Horse nations : the worldwide impact of the horse on indigenous societies post-1492 / Peter Mitchell.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 375-424) and index.

Introducing Horse nations -- Ancestors -- A prodigal return -- North America I : the Southwest and the Southern Plains -- North America II : the Central and Northern Plains -- North America III : west of the Rockies -- South America I : Caribbean deserts and tropical savannahs -- South America II : the Southern Cone -- The Old World : Southern Africa and Australasia -- Putting horse nations in context -- Appendix. Self-designations of Native American peoples.

The Native American on a horse is an archetypal Hollywood image, but though such equestrian-focused societies were a relatively short-lived consequence of European expansion overseas, they were not restricted to North America's Plains. Horse Nations provides the first wide-ranging and up-to-date synthesis of the impact of the horse on the Indigenous societies of North and South America, southern Africa, and Australasia following its introduction as a result of European contact post-1492. Drawing on sources in a variety of languages and on the evidence of archaeology, anthropology, and history.