Ledger art helps one realize the vital role horses played in Native American life.  They were everything.  They were of course, transportation, but also a concrete show of wealth.  They provided a means for hunt and war and self defense.  To “count coup” on an enemy meant to get close enough to touch him, considered to be much braver than outright killing him.  To have gotten that close was to humiliate one’s enemy.  Another form of status was to be able to steal away with an enemy’s horses from right under their noses.  That required skill, stealth and a great deal of bravery.

To see a dead human in a battle representation is upsetting: to see dead horses in battle, somehow even more unsettling!  This image is taken from a Native American Ledger Art drawing of a battle scene, and an image I was compelled to include in this painting.