Warfare

Horses transformed warfare.

Horses allowed Native nations to better defend themselves, as settlers and soldiers encroached on tribal lands. Attacks by the U.S. Cavalry and vigilante groups forced tribes to polish their attack strategies. Horses made fighters swift in battle and became comrades in arms.

But the horse was also a factor in conflict between tribes, as various groups migrated or sought to expand their hunting territories. Old tribal alliances shifted. Tribes that were poor in horses raided their neighbors’ herds to increase their own.

A group of Nez Perce men on horseback dressed for the 4th of July celebration, 1906. Major Lee Moorhouse. Idaho. National Museum of the American Indian. (P07685)

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Siha Sapa (Black Foot) Lakota cloth dress, ca. 1890. South Dakota. Muslin, denim, wool cloth, pigment, and cotton thread. Photograph by Ernest Amoroso, NMAI. (17/6078)

Painted with scenes of intertribal warfare, this dress celebrates the deeds of one man, who apparently suffered five wounds. The honor of wearing such a dress would have been reserved for the warrior’s wife or sister.

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Cheyenne River Lakota shield cover, ca. 1880s. South Dakota. Pigment, hide, and rawhide. Photograph by Katherine Fogden, NMAI. (6/2195)

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Lakota painted drum, ca. 1860s. South Dakota or North Dakota. Pigment, rawhide, wood, cotton cloth, and sinew. (10/5940)

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Cheyenne River Lakota pipe bag, ca. 1880. South Dakota. Seed beads, porcupine quills, hide, rawhide, and sinew. Photograph by Walter Larrimore, NMAI. (1/3949)

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Minnicoujou Lakota beaded tipi bag, ca. 1885. South Dakota. Seed beads, tin cones, horsehair, hide, cotton cloth, cotton thread, and sinew. (6/325)

This tipi bag tells a story. Our hero has stolen a number of horses, and possibly a wife as well. The three black-and-brown pipes indicate that he led a war party on three occasions, and the heads represent enemies he killed.

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Piikuni (Blackfeet) elk-skin robe with painted decoration by Mountain Chief, mid–1800s. Montana. Pigment and hide. Photograph by Katherine Fogden, NMAI. (22/1878)

In this scene, the Blackfeet are holding their own against two sets of enemies: other tribes and bears (seen in the lower left corner). The small arcs represent hoof prints, and the arrow-like marks below them indicate the direction in which the horse was headed.

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Apsáalooke (Crow) horse headstall, ca. 1860. Montana. Pony beads, owl feathers, buffalo horn, porcupine quills, ermine, horsehair, hide, ribbon, wool cloth, and sinew. Photograph by Walter Larrimore, NMAI. (9/9831)

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Piikuni (Blackfeet) horse mask, ca. 1830–60. Montana. Feathers, hide, buffalo horn, paints, pony beads, seed beads, hair locks, horsehair, porcupine quills, ribbon, wool cloth, cotton cloth, brass tacks, and buttons. Photograph by Walter Larrimore, NMAI. (18/8880)

Imagine a horse wearing this mask and charging toward you, and you can appreciate how powerful and utterly transformative this head covering would be. Possessing strong spiritual overtones, this piece is decorated with pony beads, clipped feathers, and Chinese brass buttons.

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Lakota buffalo horse mask, ca. 1860. South Dakota or North Dakota. Eagle and grouse feathers, pigment, buffalo horn, buffalo hide, rawhide, and cotton thread. Photograph by Walter Larrimore, NMAI. (11/4898)

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