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Hoka Hey!
Two languages Englisch/German
Scalps to Coups:
The Impact of the Horse on Plains Indian Warfare
How the impact of the horse influenced the lifestyle of the Plains Indians, is well documented. Much less has been published on the change ot" intertribal warfare after the coming of the horse. Warfare was a decisive cultural element of the Plains peoples. The transition from a pedestrian to an equestrian society resulted in a dramatic turn of warfare tactics äs well äs in the ethos and Status ofthe warrior.
During the "dog days", women and children were seidom slain when enemy villages were attacked. In fact, they were coveted "spoils of war" - women were especially important äs burden-carriers. With the introduction of the horse, raiders were not adverse to killing women, being more interested in procuring the enemies' horses. The role of women changed so drastically that they sometimes went on the warpath themselves and some even became leaders of war-parties!
Furthermore, the significance ofwar trophies, which enhanced the rank of the warrior, changed markedly.
In this volume, Colin Tayior examines perhaps the most dramatic and thrilling chapter in the history ofthe equestrian culture on the Plains. Beginning with the "dog days" and the development of intertribal warfare, he concludes with the outlining of Indian warrior exploits in Worid War II. Here, for instance, Joseph Medicine Crow - the tribal historian of the Crow - was among the last ofthe Plains Indians to count coup, including the capture of German officers' horses.
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