Community Members Prepare for Comanche Nation Fair

On Tuesday, September 20, traditional Comanche dances such as the scalp dance, snake dance, buffalo dance, and horse dance brought people of all ages together to prepare for Comanche Day on Sunday, October 2.

“Dances that are specifically ours, and we wanted to just have a couple of nights where we shared knowledge about the dances, practice them, and get ready for it that Sunday,” Director of Language and Planning Kate Pewenofkit-Briner said.

She said people who participate could have a healthier lifestyle.

“Well, first of all, it gets you moving, right? You're connecting to people, you're releasing those endorphins as you're dancing, and you're just learning, connecting with those ways that we had before we were on the reservation,” Pewenofkit-Briner said.

She said events such as this one is a way for generations and the community to connect.

“Come together, all the time, doing this type of stuff. So, being able to come together on these nights really helps them to connect with both the culture with the elders that are here teaching, and then it keeps them out of trouble,” Pewenofkit-Briner said. “So, it really does, like, we know that when our youth connect to culture, and we talk about language, right, primary lifeways, it actually helps to counter all of the ill effects of colonialism.

Comanche classes take place on the last Tuesday of every month at Comanche Academy.