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I always found it interesting the Cherokee language was easy to understand and that, because of this simplicity, almost all of the tribe was literate. The Cherokee were likely the most advanced, from a European perspective, of all the tribes, with a government based on the U.S. model.
And, from a legal standpoint, the Supreme Court recognized the legitimacy of the Cherokee nation.
I don't know much about Indian culture but I do know that I would never want to get in a fight with a Comanche brave. Especially on horseback. The Comanche is arguably the fiercest warrior in human history.
From what little I know, I would fear an Iroquois the most. They were reputed to be brutal with their captured enemies. Better to die outright than to be captured.
I think a Polish Hussar would hand a Comanche his head. Especially on horseback.
The Plains Cultures, including the Arapaho, Assiniboine, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Lakota and others were generally considered to be "the finest light cavalry in the world". The last time I checked, the Polish Hussars were light cavalry and Poland was part of planet Earth.
The reason I posed the question the way i did, is because I've learned more about Indians in those two conversations of several hours, than I've learned in all the books I've ever read combined.
Sure, I've known people who say "I'm part Indian" (my brother in law, for example), but they've never lived on a reservation, or even visited one. Most assimilated Indians just don't really know much more about Indian history and culture than the rest of us do.
My guess is that it is still sort of a culture of shame. My paternal grandmother "escaped" from the rez, married well and never looked back. It's not something she wanted to talk about. Ever. She took those memories to her grave.
I do thank her, almost daily, for her gifts. I'm pretty tough (mentally, emotionally), physically strong, but most of all I thank her for leaving and giving her children (my father and my aunts and uncles) a chance to do a bit better for themselves(and their children) in the world.
The Plains Cultures, including the Arapaho, Assiniboine, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Lakota and others were generally considered to be "the finest light cavalry in the world".
Considered by whom? This old saw has been circulating for a long time and as far as I can tell started with American soldiers who naturally wanted to play up the prowess of their enemy. Note though that Americans have usually been lousy cavalry and are the last people to judge the qualifications of cavalry.
Polish cavalry excelled at both light skirmishing and heavy shock action and were masters of both saber and lance. They faced formidable enemies such as the Turks, Swedes, Cossacks, Muscovites, Germans, Bohemians, French, Tartars and Hungarians and many of those people are no mean horse soldiers themselves.
Isleta is just a few miles from me. You should come visit on feast days to see first hand something about living Native American culture!
Well, I can't speak or Isleta but when I visited Taos Pueblo I found adobe huts with brand new diesel Dodges sitting next to them with propane tanks on back and the cooking was done on propane cookers.
With all due respect, where this this come from? I know that heroic efforts have been made to preserve and document the culture and languages of the "Five Civilized Tribes", including their several variants. In fact, and speaking only for the Choctaw, even today there remain enclaves of culture, in or near the original home lands, that are still very much alive.
Regards,
-- Nighteyes (Mississippi Choctaw)
Yes, there have been great strides at teaching the language, but by far is it their first language. I am just trying to convey their culture today and documentation of of their culture and language really IMO doesn't make it their culture. I think you misunderstand me, I am not saying their culture is dead but it is clearly not as it used to be. The tribes do display their cultural heritage in their multimillion dollar complexes and casinos, but that is their cultural heritage. I have not seen an Indian with regalia walking down the streets, nor on a pony with war paint, or migrating due to the weather recently.
Considered by whom? This old saw has been circulating for a long time and as far as I can tell started with American soldiers who naturally wanted to play up the prowess of their enemy. Note though that Americans have usually been lousy cavalry and are the last people to judge the qualifications of cavalry.
This was stated by several including Phil Sheridan, George Armstrong Custer, Marcus Reno, George Crook, and more.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Irishtom29
Polish cavalry excelled at both light skirmishing and heavy shock action and were masters of both saber and lance. They faced formidable enemies such as the Turks, Swedes, Cossacks, Muscovites, Germans, Bohemians, French, Tartars and Hungarians and many of those people are no mean horse soldiers themselves.
Hussars were originally heavy armored cavalry.
From Wikipedia (underlined italics added for emphasis):
The word hussar (pronounced /həˈzɑr/, /həˈsɑr/, or /hʊˈzɑr/) derives from the Serbian Husar. Exiled Serbian warriors introduced hussar horsemen - light cavalry armed with hollowed lance, Balkan-type shield, and saber - in Hungary following the Ottoman conquest of Serbia in the late 14th century.
The Hungarian Kingdom hussar banners (units) were organized into a strong, highly-trained and motivated formation during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. Under his command the various hussar banners took part in the wars against the House of Habsburg, Bohemia, Poland and the Ottoman Empire (in 1485) and proved successful against the Turkish cavalry as well as Bohemians, Germans, Austrians and Poles.
The Kingdom of Hungary various peoples (Serbs, Croats, Wallachians, Hungarians) made changes to the hussar armament and thus introduced armor in terms of helmets, mail, gorgets making hussars much heavier cavalry that when they first started around 1500.
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