Sacred Horse Society

10/13/2023

Son got to hang out with Jackie for a minute. Awesome job you and your boys.

08/11/2023

Chief Standing Elk, Roast, Chief Spotted Tail's son. Sicangu Lakota. 1880s

08/08/2023

It was summer of 1912, the Olympics in Sweden. Jim Thorpe, a Native American from the Sac and Fox tribe, was representing the U.S. in four events, including the decathlon, which would determine the greatest athlete in the world.

The decathlon took place over three days. On the morning of day two, when Jim went to gather his track shoes for competition, they were missing.

Without a store to purchase a new pair from, he and his track coach went scouring trash bins looking for a discarded pair. His coach found a right shoe and a left one. They were different styles, different sizes. One shoe fit fine. The other was too big. But given time constraints this was his best option. So on the foot with the big shoe, Jim put on two pairs of socks.

Wearing these track shoes, Jim came in first place. And he didn't just win, he dominated, wining by a margin of about 700 points.

Jim returned home to a ticker tape parade down Broadway in NY. His name was in the papers, the pride of nation. He was the greatest athlete in the world.

04/20/2023

See you there. MMIW search and rescue development meeting. Ihanktonwan Dakota Makoce. White Swan Sundance grounds. Sacred Horse Society.

04/17/2023

Stephanie Big-Eagle: Back home. Back to the horses. Next up: MMIW Memorial Ride May 27 - June 5, 2023. Bring your horses and join us. Support the ride and the riders, and especially the horses of the Sacred Horse Society, Sunka Wakan Okodakiciiye Kin, here: https://gofund.me/1daabc9a.

04/13/2023

The popular narrative that horses were brought to the Americas by Europeans is now being questioned. New evidence suggests that horses were in the Americas independent of European contact. Some native nations have contended that horses have been around since time immemorial, but unfortunately oral traditions and traditional knowledge frequently aren’t regarded as legitimate until Western science validates these claims.

It now looks like archeology is catching up with what some Native nations have always known,
providing yet another example of howIndigenous knowledge and Native ways of knowing must be given equal consideration with
Knowledge from a Western scientific paradigm.

While this new evidence doesn’t confirm that horses have been in the Americas since time immemorial, it does demonstrate that the adoption of the horse is independent of European colonization.

“Native accounts contradicted the timeline centered on the Pueblo Revolt, suggesting some tribes had acquired horses much earlier, but “oral tradition was discounted,” says Comanche historian Jimmy Arterberry, a co-author of the Science study. “The end result has been to discredit the antiquity of the relationship between Native people and horses,” adds University of Colorado, Boulder, archaeologist William Taylor, also a co-author.”

https://www.science.org/content/article/horse-nations-animal-began-transforming-native-american-life-startlingly-early



📸: ©️Greg Child

04/06/2023

Missing!

04/06/2023

"Horses first emerged on the continent of North America. Millions of years of evolutionary changes transformed the horse before it became the natural companion of many Indigenous peoples and the flagship symbol of the southwest. An international team uniting 87 scientists across 66 institutions around the world, including Associate Professor of Anthropology Emily Lena Jones at The University of New Mexico, now begins to refine the history of the American horse."

Horses first emerged on the continent of North America. Millions of years of evolutionary changes transformed the horse before it became the natural companion of many Indigenous peoples and the flagship symbol of the southwest. An international team...

04/06/2023

Working with my friends and world champion dancers,awesome and always will remember the good times aho, toksha ake.

04/06/2023

Ancient horse cultures made much of the study of hair whorls and it’s something that’s gaining ground within today’s scientific community. Studies are showing that the old wive's tail—now called Whorlology—is grounded in fact. We know now that the patterns of a horse's coat are formed within the womb and follow the neurological pathways that are developed in a growing fetus.

Those of you who pooh-pooh this notion can chew on that!

Those of us raised among old time horsemen were simply brought up with mystical tales of what to look for and what to avoid when it came to the patterns of the lay on any horse’s hair coat. I admit to looking for matching whorls on each side of the horse’s body, to the point of avoiding horses who are unevenly marked from side to side, particularly along the neck.

We were also taught that the profile of a horse's head, the shape and carriage of its ears and muzzle, will determine the degree to which a horse exhibits its personal quirks. I also pay attention to the mane fall for clues as to a horse's right or left 'handedness' when it comes to schooling.

Here, my gloved finger is pointing towards the spot where I search for my favourite single forehead whorl, when it comes to ease of trainability and uncomplications. Centred directly between the eyes, one clearly defined whorl almost always marks an honest horse with a minimum of surprises or complexities.

Generally, the higher the forehead whorl, the more sensitive the horse. I have found that of my horses, those few with unusually low face whorls are people-oriented to the extreme, almost like dogs.

Rockabilly sports a double whorl, 'the mark of two masters'. While such a horse or pony is absolutely 100% trainable, we know that he will never be the easiest one in the barn. Such horses are always listening to that other little voice inside their head. Those with double whorls stacked one atop the other, often fall under the heading of the lazy/sensitive horse; either sleeping or really riled up, often within the same five seconds.

While ALL horses rise to their best in 'feely', compassionate and educated hands, it is worth noting that double and triple-whorl horses will not tolerate the 'manhandling' that many more stoic single-whorl horses will. These horses seemingly need more mindfulness from us than average, requiring regular riding with one person who is determined, more suggestive than demanding and who is very clear about the rules.

I have found that multiple-whorled horses shine with a rider who knows how to take a joke, one who can smile and calmly continue on without fuss. Those of us who adore working with the more complex, quirky personalities in the equine world, get along like gangbusters with double-whorl horses.

Those among us who don't enjoy or endeavour to understand such horses, will often end up with a worried, unrideable mess.

04/05/2023

Amazing day here in Omaha with 0ur powwow family.

04/04/2023

Doing there thing,awesome day my people aho.

04/02/2023

The Sacred Horse Society was founded in 2006 by Perry Little and Jessica Little, enrolled members of the Yankton Sioux Tribe and avid traditional Dakota horsepeople. Perry and his Ate (hunka father) Jimmy Hallum met in 2011 and they have been working together ever since with the society and the youth. The Sacred Horse Society, Sunka Wakan Okodaciiye Kin, promotes healing through Dakota horse culture. The society works with both Native and non-Native communities to bring sacred horse culture back to everyone to facilitate healing, connection, and a healthier way of life.

The Sacred Horse Society currently keeps two horses, Makpia and Sundeska, that are from the original Native breed of horses that the Dakota people have lived closely with and ridden since before European contact.

The Sacred Horse Society participates in countless ceremonial horse rides, including the Dakota 38+2 Memorial Ride, the Whitestone Hill Massacre Memorial Horse Ride, and the MMIW Memorial Ride. Everyone is invited to bring their horses and join us on these rides to bridge both the human and horse nations, to facilitate healing under Indigenous and horse nation leadership, and to raise awareness for Indigenous issues through prioritizing Indigenous history, stories, and culture.

Follow us for more Dakota horse culture and updates about how you can join upcoming rides, presentations, and cultural events.