Why do people say there weren’t horses in the plains when our elders say we always have had them?
Great question!
Horse culture is so ingrained in some of our tribe’s history, especially for plains tribes that it seems like we’ve always had them. However, horses did not arrive in the America’s until the Spaniards brought them in the mid-1500’s.
It seems that horses originally occupied the America’s until they became extinct about 12,000 years ago. They were brought back to the mainland during the Spanish invasion. It wasn’t until the 1600 to mid-1700’s that the horse changed tribal communities into what we now know as horse-cultures.
Our horse tribes have claims to be the greatest horsemen in the history because of the inseparable relationship established from such an early age. It’s been said that a six-year old Comanche boy could outride and outmaneuver any white settler.
Continue talking to your elders to learn more about what the horse means to your tribe and your history, especially to learn more about what the horse means to you and your tribe today.
Thanks for writing in!
Auntie Manda
