Comanche Indians: The Influential Traders of the Plains

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While the exact role the Comanche Indians played in the Plains trading systems is still unclear, the details of the Western Comanche trade center can prove a clearer, more accurate and richer portrayal of the historical event (253). Comanches were apart of a bison hunting Shoshone group. Shoshone reentered grasslands through a southern route in the 1700. In their travels, they came into contact with the Utes and adopted the Utes practices. It is how the Spanish came up with the name Comanche. Although, the Native trading power would not be an everlasting one, Western Comanche kept their occupancy at the top, for a substantial amount of time. With a variety of activities, Western Comanches demonstrated a unique trading culture. The migration …show more content…

Tribal migrations gave way to a thriving trading center and a Western Comanche upraise. The trading center facilitated trade among both tribes and foreigners, like French and Germans (260) . The Kiowa, Apache and Comanche are tribes known for creating the historical Plains economy (252). Well this is true, Hamalainen shares the new studies on how Western Comanche Indians operated a major trading enterprise. Comanche division took place in the 1740’s and 1750’s. Some went southeast to Texas and others went west to New Mexico, dividing into “specialized traders” and “ focused raiders” (257). Hamalainen states, “Western Comanche qualify better as specialized traders. The Eastern Comanche commercial system never became as extensive as that of their western relatives, for they focused increasingly on raiding the wealthy.” Hamalainen examines the importance of Western Comanches’ role as skilled distributors, their attempts to cut out the middlemen and their solid ability to communicate …show more content…

It came with the Bent’s brother fort establishment, in the early 1830’s. This commercial point became a new center for trade, among Southern Plains tribes, Santa Fe traders and New Mexicans. This completely cut out Western Comanches as the middleman. Comanches remain an operative trader at the Bents Fort but were placed as a secondary priority. Bents Fort put an end to trading relation with Comanche in the 1870’s. In order to gather goods, the once top ranking trader took up other tactics (268). “The Western Comanches began to rely increasingly on raiding, inextricably linking themselves with that activity in the minds of the encroaching American as well as later historians”

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