Cowboy - The Indian and the cowboy had one thing in common, the horse.  But while the Indian taught the cowboy many things, the cowboy seems to have taught the Indian little, or the Indian would not try to learn.

The Indian was slow to take up anything new.  He clung to his old pad saddle, or his frame saddle, or rode his horse bareback.  His bridle was nothing but a rawhide thong passed around the lower lip of his horse.  he mounted his horse from the right side instead of the left.  The right side was the natural way for anyone to mount a horse.  he accepted the Westerner's firearms, but he did not want to have anything to do with the cow except to kill it for food its hide.

From the Indian the cowboy learned his manner of gentling horses.  The cowboy learned the Indian art of "reading sign" and following trails.  He learned to use various Indian signals.  The Navajo blanket was the best saddle blanket.  The cowboy used Indian buckskin for his clothing, the Indian horsehair rope for many purposes, and the wickiup when on the range.  he built his fire of buffalo chips and carried the Indian war whoop into cow towns.
 

 

Related Information within this Site
[ Cattle ][ Horse ][ Signals ][ Trail (To) ][ Wickiup ]