It’s a masterpiece of Plains Indian art, a Lakota warrior artist’s lament in wood for a war horse that died in a volley of gunfire while carrying its rider into battle, possibly at Little Bighorn. The horse’s ears are laid back in fear, blood is flowing from its mouth and seeping from no less than 10 bullet wounds, and its body twists slightly to one side as it vaults into certain death.
Carved from a single piece of wood a few years after the Little Bighorn, a battle in which the artist very likely fought, the 3-footlong sculpture is one of the most highly prized items in the collection of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society in Pierre. The artist’s finishing touches include leather ears and reins, a copper bridle, and a mane and tail made from real horsehair. Painted horsehair is used to depict blood issuing from the slain animal’s mouth.
“Carvings of this kind
