Bitterroot Dude Ranch

Plains Indians Acquire the Horse

The acquisition of the horse transformed Plains Indian culture.

             The acquisition of horses in the early 18^th century transformed the lives of Indian tribes between the Rockies and the Mississippi. Almost overnight these tribes found a much more effective way of hunting the buffalo, the main staple of life in this huge area. With a good horse under him, a hunter could go faster than a buffalo which gave him an enormous advantage. Since the buffalo herds moved seasonally great distances from place to place those who depended on them for their living must move also and the horse made this far easier and quicker. I do not know of a situation in history where the economy and culture of a society have been so totally transformed with such lightning speed by a similar empowerment.

             It is a strange quirk of fate that equines originated in North America, but became extinct here though they continued to thrive in Asia after crossing the Bering Straits. It is interesting to speculate as to how different history would have been if the horse had stayed in North America and the enormous advantage to civilization had developed first on this side of the ocean. However that may be, it appears that few horses got into Indian hands before the revolt against the Spanish in New Mexico in 1680. In his wonderful book, AMERICAN COLONIES, Alan Taylor says that this revolt was the greatest setback inflicted by natives on European expansion in North America. Thereafter horses and equine culture spread quickly northward across the whole Great Plains area far into Canada.

            One must remember that before the early 1700s the Plains Indian depended on dogs or human beings for transporting their equipment. The vast herds of buffalo were extremely difficult for them to hunt because they could move much faster than a man on foot. On the vast plains there was little cover where hunters could hide to make a stalk. Certainly resourceful hunters managed to kill buffalo with techniques like approaching using wolf hides as cover or driving herds over a precipice, but this did not provide great abundance with any continuity. Almost overnight, as if by magic, they found a way to outrun a buffalo and carry much greater loads farther and faster than a dog or a human.

             As in European societies, the horse was sometimes a mixed blessing since it could be used for military purposes. It made lightning raids on enemy villages at considerable distances possible and the theft of horses caused endless animosities. Hunting rights to particular areas caused fierce warfare. Around tribal centers game tended to become less plentiful and sought refuge in the no man’s land between centers of power which caused frequent clashes between hunting parties.

            Tragically, the glory days of mounted warriors lasted little more than a century, hardly a blip in the c. 10,000 year history of Indians here. When it was finished those who survived were plunged back into greater misery than before.

Bibliography
Alan Taylor – American Colonies
John C. Ewers – The Horse in Blackfoot Indian Culture, with Comparative Material from Other Western Tribes

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