The History of Comanche Pottery

Clay was a common material for sculpting pottery.

The Comanche tribe is made up of Native Americans who once inhabited the Great Plains in the 18th century but moved south to inhabit Oklahoma and Texas, where they still reside. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Comanche tribe was that the tribal members were constantly being pushed from their homes and forced to migrate the lands. As such, the tribe does not have much history when it comes to pottery.

Lifestyle

The lifestyle of the Comanche people limited their ability to do much with art and pottery. Since the members of the tribe were used to temporary living environments, they did not invest much time in creating heavy or bulky items. Pottery would have been considered difficult to travel with, as well as difficult to keep in one piece during long stretches of migration.

Comparison

Native American tribes that had more permanent residencies, such as the Hopi and Apache, participated more in pottery crafts because they did not have to worry about lugging heavy pottery around on the road. Additionally, the tribes that stayed longer in one place were able to get accustomed to the materials found in nature, such as soil, clay and stones, so that they could be utilized for pottery making.

Alternatives

Rather than spending a lot of time making pottery, the Comanche people constructed baskets, containers and storage devices made from grasses and animal skins. Weaving was a more common craft that the Comanche performed. The Comanche relied on buffalo as a food staple, and they made sure to not waste the remnants. As such, after the meat was used for food the Comanche would clean the skins to be left out in the sun to dry and eventually construct into pottery-like carriers.

Types

While the history of the pottery is limited among the Comanche people, some pottery does exist. Pottery was, and continues to be, made out of clay found in the earth, as well as from large stones that are cut, chiseled and hallowed to create items like bowls. Some types of pottery include statues of Comanche people, vases and containers.

References

• The Comanche Nation of Oklahoma: Culture
• The Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee: A Comanche History
• Texas Indians: The Texas Comanches