The Sioux, Comanche and other Native Americans had ancient ways that had gone unchanged for centuries. Less often appreciated is that these peoples were also adaptable and innovative. Maybe the best example of this is the story of the Plains Indian and the horse.
The Indian warrior on his horse, whether alone in the wilderness or gathered in a war party, is as iconic an image as it gets. It runs contrary to common expectation that the reality behind such scenes reflects a time span not longer than two centuries. Horses turn out not to be a timeless part of the American landscape, but an immigrant from Europe, which makes the Native American's expertise with them a tale of recognizing an opportunity and seizing it.
It was the Spanish conquistadores who were first to bring horses across the Atlantic, interrupting millenia of an Indian lifestyle that might look strange to us today. The Spanish were all too aware that their monopoly over the horse was a big part of their domination over the Navajo and Pueblo peoples around them, and they made an effort to retain that monopoly. The steady transport of horses by ship that characterized the 16th Century was never quite enough to produce any large, free herds in the Americas.
The Spanish eventually had to hire local Navajo and Pueblo men to take care of their growing stables. Word certainly got out about the potential of this new animal, because the 17th Century would see these local peoples frequently raiding Spanish ranches for their horses. However, it was not until near the end of that century that life on horseback became known to Native peoples beyond Southwest.
1680 saw major Pueblo victory over the Spanish, including their acquisition of thousands of horses. Now the horse population among the Southwest peoples was sufficiently large that horse trading could begin with peoples elsewhere on the continent. By the beginning of the 18th Century the Comanches became the first of the Plains peoples to begin their adaptation to the horse.
Comanche warriors quickly became legendary for their expert horsemanship, developing a fast bond with the animal. It was nothing short of ingenious that they could develop such skill with an unknown animal in so little time. As a cavalry, they swept over adversaries as the Mongols had under the command of Genghis Khan, teaching them in turn just how vital it was to master the horse.
Comanche horsemanship became the model later adopted by other Indian nations. It would also be adopted by the legendary Texas Rangers. They were notable for their high speed acrobatic feats, such as firing arrows while hanging onto to the side of a horse at full gallop.
All across the continent, Native Americans spent the 18th Century cultivating their expertise with horsemanship. Several northern peoples, most famously the Lakota Sioux, would spend the balance of 18th and beginning of the 19th Centuries developing the horseback armies that would crush the US 7th Cavalry at Little Bighorn. Innovation and the Indian go together like apple pie and ice cream.
The Indian warrior on his horse, whether alone in the wilderness or gathered in a war party, is as iconic an image as it gets. It runs contrary to common expectation that the reality behind such scenes reflects a time span not longer than two centuries. Horses turn out not to be a timeless part of the American landscape, but an immigrant from Europe, which makes the Native American's expertise with them a tale of recognizing an opportunity and seizing it.
It was the Spanish conquistadores who were first to bring horses across the Atlantic, interrupting millenia of an Indian lifestyle that might look strange to us today. The Spanish were all too aware that their monopoly over the horse was a big part of their domination over the Navajo and Pueblo peoples around them, and they made an effort to retain that monopoly. The steady transport of horses by ship that characterized the 16th Century was never quite enough to produce any large, free herds in the Americas.
The Spanish eventually had to hire local Navajo and Pueblo men to take care of their growing stables. Word certainly got out about the potential of this new animal, because the 17th Century would see these local peoples frequently raiding Spanish ranches for their horses. However, it was not until near the end of that century that life on horseback became known to Native peoples beyond Southwest.
1680 saw major Pueblo victory over the Spanish, including their acquisition of thousands of horses. Now the horse population among the Southwest peoples was sufficiently large that horse trading could begin with peoples elsewhere on the continent. By the beginning of the 18th Century the Comanches became the first of the Plains peoples to begin their adaptation to the horse.
Comanche warriors quickly became legendary for their expert horsemanship, developing a fast bond with the animal. It was nothing short of ingenious that they could develop such skill with an unknown animal in so little time. As a cavalry, they swept over adversaries as the Mongols had under the command of Genghis Khan, teaching them in turn just how vital it was to master the horse.
Comanche horsemanship became the model later adopted by other Indian nations. It would also be adopted by the legendary Texas Rangers. They were notable for their high speed acrobatic feats, such as firing arrows while hanging onto to the side of a horse at full gallop.
All across the continent, Native Americans spent the 18th Century cultivating their expertise with horsemanship. Several northern peoples, most famously the Lakota Sioux, would spend the balance of 18th and beginning of the 19th Centuries developing the horseback armies that would crush the US 7th Cavalry at Little Bighorn. Innovation and the Indian go together like apple pie and ice cream.
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