Editing Comanche (section)

===Children===

The Comanche looked on their children as their most precious gift. Children were rarely punished.<ref>Wallace and Hoebel (1952) p.124</ref> Sometimes, though, an older sister or other relative was called upon to discipline a child, or the parents arranged for a [[boogey man]] to scare the child. Occasionally, old people donned sheets and frightened disobedient boys and girls. Children were also told about Big Maneater Owl (''Pia Mupitsi''), who lived in a cave on the south side of the [[Wichita Mountains|Witchita Mountains]] and ate bad children at night.<ref>{{cite book|last=De Capua|first=Sarah|title=The Comanche|year=2006|publisher=Benchmark Books|isbn=978-0-7614-2249-5|pages=22, 23}}</ref>

Children learned from example, by observing and listening to their parents and others in the band. As soon as she was old enough to walk, a girl followed her mother about the camp and played at the daily tasks of cooking and making clothing. She was also very close to her mother's sisters, who were called not aunt but ''pia'', meaning mother. She was given a little deerskin doll, which she took with her everywhere. She learned to make all the clothing for the doll.<ref name="WH124125"/>

A boy identified not only with his father but with his father's family, as well as with the bravest warriors in the band. He learned to ride a horse before he could walk. By the time he was four or five, he was expected to be able to skillfully handle a horse. When he was five or six, he was given a small [[Bow (weapon)|bow]] and [[arrow (weapon)|arrow]]s. Often, a boy was taught to ride and shoot by his grandfather, since his father and other warriors were on raids and hunts. His grandfather also taught him about his own boyhood and the history and legends of the Comanche.<ref name="WH125-132"/>

[[File:Comanche child 1908.jpg|thumb|upright|A 19th-century Comanche child]]
As the boy grew older, he joined the other boys to hunt birds. He eventually ranged farther from camp looking for better game to kill. Encouraged to be skillful hunters, boys learned the signs of the [[prairie]] as they learned to patiently and quietly stalk game. They became more self-reliant, yet, by playing together as a group, also formed the bonds and cooperative spirit that they would need when they hunted and raided.<ref name="WH125-132"/>
[[File:Comanches.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Comanches of West [[Texas]] in war regalia, c. 1830]]

Boys were highly respected because they would become warriors and might die young in battle. As he approached manhood, a boy went on his first buffalo hunt. If he made a kill, his father honored him with a feast. Only after he had proven himself on a buffalo hunt was a young man allowed to go to war.<ref name="WH125-132"/>

When he was ready to become a warrior, at about age 15 or 16, a young man first "made his medicine" by going on a [[vision quest]] (a [[rite of passage]]). Following this quest, his father gave him a good horse to ride into battle and another mount for the trail. If he had proved himself as a warrior, a Give Away Dance might be held in his honor. As drummers faced east, the honored boy and other young men danced. His parents, along with his other relatives and the people in the band, threw presents at his feet – especially blankets and horses symbolized by sticks. Anyone might snatch one of the gifts for themselves, although those with many possessions refrained; they did not want to appear greedy. People often gave away all their belongings during these dances, providing for others in the band, but leaving themselves with nothing.<ref name="WH125-132">Wallace and Hoebel (1952) pp. 126–132</ref>

Girls learned to gather berries, nuts, and roots. They carried water and collected wood, and at about 12 years old learned to cook meals, make tipis, sew clothing, prepare hides, and perform other tasks essential to becoming a wife and mother. They were then considered ready to be married.<ref name="WH124125">Wallace and Hoebel (1952) pp. 124, 125</ref>