They Sang for Horses

First published in 1966 and now considered a classic, "They Sang For Horses" remains the only comprehensive treatment of the profound mystical influence that the horse has exerted for more than three hundred years.In this completely redesigned and expanded edition, LaVerne Harrell Clark examines how storytellers, singers, medicine men, and painters created the animal's evolving symbolic significance by adapting existing folklore and cultural symbols. Exploring the horse's importance in ceremonies, songs, prayers, customs, and beliefs, she investigates the period of the horse's most pronounced cultural impact on the Navajo and the Apache, starting from the time of its acquisition from the Spanish in the seventeenth century and continuing to the mid-1960s, when the pickup truck began to replace it as the favoured means of transportation. In addition, she presents a look at how Navajos and Apaches today continue to redefine the horse's important role in their spiritual as well as material lives.

ISBN 0870814966   Pages 338 ISBN13 9780870814969 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher University Press of Colorado   Weight (grammes) 503 Imprint University Press of Colorado   Published in Colorado Format Paperback   Height (mm) 230 Publication date 27 Feb 2002   Width (mm) 155 Library of Congress 00012667   Spine width (mm) 21 DEWEY 398.2089972   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC21

		Illustrations
		Prologue
		The Acquisition of the Horse		1
		The Horse of the Gods		15
		The Gift of the Gods		57
		The Magic and Ritual of the Raid for Horses		114
		The People's Ways for Keeping Horses Holy		164
		The Horse's Powers Over the People's Health		221
		The Horse's Role in Folk Customs and Other Ceremonies		251
		Epilogue		278
		Bibliography		318
		Index		331

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