The relationship between the Apache and Comanche tribes was complex, with periods of alliance and conflict throughout their history. Here is a brief overview of some of the major interactions between these two formidable Native American peoples.
Early Relations
The Apache and Comanche both originated in the northern Great Plains region. The Apache were among the first groups to adopt a nomadic lifestyle and begin migrating south and westward in the late 16th century. As they moved into present-day New Mexico and Arizona, the Apache came into contact with Pueblo peoples as well as other Athabaskan-speaking tribes like the Navajo.
The Comanche emerged as a distinct tribe sometime in the late 17th or early 18th century. As mounted buffalo hunters, they followed the Apache’s path and began moving southward as well. By the 1750s, the Comanche had entered the Southern Plains region which encompassed parts of eastern New Mexico, western Texas, and Oklahoma.
Early Conflicts
As these two expansive tribes came into closer proximity, competition and clashes over resources became inevitable. The Apache had already established themselves in areas with reliable sources of water and shelter in the mountains and canyons. The newly arrived Comanche, meanwhile, were aggressing into Apache territory in search of buffalo, horses, and captives.
One of the earliest recorded major battles between the tribes occurred in 1771 near present-day Tucumcari, New Mexico. Comanche forces attacked an Apache camp and killed around 100 Apache warriors while taking many women and children captive. This offensive action demonstrated the Comanche’s advantage once they acquired horses and rifles through trade.
Cycles of Warfare
For the next several decades, Apache and Comanche relations alternated between conflict and uneasy peace. Long-running enmity existed between the Comanche and Apache groups like the Jicarilla, Lipan, and Mescalero who inhabited nearby territory in Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.
Raids and ambushes were common as each side sought to gain resources and captives from the other. At times formal war campaigns were organized by Comanche and Apache chiefs seeking vengeance for past bloodshed. However, there were also periods of truce and partnership when it was expedient for both groups.
The Comanchero Trade
In the early 19th century, a thriving trade network developed between the Comanche and New Mexican settlers known as Comancheros. Apache bands also took part in this system of bartering livestock, crops, craft goods, weapons, and other items.
The Comanchero trade led to more frequent contact and commerce between Comanche and Apache tribes. This helped decrease conflict and promote mutual cooperation, although endemic warfare never ceased entirely.
Alliances Against Common Enemies
As American soldiers, settlers, and pioneers increasingly entered Apache and Comanche lands, it pushed these traditional enemies into alliances at times. Faced with mounting pressure from these new outside forces in the 1850s-1870s, Apache and Comanche leaders made pragmatic truces.
Notable examples include a peace treaty signed by Comanche, Kiowa, and Plains Apache chiefs in 1865. This established a defensive league against the United States military. There were also joint Comanche-Apache offensives against white settlers in places like the Texas Hill Country and New Mexico’s Rio Grande Valley.
Defeat and Relocation
Despite periods of cooperation, the Apache and Comanche were ultimately unable to unite in sustained resistance against American expansion. U.S. military campaigns systematically defeated both tribes, with most bands surrendering or retreating to reservations by the mid-1870s.
The Apache and Comanche were no longer a threat to each other as their populations and territories dramatically declined. Many groups from both tribes were relocated to share reservation lands in Oklahoma, although deep-rooted tensions persisted between these long-time adversaries.
Conclusion
In summary, the Apache and Comanche maintained a complex relationship oscillating between conflict and collaboration. Their histories were intertwined for over a century as they evolved from loose bands of hunter-gatherers into powerful empires contesting over resources and prestige. Despite efforts toward alliance, these two proud peoples remained bitter antagonists until finally subdued by American conquest.