Comanches

Of the mounted Comanches on the Southern Great Plains, they were seen as the most accomplished horsemen by the noted American artist George Catlin. When he traveled with the U. S. First Dragoon Expedition in 1834, Catlin had done sketches of Comanche warriors, village life, and the capturing of wild horses by Comanches with their long ropes.

Moreover, George Catlin had written about the dress of the Comanche women in the following manner:

"gown or slip, that reaches from the chin quite down to the ankles, made of deer or elk skins; often garnished very prettily, and ornamented with long fringes of elks' teeth, which are fastened on them in rows, and are more highly valued than any other ornament they can put upon them."

An interesting picture entitled "Comanche Indian Woman", circa 1920. The wonderful photograph charmingly shows the gracious woman on horseback. Courtesy of the Denver Public Library Special Collections, Denver Public Library, Denver, Colorado.