The four winds are blowing
Some horses
Are coming
–– Sung by Brave Buffalo
I spent a fair amount of time in my youth watching Westerns, which boiled down to fights between cattleman and sheep ranchers–– and cowboys and Indians.
Indians were depicted as stealthy and expert horsemen. During battles the Indians rode bareback, slipping off to the side of the horse, becoming invisible while they shot arrows from below the horse’s chin. In short, they always out rode the cowboy, but they always lost the battle.
My recollections bring forth a pre-battle dance around the fire with chanting, rattles and drums. The War Cry. But something happened and now I am wondering if they were singing to the horses that would take them into battle.
This week I got a chance to review to those images when I attended the National Museum of the American Indian with fellow blogger Global Horse Culture. The name of the exhibit says it all “A song for the Horse Nation.” In addition to some well-preserved artifacts the exhibit depicts the importance of the horse in the life of the Plains Indian. Global Horse Culture has a nice link to the exhibit information.
I am always amazed at the impact of the horse on people. The Indians met the horse quite a while before they actually could use the horse. The Conquistadors were careful not to let their steeds into Indian hands. Sometime in 1680 it is credited that a large herd of horses were freed in a battle and that’s when Indians became involved with the horse.
By the 1870s most of the Indian Wars were over and the U.S. government had pretty much stripped the native population of their horses. The most notable horse story is of the last Nez Perce battle and the loss of thousands of its appaloosas.
So in a period of a bit more than 150 years the many divergent parts of this culture learned how to ride, train and breed the horse. In a span of 150 years the horse changed the Indian’s life because before there was the horse, life was pretty much walking in search of food. There was no additional time for beadwork, painting teepees and other art forms. Every day was consumed with finding food and shelter. On horseback food came faster and easier, freeing more time to make beautiful things that all depict stories of their life on the plains. The horse helped them move their belongings and yes, the horse helped them wage war on each other and on the new invaders.
The horse is depicted in numerous scenes and became the base for its own art form of beaded saddle pads, cruppers, hoof covers, bridles and saddles. The word “horse” showed up in names like; Crazy Horse, Horse Capture and Her Many Horses. They gave horses as gifts and stole prize horses from other tribes and the U.S. Calvary. They immortalized their favorite horses in teepee drawings, beadwork and dance sticks. An Indian’s prize possession was a good horse and the number of horses owned indicated status. They had different horses for buffalo hunts and war parties.
Daybreak
Appears
When
A horse
Neighs
–– Sung by Brave Buffalo
In 150 years the horse had become a mainstay and focus of their culture. The marriage of the two becoming so entwined that when the Indian lost the horse, they felt a loss of their essential being. It was a crushing blow to their culture. For the Plains Indian no other animal became such a critical part of their culture in so short a period of time. They depended on buffalo and elk for sustenance, and they had dogs throughout the camps. But it was the horse they sang to and of.
Friend
My horse
Flies like a bird
As it runs
–– sung by Brave Buffalo
It was the horse that humbled them and it was the horse that brought individual honor. Even now the American Indian struggles with his identity without the horse in it.
That speaks well for the power and magic of a horse. That this animal could offer life changing opportunities, become integral to the culture so quickly and the loss could be felt so profoundly for so long.
I never thought about honoring my horse with a song, but I think the next time he carries me safely back from a harrowing ride I will compose a song and sing it to him. But it will be hard to come up with anything as beautiful as this one:
Out of the earth
I sing for them
A Horse nation
I sing for them
Out of the earth
I sing for them,
The animals
I sing for them
-Sung by Lone Man (Teton Sioux)
Beverly, beautiful post. It is interesting, that when I attended one horse clinic they recommended that we sing while we ride. It soothes us, gets us to breathe and soothes the horse. It makes senseI am currently reading two books: Mustangs and Half Broke Horses. Mustangs covers the history of the horse in North America. I will think about a song for my horse. Thanks for a wonderful post!
This is lovely, thank you! I had a vicarious tour…you are very good at putting us right there.
A beautiful piece I was unaware of the such short history of Plains Indians with horses, assumed it was a much longer history it is incredible how they absorbed the horse into their culture so completely quickly and beautifully.