Editing Comanche (section)

===Transportation and habitation===
[[File:Catlin -- Comanche warrior and tipi.jpg|thumb|left|Comanche Tipis painted by [[George Catlin]]]]
[[File:Ako, a Comanche warrior and horse -.jpg|thumb|Comanche warrior ''Ako'' and horse. Photo by James Mooney, 1892]]
[[File:Three mounted Comanche warriors - 1892.jpg|thumb|Three mounted Comanche warriors, left, Frank Moetah. Photo by James Mooney, 1892]]
When they lived with the Shoshone, the Comanche mainly used dog-drawn [[travois]] for transportation. Later, they acquired horses from other tribes, such as the Pueblo, and from the Spaniards. Because horses are faster, easier to control and stronger, this helped with hunting, warfare and moving camp. Larger dwellings were made due to the ability to pull and carry more belongings. Being herbivores, horses were also easier to feed than dogs, since meat was a valuable resource.<ref>Rollings, Deer (2004) pp. 20–24</ref> The horse was of the utmost value to the Comanche. A Comanche man's wealth was measured by the size of his horse herd. Horses were prime targets to steal during raids; often raids were conducted specifically to capture horses. Often horse herds numbering in the hundreds were stolen by Comanche during raids against other Indian nations, Spanish, Mexicans, and later from the ranches of Texans. Horses were used for warfare with the Comanche being considered to be among the finest light cavalry and mounted warriors in history.<ref>{{cite web|title=Indian Culture and the Horse|url=http://paulrittman.com/Indian%20Culture%20and%20the%20Horse.pdf|access-date=2013-05-26|archive-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412025028/http://paulrittman.com/Indian%20Culture%20and%20the%20Horse.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Comanche Feats of Horsemanship-George Catlin.jpg|thumb|left|''Comanche Feats of Horsemenship'', [[George Catlin]] 1834]]

The Comanche covered their tipis with buffalo hides sewn together. To prepare the hides, women spread them on the ground, scraped off the fat and flesh with blades of bone or antler, and dried them in the sun. Then the women scraped off the thick hair and soaked the hides in water. After several days, they vigorously rubbed them in a mixture of fat, brains and liver to soften them. They softened them further by rinsing and working back and forth over a rawhide thong. Finally, they were smoked over a fire, which gave them a tan color. To finish the tipi covering, women laid the tanned hides side by side and stitched them together. As many as 22 hides could be used, but 14 was the average. The sewn cover was tied to a pole and raised, wrapped around the cone-shaped frame, and pinned with pencil-sized wooden skewers. Two wing-shaped flaps at the top of the tipi were turned back to make an opening, which could be adjusted to keep out moisture and held pockets of insulating air. With a fire pit in the center of the earthen floor, the tipis stayed warm in winter. In summer, the bottom edges of the tipis could be rolled up to let in a breeze. Cooking was done outside during hot weather. Tipis were very practical homes for nomads. Working together, women could quickly set them up or take them down. An entire Comanche band could be packed and chasing a buffalo herd within about 20 minutes. The women did most food processing and preparation.<ref>Rollings, Deer (2004) pp. 29–30</ref>