The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains (Civilization ... (ISBN 0806120401)

A classic Work on the Comanches:
The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains, by Ernest Wallace and E. Adamson Hoebel, is a comprehensive ethnological study of the Comanches. It assesses the minutia of their origins, social structure, government as well as a history of their communal existence. An underlying tension regarding this work is the credibility of late day informates as opposed to period records. At issue is the comprehensive interpretation suggested for Comanche government and law as opposed to the meager allowance given to Comanche cosmogony. Regarding government and law, after citing very limited source data from informants, the authors suggest an extensive system of government and law. Focusing on various aspects of the Comanche social experience, they drew parallels with modern day legal code. In the end, it seems, the authors imposed a system with nomenclature upon the Comanche social culture that did not in totality exist. On the other had they are adamant that the Comanches did not maintain extensive philosophical or theological thought. Yet, the evidence they present clearly suggests they did. Comanches commitment to the "guardian spirit complex", and the "Great Spirit" in every aspect of their lives evinced an unequivocal as well as pervading theology. Nineteenth century observers of the Comanches, Dodge, Neighbors, Babb, Burnett and others noted that the Comanches maintained deep theological notions. Nonetheless, Wallace and Hoebel are skeptical and suggest that later Christian writers forced their views upon Comanche theology because descriptions of Comanche cosmology, similar to certain Christian believes, were not supported by the evidence given by informants in the 1933 Santa Fe Laboratory group. It truth, informants said very little about theology or cosmogony. Clearly, data taken from the Santa Fe Laboratory study is given credence over recorded witnesses from the period. Despite the source issue, overall, this work is a superb study of the Comanches.

Sanitized facts which can be taken and twisted by the Politically Correct droolers out there:
Yes, in this work you get all sorts of little details about Comanche habits - food preparation, preferred camping spots, etc. All very nice and quaint. As for their more notorious habits, well, these have been omitted or sanitized ( These days, authors must never be Pollitically INCORRECT by writing about uncomfortable FACTS surrounding all the lovely Native Americans of yesteryear! ) and so the reader who buys books like this is aways left in the dark about many, many things connected to the Comanches which they should know about in order to acquire a complete picture of these Indians. For a far better overview of just what these aboriginals were like, read my reviews of Nine Years Among the Indians, 1870-1879: The Story of the Captivity and Life of a Texan Among the Indians and also Three Years Among the Comanches: The Narrative of Nelson Lee, the Texas Ranger and don't even think of missing Scalp Dance: Indian Warfare on the High Plains, 1865-1879 and Life Among the Apaches (Bison Book) If you take the time to read my extensive reviews of these books and then purchase them, you'll easilt get much more on the Comanches than these present-day, Politically Correct, sanitized works can offer by far. But for the ULTIMATE in information on the Comanche - and their even more fierce allies, the Kiowa - quickly purchase Comanches (Pimlico Wild West) and The Kiowas (Civilization of the American Indian Series) These are two books which far surpass any others which are strictly dedicated to AmerIndian tribes.