The horse was very important to
the Lakota people; it was an ally on hunts and
a comrade in battle. In tribute to a special horse that had died, its owner would create a horse dance stick to carry in society
dances to honor his lost companion. The horse dance stick is a uniquely Sioux artistic form. Traditionally, the owner would carve the horse’s head and hoof on the stick and use actual hair from the fallen horse as mane and tail.
