Comanches Travel for Annual Shoshone Language Reunion

The 24th annual Shoshone Reunion took place in Fort Hall, Idaho, from August 6 through August 8, and 68 Comanches participated in the event.

Comanche Nation Language Department held a language class and there was also a parade.

Chairman of the Comanche Nation Shoshone Language Reunion Committee, Don Tosee, said that a highlight was seeing everyone gather for the reunion and hearing conversations between Comanche and Shoshone relatives.

“I got to also interview a couple of the elders and to hear their sides of the story and their aspects of how their lives have been with their language,” he said. “One gentleman, he said he was a true product of assimilation and went to the boarding schools and lost his language. You know, it was, he said, all the horror stories you hear of it, you know, the being put down in the basements and being whipped and stuff. He said he went through all that and so he had a hard time retaining his language even today. So, that was his driving force for attending and keeping it going.”

However, there were others who didn’t have to go to boarding school, and one person was able to keep tradition. 

“Well, he continued to learn and speak his language all the way up until now he can speak it fluently,” Tosee said. “And so, I got to see both sides of it, and you know, to hear their stories was really encouraging to continue to work hard to preserve our Comanche language, our Shoshone language, you know, whatever we can do to save our languages is what this is all about.”

He said it’s essential for Comanches to participate in the event.

“Our Comanches were part of the Shoshones up until the late 1600s, and at that time, we broke away and moved down south, and so to come back up here and to see our Shoshone relatives and to converse with them in our languages,” Tosee said. “You know, it's really something to see and to hear and to get to know them again and build those relationships and make friendships and you know, just be able to come back each year and have that is something special.”

The Comanches will host the next Shoshone Language Reunion in 2025 at the Comanche Nation Complex.

“It'll be the first couple of days leading into the Comanche Nation Fair. That Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday is when we'll have our conference, the reunion, and then we'll lead into the Comanche Fair after that,” he said. “But our Shoshone relatives will travel down to Oklahoma, so we hope that we can put on a good fair and a good reunion and host them just as well as they've hosted us, and so and with that, you know, we ask that all of our programs and the tribal departments would encourage them to make their donations and their contributions and to get involved as well in that reunion. Because all those programs help show that it shows how we take care of our Comanche people and just kind of gives an example to those other tribes of what they could do with their programs and how they can utilize that and also to use those to help preserve our language as well.”

Tosee said he appreciates everyone who supported the Comanche Shoshone Language Reunion Committee through fundraising and that participation keeps growing.

The Comanche Nation Princess Bluesky Tosee and the Comanche Nation Jr. Princess Arlene Schonchin were at the reunion.