Battle of Spokane Plain--The Ones that Lost

"September 9th.--. . . At nine o’clock, Colonel Wright convened a board of officers to determine what should be done with the captured horses. They decided that one hundred and thirty should be selected for our use, and the rest shot. It was a disagreeable necessity, but one which could not be avoided . . . Nothing can more effectively cripple the Indians than to deprive them of their animals. --from the Journal of Lieutenant Lawrence Kip"

The video I posted to the blog today is a heartwrenching reminder of how far we have come in the treatment of horses. The world watched the plight of the two hundred horses as the floods invaded their pastures and marooned them unmercifully on a tiny island knoll; the world cried as nineteen grew weak and perished. Hope finally arrived as the waters receded, allowing food to be brought in for the survivors. The video illustrates the compassion of the people attempting the rescue.

One-hundred and fifty years ago, 900 horses were killed by the U.S. Army, under orders of a treacherous Colonel. This same officer, Colonel Wright would go down in Pacific Northwest Native history as the one responsible for the deaths of two prominent Yakama Natives--Qualchin, and Owhi.

Please read the full text of RESERVATION BLUES: THE SHADOW HORSES here: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcg73jbk_4dpxf7q

aggie castronuevo