The Return of the Numu Pukutsi: Reclaiming a Comanche Warrior Tradition

Abstract:The Numu Pukutsinuu, or Pukutsi, were nineteenth-century Comanche (Numunuu) warriors who followed ritual contrary roles in combat and everyday life. Following the end of traditional Plains Indian warfare and their cessation, Comanches soon began regaining veteran status through service in the US Armed Forces. While several Southern Plains tribes later revived traditional men's warrior societies and created veteran's organizations, none have formally associated a contrary status with newer forms of military service. In 2010 members of the Comanche Indian Veterans Association decided to reclaim this ancestral warrior status, bestowing it upon select contemporary veterans. In doing so, the Comanche continue a tradition of reviving important martial cultural symbols, blending them with US Armed Forces service, insignia, and rituals, and demonstrating how the importance of Comanche military service and recognizing veterans continues in modern contexts and on their own terms.