Editing Comanche (section)

===Childbirth===
[[File:Edward S. Curtis Collection People 003.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Comanche mother and baby son in cradleboard, photo by [[Edward Curtis]]]]
[[File:Cradleboard of the Kiowa or Comanche people.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Comanche [[cradleboard]] held at the [[Birmingham Museum of Art]]]]

If a woman went into [[Labour (childbirth)|labor]] while the band was in camp, she was moved to a [[tipi]], or a brush lodge if it was summer. One or more of the older women assisted as [[Midwifery|midwives]]. Men were not allowed inside the tipi during or immediately after the delivery.<ref>Wallace and Hoebel (1952) p.142</ref>

First, the midwives softened the [[earthen floor]] of the tipi and dug two holes. One of the holes was for heating water and the other for the [[Placenta|afterbirth]]. One or two stakes were driven into the ground near the expectant mother's bedding for her to grip during the pain of labor. After the birth, the midwives hung the [[umbilical cord]] on a [[Celtis|hackberry]] tree. The people believed that if the umbilical cord was not disturbed before it rotted, the baby would live a long and prosperous life.<ref>Wallace and Hoebel (1952) pp.143, 144</ref>

The newborn was [[Swaddling|swaddled]] and remained with its mother in the tipi for a few days. The baby was placed in a [[cradleboard]], and the mother went back to work. She could easily carry the cradleboard on her back, or prop it against a tree where the baby could watch her while she collected seeds or roots. Cradleboards consisted of a flat board to which a basket was attached. The latter was made from rawhide straps, or a leather sheath that laced up the front. With soft, dry moss as a diaper, the young one was safely tucked into the leather pocket. During cold weather, the baby was wrapped in blankets, and then placed in the cradleboard. The baby remained in the cradleboard for about ten months; then it was allowed to crawl around.<ref name="Wallace and Hoebel 1952 p.120">Wallace and Hoebel (1952) p.120</ref>

Both girls and boys were welcomed into the band, but boys were favored. If the baby was a boy, one of the midwives informed the father or grandfather, "It's your close friend". Families might paint a flap on the tipi to tell the rest of the tribe that they had been strengthened with another warrior. Sometimes a man named his child, but mostly the father asked a [[medicine man]] (or another man of distinction) to do so. He did this in the hope of his child living a long and productive life. During the public naming ceremony, the medicine man lit his pipe and offered smoke to the heavens, earth, and each of the four directions. He prayed that the child would remain happy and healthy. He then lifted the child to symbolize its growing up and announced the child's name four times. He held the child a little higher each time he said the name. It was believed that the child's name foretold its future; even a weak or sick child could grow up to be a great warrior, hunter, and raider if given a name suggesting courage and strength.<ref name="Wallace and Hoebel 1952 p.120"/> Boys were often named after their grandfather, uncle, or other relative. Girls were usually named after one of their father's relatives, but the name was selected by the mother. As children grew up they also acquired nicknames at different points in their lives, to express some aspect of their lives.<ref>Wallace and Hoebel (1952) pp.122, 123</ref>