Ron Fattoruso asks:

"Spirit Horse of the Cherokee" by Manowar was the song I was really curious about. How accurate, or inaccurate was it? The whole medicine man, buffalo, ghost dance thing had me wondering.

As I said, I think all the songs were reasonably accurate. I don't know much about individual tribes if they're not Hopi or Pueblo. But if you want my accounting...the Cherokee were one prominent people associated with the Trail of Tears, so the first two stanzas are fine. When the song mentions Wounded Knee, it shifts from a Cherokee focus to a generic Plains Indian focus.

Many tribes had medicine men or the equivalent, so I wouldn't doubt that. The Ghost Dance was centered on the Northern Plains while the Cherokee were settled (after the forced Trail of Tears march) in Oklahoma. So the Ghost Dance wasn't a natural part of their culture; if they participated, I'd guess it was peripherally. The names mentioned (Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, et al.) come from the Sioux and other Northern Plains tribes except Geronimo, who was Apache. None were Cherokee.

Because the Cherokee were transplanted to Oklahoma, I think they mostly lived in towns and farmed. I don't think they adopted horses, became nomads, and hunted buffalo like the indigenous Plains Indians. I can't find any mention of a "spirit horse" in my general Indian books. If it was a part of Cherokee culture, it must've been a minor part.

Again, since they were transplanted from the Southeast where they didn't have horses, developing horse-based beliefs and customs would've been unlikely. So the song basically keyed on a Cherokee concept, the Trial of Tears, and segued into a series of generic Indians-as-warriors-fighting-to-the-bitter-end images. Which is what I critiqued the songs for, of course.

I'll ask my Cherokee contacts what they think.

To Steve Russell (Cherokee):

After the forced Trail of Tears march, did the Cherokee adopt horses, hunt buffalo, and participate in the Ghost Dance movement? The song I quoted on my website, "Spirit Horse of the Cherokee," implies as much. I thought the Cherokee settled in towns and lived as farmers.

Rob

P.S. Is there such a thing as a spirit horse in Cherokee beliefs? I haven't heard of it.

Steve responds:

We had horses, though not enough of them to avoid a lot of walking to Indian Territory.

Steve

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