Song for the Horse Nation: Horses in Native American Cultures [Paperback]

National Museum of the American Indian (Editor), Emil Her Many Horses (Editor), George Horse Capture (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2006

Whether it's the Oglala Lakota, Sioux, or Arapaho, Native cultures across the continent hold a special place in their hearts and culture for horses. This tradition of horses in Native American culture is depicted in A Song for the Horse Nation through images, essays, and quotation-including stories and songs collected nearly a century ago by Frances Densmore, and poems by the brilliant contemporary writers Sherman Alexie (Spokane/Coeur d'Alêne), Luci Tapahonso (Navajo), and Linda Hogan (Chickasaw). A Song for the Horse Nation gives powerful and passionate voice to the emotional dimension of the relationship between the horse and mankind.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This slender, informative volume gathers poems, photographs and brief contemporary essays alongside pieces from the National Museum of the American Indian to memorialize the relationship between Native Americans and their horses. In a somewhat disjointed introduction, historian Herman J. Viola observes that Native Americans had "little for which to thank Christopher Columbus except the horse" and that while "the marriage of horse and Indian" was brief (it lasted little more than a century), it was "a thing of beauty." Said marriage certainly produced beautiful artifacts: images of horses were painted onto wooden qeros (cups made for the ritual consumption of maize beer), drawn on muslin, woven into bags and blankets and beaded onto coats and leggings. Horses were given away at naming celebrations and memorial ceremonies ("Generosity is more important than possession," writes Her Many Horses); they were stolen from enemy tribes as proof of a warrior's bravery; they were ridden in battles both real and staged (one 1906 photograph shows the Assiniboine and A'aninin tribes, who were once enemies, sitting down to feast after a mock battle to "relive the old days"). With its numerous photographs and succinct, workmanlike text, this small work is like a minimuseum exhibit between two covers—it intrigues, but it also leaves readers wishing for more. (Apr.)
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Review

"This nifty little gift book celebrates the treasured relationship between horses and Native Americans..." -- Georgia Jones-Davis, New Mexico Magazine, November, 2006

...gives powerful and passionate voice to the emotional dimension of the relationship between horse and mankind. -- Winds of Change, Summer 2007

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing (April 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555911129
• ISBN-13: 978-1555911126
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #683,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging celebration of the horse and its profound influence upon the Native American culture, June 4, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Song for the Horse Nation: Horses in Native American Cultures (Paperback)

Co-authored by George Horse Capture and Emil Her Many Horses, A Song For The Horse Nation: Horses In Native American Cultures is an engaging celebration of the horse and its profound influence upon the Native American culture. Deftly guiding readers through a profusely illustrated compilation of beadwork, textiles, paintings, drums, tools, pottery, and photographs of the horse in Native American history, art, and culture, A Song For The Horse Nation includes a text enriched with poems, shorts, details, translations and more. A welcome addition to personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies collections, A Song For The Horse Nation is very highly recommended as an insightful compendium of the horse as an iconic figure in the Native American experience.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Horses of Native America, May 19, 2007

By 

Galen J. Rankin (Dodge City, Ks.) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Song for the Horse Nation: Horses in Native American Cultures (Paperback)

I'm a student of the lifestyle of the plains indian tribes and participant in Indian reenactments so I'm always looking for more documentation of dress, horse tack, and the discription of their daily life. This book is a great addition to my library. The articles are unique and the illustrations a fantastic.