KBR Wild Horse and Burro News

Living the book that they will publish

  SWEDISH JOURNALISTS GO WILD
Part Ten


The Traditional Native American Horse Blessing

Dr. Robert Primeaux, a Standing Rock Sioux and Native American cultural historian was one of the people interviewed for the book. Dr. Primeaux explained the history of Native American horse culture and efforts to revive horse culture among modern Native American youth.

One of the horses that Willy and Torsten met was a young Shoshone Indian horse, and Dr. Primeaux offered to perform a traditional Native American Horse Blessing Ceremony. A group of young ladies from the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony who have worked to preserve historic tribal ceremonies and dances participated in the Blessing Ceremony. Dr. Primeaux also explained the history of "Plains Indian" horse culture to the group and how "Brooklynn Waci" was descended from horses that were significant to the Indians of the Great Plains. ("Waci" is Sioux for "dance" or "dancer," depending on how the word is used.)

KOLO (Reno Channel 8) television personality and feature reporter John Tyson came by to record the ceremony for his program, "John Tyson's Journal" and to interview Dr. Primeaux so that his viewers could better understand some of the lesser known elements of Native American culture.

Dr. Primeaux lighting the ceremonial pipe.
Dr. Primeaux and Brooklynn Waci.
Ceremonial ladies at attention.
Explaining traditional horse culture.
After the ceremony a Native youth sits on Kahlua, a BLM horse.

Brooklynn Waci is the offspring of a Western Shoshone mare that had been taken from the Dann Sisters to California along with many other horses, then severely neglected. Ojai based Wild Horses in Need rescued these horses and Brooklynn Waci was returned to Nevada and placed with Megan McCoy.

Among the ceremony's spectators was Lyon County Commissioner Larry McPherson, one of the area's most ardent history buffs. After the ceremony Commissioner McPherson and John Tyson rode off to explore the Carson River headlands.

We noticed the BLM freezemark on John Tyson's horse.


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