Song for the Horse Nation: Horses in Native American Cultures

The tradition of horses in Native American culture, depicted through images, essays, and quotes. For many Native Americans, each animal and bird that surrounded them was part of a nation of its own, and none was more vital to both survival and culture than the horse.

The National Museum of the American Indian is part of the Smithsonian Institution and speaks on diverse subjects, including native artistic traditions. Emil Her Many Horses (Oglala Lakota) is an associate curator at the National Museum of the American Indian and the lead curator for Our Universes, one of the museum’s four inaugural exhibitions. Her Many Horses lives in Washington, D.C. George Horse Capture (A’aninin) grew up on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in north-central Montana. He worked for the National Museum of the American Indian for 11 years, most recently as the senior counselor to the director. He retired in 2005, returning to Fort Belknap with his wife, Kay-Karol Horse Capture.