The
enduring relationship between Native people and the horse will be
illustrated through vivid personal accounts and a spectacular array
of objects in "A Song for the Horse Nation," opening Saturday, Nov.
14, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian
in New York, the George Gustav Heye Center. Starting with the return
of the horse to the Americas in 15th century, the exhibition traces
how Native people adapted the horse into their cultural and spiritual
lives and integrated it into their geographic expansion, warfare
and defense.
"A
Song for the Horse Nation" will present 98 works, including elaborate
horse trappings, clothing and photographs and will close July 7,
2011. The exhibition will then continue at the National Museum of
the American Indian in Washington, D.C. from October 2011 through
January 2013. Afterward, the exhibition is expected to tour nationally
through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service
program (SITES).
Originally
native to the American continent, horses became extinct but were
reintroduced by the Spanish, and later by the French, English and
Dutchbeginning with Columbus' second voyage in 1493. Native
people soon adopted the horse and became some of the world's best
horsemen. Horses were used to enhance trade, expand territory, facilitate
hunting and wage war. Included in the exhibition will be a Lakota
winter count (ca. 1902) by Long Soldier (Hunkpapa Lakota) that depicts
when horses were first sighted by the community.
Paired
with the introduction of the gun, the mounted Plains warrior was
a formidable fighter, upsetting old alliances among the tribes and
frustrating European advances. Young men proved their valor through
the horse raid, where they captured horses from enemy camps.
Horses
also became integrated in Native American cultural and spiritual
life, representing the primary virtues of agility, grace and beauty.
The exhibition includes a graceful dance stick (ca. 1890) by No
Two Horns (Hunkpapa Lakota), created to honor his horse that died
at the Battle of Big Horn.
Later,
the rise of reservations, the U.S. Army's calculated destruction
of American Indian ponies and government policies that forced Native
people to adopt farming eroded the day-to-day relationship of Native
people and horses. Despite these changes, the horse's place in Native
culture and memory remains strong. The Crow Nation has actively
maintained its horse traditions and others, like the Nez Perce,
are engaged in rebuilding their horse breeds and revitalizing their
equestrian way of life. The Future Generations Ride that involves
Native youth has evolved from The Big Foot Memorial Ride, held as
a healing ride to honors those massacred at Wounded Knee in South
Dakota.
"Even
though the pinnacle of the horse lasted only a century, this exhibition
details how Native people rapidly integrated the horse into their
lifeways, quickly becoming among the best mounted soldiers in the
world," said Kevin Gover (Pawnee/Comanche), director of the National
Museum of the American Indian,
"This
exhibition, which traces the accomplishments and identity of Native
people and the horse, perfectly complements our previous exhibition
about Native women's dresses, 'Identity by Design,'" said John Haworth
(Cherokee), director of the Heye Center. "We are so proud to be
premiering this exhibition, which will travel the country, here
in New York."
"A
Song for the Horse Nation" includes many examples of elaborate horse
trappings, including a dazzling horse crupper adorned with exceptionally
fine quillwork (Cree or Red River Metis, ca. 1850) and clothing
adorned with images of the horse, such as a colorful Lakota baby
bonnet (South Dakota or North Dakota, ca. 1900). New work has also
been commissioned for the exhibition. A dazzling horse mask, with
yellow, blue-gray and dark-red quillwork and trimmed with fresh-cut
feathers, was created by Juanita Growing Thunder (Assiniboine/Sioux).
The work is based on a 19th century Northern Cheyenne quilled horse
mask, also included in the exhibition.
"A
Song for the Horse Nation" was curated by museum curator Emil Her
Many Horses (Oglala Lakota). An accompanying publication edited
by Her Many Horses and the scholar George P. Horse Capture (A'aninin)
is available at the museum's shops and the museum's web-site.
The
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in New York,
the George Gustav Heye Center is located at One Bowling Green in
New York City, across from Battery Park. The museum is free and
open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursdays until 8 p.m.
For information, call (212) 514-3700 or visit the museum's Web site
at www.americanindian.si.edu.
Here
are some more pictures from the NMAI. http://newsdesk.si.edu/photos/heye_horse_nation.htm
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