

Purge that part and I think it will work better.
 

rcmcciii

I likee the idea and will follow it with interest. I don't think you need to delete the mutation.

you might want to add that the lesser disease deaths caused them to expand their population, already greater than their neighbors, and they were forcing those neighbors from traditional hunting grounds. This would cause alliances to form against them.

Awaiting more,
Robert
 

Big Tex

David S Poepoe said:
Interesting and original. But the genetic bit doesn't fly to some. The Comanches would be more immune to those diseases that were already present in their surroundings, but still vulnerable to those brought in from, say, Europe. How can the genetic mutation respond to something that it has never encountered before?

Purge that part and I think it will work better.
Click to expand...

I know the genetic part is a little ASB but one of the constant plagues on the Comanche (and indeed all natives) was constant epidimic (for the Comanches they have countless waves of smallpox) whenever the tribe was on its way to getting back on its feet.

This isn't to say I'll be making the Comanche immune to all diseases, they will stiff suffer massive casulties to European disease but wheras other tribes took devestating losses (for instance the Caddo went from nearly 200,000 members in 1500 to 8,000 in 1700) the Comanche will take managable losses.
 

Big Tex

rcmcciii said:
I likee the idea and will follow it with interest. I don't think you need to delete the mutation.

you might want to add that the lesser disease deaths caused them to expand their population, already greater than their neighbors, and they were forcing those neighbors from traditional hunting grounds. This would cause alliances to form against them.

Awaiting more,
Robert
Click to expand...

Thats the general idea for the migration south (coupled with the OTL reasons) and that larger population will cause them to have to expand their territory further than OTL
 

Big Tex

Chapter II: A New Way of Life

In the move south a strange thing happened to Tosacondata, chief of the Quohadi band in 1710 New Mexico. Several of his warriors had run into a Spanish priest who had escaped an Apache attack on his mission and brought him to the chief. Father Carlos Cortez impressed Tosacondata. The Comanche’s were a feared people whose prowess in battle was known throughout the region. They hadn’t been in the southern Great Plains for more than a few decades but they were a well respected and well known people, especially among the Spanish and the Apache whom were constantly battling Comanche warriors.

Father Cortez’ composure and knowledge made a lasting impression on Tosacondata, so much that he offered the priest to stay with the Comanche for a while. Cortez made a lasting impression religiously and philosophically on Tosacondata and indeed the Quohadi band as a whole. At this time the Comanche totaled nearly 55,000 peoples throughout the region and the Quohadi had nearly 10,000 in their band. Under the tutelage of Cortez many Quohadi converted to Christianity and while their warrior prowess never diminished, raiding declined, especially on the Spanish. In fact only one conflict dominated the Comanche from the 1730’s on and that was the conflict between the Comanche and the Ute after the collapse of their alliance. Even then this conflict would not be nearly as intense as early conflicts with the Spanish and especially the Apache. It would not be until the 1740’s that things came to ahead between the two.

In addition to bringing Christianity to the Comanche, Cortez helped to establish other traditions amongst the Apache. Cortez believed that with the conversion of Tosacondata and the Quohadi it was his purpose to bring the Comanche to the light. While there was a certain air of European and social superiority in this it must be known that Cortez deeply respected Comanche customs and understood that he owed his life to them. He believed them to be the most civilized of the native tribes and believed they had the largest potential. Because of these convictions and belief in his Christian duty, Cortez opted to remain with the Comanche instead of returning to Mexico City whenever Tosacondata gave him the chance.

Cortez remained with the Comanche and continued to introduce them to new customs and advances that gave them an edge over their enemies. These included herding and agriculture as opposed to nomadic hunting of buffalo. The establishment of several Catholic Missions which served as the nexus of the first Comanche towns occurred as Cortez invited several missionaries to Comanche lands with the permission of Tosacondata and the other chiefs.

By the time of Cortez’ death in 1737, the Comanche way of life had drastically changed. Each band had a town in its territory with a mission at the focal point. Farming had taken root at some places where agriculture was an option and where band preference allowed it, namely along the Arkansas and Platte Rivers amongst the Yamparika. Herding of buffalo and cattle was a chief activity amongst the other tribes since it was well adapted to the land and combined their old hunting lifestyle with a more modern and profitable economic activity (economic in terms of trading with Spanish and other tribes and still having a surplus for themselves).

The introduction of Christianity and the complexity it brought to Comanche life as well as calls for more cooperation amongst the bands led to a more intricate tribal structure. The Comanche had always been known for their lose affiliation (and sometimes even war between the bands), especially in the early days of the move to the southern Great Plains. New enemies and a culture change forced the chiefs of the various bands into great cooperation and communication. At first Tosacondata was well positioned to dominate Comanche politics but as other bands took up Christianity and technological advances things began to even out. With the death of Cortez in 1737 and then Tosacondata in 1741, culture and politics began to polarize the Comanche and things began to come to ahead.

This polarization along with land stresses, population expansion, renewed Apache attacks, and the profit of trade with the French along the Red River saw the Comanche expand their territory again, this time moving south and east into the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. The Peneteka and Noconi, which also happened to be the most traditional of the Comanche tribes moved farthest south, exsasperating the line between new and old Comanche.

This movement also put stress on the entrenched tribes to the north which eventually led to the formation of a new band from the existing Yampakira, known as the Anasawa. While the Yamparika continued to hold onto their lands in southeast Wyoming and northern Colorado the Anasawa moved to the southeast and began establishing farms along the Cimarron River in Northwest Oklahoma.

With the Comanche polarized between a Christian agricultural north and a traditional hunting/gathering south coupled with an unstable political system which failed to see any true cooperation amongst the bands it was only a matter of time until violence broke out. And as so often happens, outside events gave the Comanche the spark they needed to fight.
 

Nicomacheus

Very interesting, indeed. I look forward to coming butterflies vis-a-vis the British / Americans and the Spanish in Mexico.
 
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