Buffalo Hump and the Penateka Comanches

The Penatekas, once the largest and most powerful Comanche group, dominated other Texas tribes in the early nineteenth century. Their leading spokesman from 1840 until his death in 1860s was Buffalo Hump. To the white men, he represented the heart and soul of the Penateka Comanches. His dealings with the invaders are described in this study of crucial years in the history of the tribe. By 1867 the Penatekas had been settled for eight years at the Fort Cobb agency in the Indian Territory. Their numbers had been greatly reduced by war and disease; they depended on government rations and were completely under the control of American Indian agents. The drastic changes in tribal life had come about during the lifetime of their most important leader, Buffalo Hump -- Back cover.