This book is based on a little-known article—published in German by Heinrich Berghaus in 1851—that offered an early ethnographic and linguistic view of the Comanche nation. The significance of this volume derives from the obscurity of the primary source, its relation to German-Comanche relations in Texas, and its contribution to preserving the native Comanche language. The authors present an English translation of the original article with extensive commentary and annotations, a glossary of 366 Comanche words and terms, and scholarly analysis placing these primary sources in their broader historical contexts.
The introduction provides a very brief overview of Comanche ethnohistory, followed by a much more detailed coverage of German immigration to Texas in the mid-1800s, which emphasizes the role of the Adelsverein, an organization that acquired land for approximately ten thousand German settlers prior to 1850. Many of these newcomers, the authors note, sought “peaceful coexistence with the Comanche residents...
