Native American Horses
I know people who love it but have never watched even one episode of the series ‘Yellowstone.’ So when I came across a recent article on the web I was curious. It talked about an episode where a horse is buried alongside a person ‘in accordance with Indigenous tradition.’
When I was little I often rooted for the Indians over the Cowboys/Calvary because they had better horses. I’m by no means very learned in Indigenous American traditions but I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of this custom at some point. Maybe I blocked it out because it involved killing horses!
Burying horses alongside human remains was a common practice among many Indigenous American nations well into the early 1900’s. Much like the ancient Egyptians, as part of revering the dead and providing for them in the afterlife, the Ute buried the deceased’s possessions with them. Often this included favorite horses who were sometimes killed on-the-spot as sacrifices for the deceased. Horses were vital in everyday life for Ute society allowing them to form large hunting parties, obtain big game from distant places and become an economic force in the area, dominating many other tribes. No wonder they valued their horses so highly and wanted to provide horses for their dead in the afterlife.
Photo: Indian istockphoto-517581785-