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Article: Indian tribe reaches back to its horse-filled heritage Nez Perce, once famous for prized animals, are saddling up again
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- November 10, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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As Rudy Shebala walks through a pasture full of quietly grazing
horses on a nickel-gray autumn day, a long-legged colt approaches
him and nuzzles his arm, and Shebala reaches out and scratches the
sleek beast's nose.
It is an unusual horse Shebala is stroking. This cross between
an appaloosa and a rare Central Asian breed called akhal-teke is the
centerpiece of a campaign the Nez Perce Indians hope will resurrect
their horse culture, a proud tradition of selective breeding and
horsemanship that was destroyed by a 19th-century war.
Tribal leaders also hope the breeding program will provide a
"culturally appropriate" business on a reservation plagued with an
unemployment rate as high as 70%. ...