The Plains Indian "Horse Culture"

All of the above paintings are in the public domain, there are NO copyrghts.

 NO PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF INDIVIDUAL IMAGES.

Such paintings by Charles Marian Russell and other artists

prove three things; that they vere all, very, good at, repetitive task, sall had very vivid imaginations;
 and access to a CAROUSEL--nice horses.

            The acquisition of horses by the plains Indians in the late 18th century (about 1750) transformed the livesof most tribes.

            Since the bison herds moved seasonally great distances from place to place those who would depend (or pretend to) on them for their survival must more also. The horse made this possible. I know of few situations in history where the economy and culture of a society has been so dramatically transformed. The romance and excitement of this colourful culture truly captured the imagination of the Western World and has become a favourite subject for books, paintings, movies, and especially mythology—it is really regrettable that the glory days of the Plains Indian Horse Culture developed, bloomed, and died, in less than a century. 

When they think of Indians, many North Americans think of the above paintings; and they picture a brave and gallant warrior with a spear or bow and arrow hanging onto a fast running horse. But, the Indians (Indigenous tribes native to North American )did not always have horses. In fact, they did not always have bows and arrows, but that is a different story and trying to use one while on horse back would not be very sensible anyway-the North American Native, before they became extinct; were not stupid.

Although the more northern natives(of the area that is now Canada) undoubtedly saw and became acquainted with horses  of the original “discovers of The Americas-Norse and British- long before; in Southern North American, natives got their first horses from the Spanish. When the Spanish explorers Coronado and De Soto came into America they brought horses with them. This was in the year of 1540. Some horses got away and went wild. But, the Indians did not seem to have done much with these wild horses. They did not start to ride or use horses until much later.

In the 1600s there were a lot of Spanish missions and settlers in New Mexico just to the west of Texas. This is where the Pueblo and Navaho Indians live. The Spanish in New Mexico used the native populations as slaves and workers. These native slaves and workers learned about horses working on the Spanish ranches. The Spanish had a law that made it a crime for any aboriginal person (whole or part)to own a horse or a gun. Still these people did learn how to train a horse and they learned how to ride a horse. They also learned how to use horses to carry packs.

In the year of 1680 the Pueblo Indians revolted against the Spanish and drove the Spanish out of the territory and back down into Old Mexico. The Spanish were forced to leave so fast they left behind many horses. The Pueblo Indians took these horses and used them. The Spanish did not come back until the year of 1694. While the Spanish were gone the Pueblos raised large herds of horses. They began selling and trading them to other tribes such as the Kiowa and Comanche. The Pueblos also taught the other aboriginal tribes how to ride and how to raise horses.

Horses spread across the Southern Plains pretty quickly. French traders reported that the Cheyennes in Kansas got their first horses in the year of 1745. Horses changed life for the plains tribes. The natives of Canada,  the southern Plains Tribes, including the, so called, Texas Plains Indians, hunted bison on foot before they had horses. Bison are not easy to hunt on foot. They can run away faster than any hunter; even on horseback,(bison can run faster and for longer periods than the average horse can) can follow after them.

© Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.

 SEE ALSO: Native Hunting-http://al-alex-alexander-d-girvan.blogspot.com/2010/02/native-hunting.html