Early dispersal of domestic horses into the Great Plains and northern Rockies.
Abstract: The horse is central to many Indigenous cultures across the American Southwest and the Great Plains. However, when and how horses were first integrated into Indigenous lifeways remain contentious, with extant models derived largely from colonial records. We conducted an interdisciplinary study of an assemblage of historic archaeological horse remains, integrating genomic, isotopic, radiocarbon, and paleopathological evidence. Archaeological and modern North American horses show strong Iberian genetic affinities, with later influx from British sources, but no Viking proximity. Horses rapidly spread from the south into the northern Rockies and central plains by the first half of the 17th century CE, likely through Indigenous exchange networks. They were deeply integrated into Indigenous societies before the arrival of 18th-century European observers, as reflected in herd management, ceremonial practices, and culture.
Publication Date: 2023-03-30 PubMed ID: 36996225DOI: 10.1126/science.adc9691Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research investigates the cultural significance and historical spread of domestic horses into the Great Plains and Northern Rockies, indicating a mostly Spanish, rather than Viking, influence on these horses and highlighting their deep integration into Indigenous societies by the 17th century CE.
Interdisciplinary Study and Methodologies
- The research was conducted as an interdisciplinary study, meaning various methods and approaches were used. This included genomic study, isotopic analysis, radiocarbon dating, and paleopathological evidence.
- These methodologies were used to analyze an assemblage of historic archaeological horse remains, presumably from the regions of the Great Plains and the Northern Rockies.
Genetic Affinities
- The study discovered that both archaeological and modern North American horses demonstrate strong genetic affinities to Iberian horses, which originate from the Iberian peninsula: modern day Spain and Portugal.
- The researchers noted a later influx in gene flow from British sources, supporting the idea of continued importation and trade of horses from different European powers during the colonization of the Americas.
- No proximity to Viking genetics was observed among the horses, debunking theories that might suggest early domestic horse introduction by Viking settlers.
Dispersion of Horses and Integration into Indigenous Culture
- Results indicate horses spread rapidly from the southern regions into the north Rockies and central plains by the first half of the 17th century CE.
- This dispersion likely occurred via Indigenous exchange networks, suggesting both robust trade systems and early domestication and use of horses by Indigenous peoples before European observations were recorded in the 18th century.
- The horses became deeply ingrained in Indigenous societies, playing roles in herd management, ceremonial practices, and overall culture. This provides evidence against the idea that horses were introduced and integrated into these societies merely as a result of European arrival and influence.
Cite This Article
APA
Taylor WTT, Librado P, American Horse CJ, Shield Chief Gover C, Arterberry J, Afraid of Bear-Cook AL, Left Heron H, Yellow Hair RM, Gonzalez M, Means B, High Crane S, Yellow Bull WW, Dull Knife B, Afraid of Bear A, Tecumseh Collin C, Ward C, Pasqual TA, Chauvey L, Tonasso-Calviere L, Schiavinato S, Seguin-Orlando A, Fages A, Khan N, Der Sarkissian C, Liu X, Wagner S, Leonard BG, Manzano BL, O'Malley N, Leonard JA, Bernáldez-Sánchez E, Barrey E, Charliquart L, Robbe E, Denoblet T, Gregersen K, Vershinina AO, Weinstock J, Rajić Šikanjić P, Mashkour M, Shingiray I, Aury JM, Perdereau A, Alquraishi S, Alfarhan AH, Al-Rasheid KAS, Trbojević Vukičević T, Buric M, Sauer E, Lucas M, Brenner-Coltrain J, Bozell JR, Thornhill CA, Monagle V, Perri A, Newton C, Hall WE, Conver JL, Le Roux P, Buckser SG, Gabe C, Belardi JB, Barrón-Ortiz CI, Hart IA, Ryder C, Sponheimer M, Shapiro B, Southon J, Hibbs J, Faulkner C, Outram A, Patterson Rosa L, Palermo K, Solé M, William A, McCrory W, Lindgren G, Brooks S, Eché C, Donnadieu C, Bouchez O, Wincker P, Hodgins G, Trabert S, Bethke B, Roberts P, Jones EL, Running Horse Collin Y, Orlando L.
(2023).
Early dispersal of domestic horses into the Great Plains and northern Rockies.
Science, 379(6639), 1316-1323.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adc9691 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
- Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
- Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 57770, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
- Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, Pawnee, OK 74058, USA.
- Tribal Historian, Comanche Nation, Galindo Environmental Consulting LLC, Austin, TX 78757, USA.
- Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 57770, USA.
- Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 57770, USA.
- Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 57770, USA.
- Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 57770, USA.
- Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 57770, USA.
- International Indian Treaty Council, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA.
- Sicangu Lakota, Rosebud Indian Reservation, SD 57570, USA.
- Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 57770, USA.
- Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 57770, USA.
- He'Sapa Unity Alliance Council of Elders, SD 57770, USA.
- Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 57770, USA.
- Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 57770, USA.
- Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
- Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (Lakota), Eagle Butte, SD 57625, USA.
- Pueblo of Acoma, Acoma, NM 87034, USA.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
- Zoological Institute, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, 4051 Basel, Switzerland.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
- Department of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan 23200, Pakistan.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
- Institute of Culture and Environment, Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA.
- Deg Xit'an (Athabascan), Shageluk Tribe of Interior Alaska, Shageluk, AK 99665, USA.
- Kentucky Archaeological Survey, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101, USA.
- W.S. Webb Museum of Anthropology, University of Kentucky, Bowling Green, KY 42101, USA.
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
- Laboratorio de Paleontología y Paleobiología, Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico, 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI UMR1313, Jouy-en-Josas, 78350 Paris, France.
- Musée de l'Armée, Hôtel des Invalides, 75007 Paris, France.
- The Royal Danish Academy, Institute of Conservation, 1435 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
- Musée de l'Armée, Hôtel des Invalides, 75007 Paris, France.
- The Royal Danish Academy, Institute of Conservation, 1435 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
- University of Southampton Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Archaeology), Southampton SO17 1BF, UK.
- Institute for Anthropological Research, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
- Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique (AASPE), CP 56, 75005 Paris, France.
- Faculty of History, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2RL, UK.
- Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2LE, UK.
- Genoscope, Institut de Biologie François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Université d'Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91000 Évry, France.
- Genoscope, Institut de Biologie François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Université d'Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91000 Évry, France.
- Biology Department, College of Science, Taif University, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia.
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia.
- Biology Department, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
- Department of Information Systems, College of Applied Sciences, Almaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia.
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia.
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
- Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
- School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK.
- isoTROPIC Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, 07745 Jena, Germany.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
- Archaeological consultant, Omaha, NE 68131, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840, USA.
- SWCA Environmental Consultants, Inc., Sheridan, WY 82801, USA.
- Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
- Department of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
- Department of History, Anthropology, Philosophy, Political Science, and Department of Spanish, Adams State University, Alamosa, CO 81101, USA.
- Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral, Unidad Académica Río Gallegos (ICASUR), Laboratorio de Arqueología Dr. Luis A. Borrero, CONICET, 9400 Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina.
- Quaternary Palaeontology Program, Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, AB T5J 0G2, Canada.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA.
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
- Dartmoor Hill Pony Association, Corndonford Farm, Poundsgate, Devon TQ13 7PP, UK.
- Dartmoor Hill Pony Association, Corndonford Farm, Poundsgate, Devon TQ13 7PP, UK.
- Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QE, UK.
- Department of Agriculture and Industry, Sul Ross State University, Alpine, TX 79832, USA.
- Department of Virology, Florida Department of Health, Jacksonville, FL 32202, USA.
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
- Xeni Gwet'in First Nations Government, 150-Milehouse, BC V0K 2G0, Canada.
- McCrory Wildlife Services Ltd., New Denver, BC V0G 1S1, Canada.
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
- Center for Animal Breeding and Genetics, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Animal Science, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
- Plateforme GeT-PlaGe, Génome et Transcriptome, US1426, Centre INRAe Occitanie, 31326 Auzeville, France.
- Plateforme GeT-PlaGe, Génome et Transcriptome, US1426, Centre INRAe Occitanie, 31326 Auzeville, France.
- Plateforme GeT-PlaGe, Génome et Transcriptome, US1426, Centre INRAe Occitanie, 31326 Auzeville, France.
- Genoscope, Institut de Biologie François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Université d'Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91000 Évry, France.
- UA Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
- Oklahoma Archeological Survey, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
- isoTROPIC Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, 07745 Jena, Germany.
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, 07745 Jena, Germany.
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
- Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD 57770, USA.
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT, CNRS UMR5288), University Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, 31000 Toulouse, France.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Humans
- Archaeology
- Horses
- United States
- Domestication
- Animals, Domestic
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