Comanches: The History of a People

If you have a PhD in history and are looking for an exhaustive, cross-referenced academic work, look elsewhere. If you're politically correct and offended by warfare, greed, western civilization or any other defining aspect of humanity, look elsewhere. However, if you're one of those who enjoy studying history with an open mind and with no axe to grind, this is a well-written account of an aspect of the American experience that is rarely heard today, other than in echoes from the names on Southwest maps. The book starts with a description of the Amerindians in general, not just the Comanche but all the various people that emigrated at one time or another from the Asian continent across the land bridge of the Bering Straight. These people weren't any different from any other humans alive at the time, and lived in much the same way. Although I'm no academic historian, in my opinion the author makes a better argument than Jared Diamond in "Guns, Germs and Steel" that what really defeated the Amerindians wasn't guns, germs, or steel, but simply time. By the time the Mayans built their pyramids, the ones in Egypt had been abandoned for thousands of years. The Amerindians had yet to create their Bablyon, Greece, or Rome, and their cultures still clung to the magical, superstitious world view that the white tribes of Europe had when they too were overwhelmed by the advance of civilization and the scientific concept of cause and effect. The difference was that no newspapers existed thousands of years ago to chronicle those events. The author argues that Amerindian culture was doomed whether it was the Europeans or the Chinese that landed first, and regardless of whether they brought guns or gifts. It was both an inevitable and poignant loss of an earlier human cultural existence, one buried deep in the human race but left behind in the same way a growing child wistfully leaves behind their younger years. And, in essence, the above is the major thread of this book. For good or ill, civilization had destroyed the tribes of Europe and Asia and created a new cultural force, one that was now pushing across the world. The history of the Southwest Indian conflicts was the history of the clash of these two cultures, the old and the new, with the Amerindian culture never truly able to comprehend the forces pushing against it and the settlers never truly understanding the depth of the resistance. The result was decades of misunderstanding on both sides, integrated with the racism and greed on both sides that remain with the human race today. This book provides gripping accounts of those conflicts in this context, with the Comanches fighting the white settlers with the same motivations for which they fought the Apaches or the Dakota, not just to protect territory, but even more so to provide for their people and prove their personal magic. The settlers, meanwhile, through racism and greed failed to provide any mechanism by which the Comanches could adapt to the weight of the civilization bearing down upon them. Even during the final years of conflict, more Indians were killed by the rifle fire of other Indians than by that from the white settlers. Although they were on their way, time had not yet given the Indians their Rome, and they were culturally unprepared to fight it when it arrived. This book is an excellent, detailed chronicle of that tragic battle as it played out for the Comanches.

This history is actually twofold: a history of the Comanche and a history of the settling of the west. These two stories are told with an even hand, giving a fair hearing to both Amerindians and White expansion. It is very well researched, using contemporary and current information to inform the narrative. Perhaps most importantly, it is well-written, more a story than an account, offered by an author who has written not only from the head but also from the heart. It is a touching book that will inform you while also moving you. You will be glad you read it.

Opened a whole new world into Ameridian culture. Fehrenbach not only covers The Comanche, but ANYTHING to do with the Comanche. The book is so easy to read and a treasure trove full of information. Its the first book ive read to where I was required to take notes just so I would not forget pertinent information. I can not recommend this book high enough. I have order 10 more books on Amerindian culture and ALL of Fehrenbachs books because of this single book. You're wasting your time by not reading this!

This is an excellent book about the Comanche Indians, but it also covers other Indian tribes, such as the Apaches, Caddos, Wichitas, etc. I live (and have lived most of my life) in the part of Texas known as Comancheria, and I never knew a lot of the events in this book. It covers a lot of history of this part of Texas, explains how a lot of towns and geographic features in this part of Texas got their names, etc. This book does a good job of describing what life was like for plains Indians, how they differed from Indian tribes in other parts of the country, how and why they became such great horsemen, hunters, and warriors. It also explains well the demise of the Indians, not just the Comanches, but all Indian tribes in North America. It's easy to get sad about that, but take a step back and look at it objectively like the author does, and you can see that, for better or worse, once the Europeans arrived in the Americas, the Indians days were numbered. I also recommend "Empire of the Summer Moon" by S.C. Gwynne. It concentrates more on the latter years of the Comanches and their last chief, Quanah Parker. He was half white, his mother was Cynthia Parker, who was kidnapped by the Comanches at the age of 9, was adopted into their tribe, spent over 20 years with them, and when finally found, did not want to come back to the white man's world. It's an amazing story itself.

I am reading this for a second time and enjoying it even more.

Great book.

What a book! A most thorough analysis and wonderful storytelling. This is among the best written on the Comanche people. An extraordinary blend of culture, anthropology, history, and stories as they are applied to this very complex network of people.

The stone age meets the modern world and tragedy follows over the clash of cultural differences. It's very sad that it had to be like this

Dieses Buch ist sehr gut recherchiert und schildert ausführlich und beeindruckend die Geschichte der Indianer Mittel- und Nordamerikas mit besonderem Schwerpunkt auf die Comanchen. Hier wird mit allen Klischees über edle Indianer und den romantischen Wilden Westen absolut und rigoros aufgeräumt. Nach der Lektüre dieses Buches sieht man die Situation der Siedler im 19. Jahrhundert und die damalige Indianerpolitik der USA mit ganz anderen Augen als bisher und erkennt die wahre Natur und Mentalität der damaligen Ureinwohner der Prärien. Unbedingt zu empfehlen für alle, die sich für amerikanische Geschichte und deren Ureinwohner interessieren.

Certainly a resiliant people. Eve.n medicinal with there. Riding abilities. Very well researched. Also the Ute name for them the jets being cousins

Eine gelungene Darstellung dieses Indiandervolkes