Cultural values are sometimes difficult to write about, so it seems that a society’s values of the hereafter sometimes define the society. I can’t really describe the subjective feelings of Comanches and their horses except in the following way. The Spanish brought the first horses of the modern era. By the time white settlers entered the plains, they found that the Indians had a well established system of relating to horses.
For most of the tribes, each warrior had a main horse (an eternity horse) that received special attention and care. The most prized of these were medicine hat paints, because it was believed that they had magical powers that made their rider invincible in combat. Death is inevitable. We believe that a warrior who does not die at night or is not scalped after death, goes to the land beyond the sun. There his spirit is joined by the spirit of his main, or eternity horse. They ride together, neither feeling pain, fatigue, hunger or thirst for all eternity. If the warrior has not been noble or just, his eternity mount will be a short pasterned rough ride. This is our version of hell, since there is no dismount in the land beyond the sun.
After reading some of our American Indian Blogs, women readers are asking “what about us?’ Here’s an interesting part. We believe that the sky is a symbolic river that separates earth from the land beyond the sun. If the warrior has an eternity woman, his spirit waits on the far bank of this river until he sees the eternity woman’s spirit on the other bank. The warrior then rides across the river but doesn’t leave it. The eternity woman’s spirit wades a few steps into the river, the warrior brings her up behind him, the spirits of horse, woman and warrior cross back into the land beyond the sun, and ride forever as one. Build an eternity horse so you both can ride together forever.
Tahka Pui
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
this article brought me to tears: I just lost my eternity horse in November to old age, and while everyone else thought (and still think) I am crazy, I know l buried part of my soul with her, and she left some of hers for me to care for until we see each other again. We only had two years together and never did i ride her, as she was very old when she came into my life, but we didn’t need to– I know exactly how that will feel and know it will come when I’ve earned it. She was the best and dearest soul to ever come into my life, and she’ll be waiting for me when I get to where she is. Thank you for giving me the gift of understanding.