A rare horse of major cultural and historical significance is slowly making a comeback thanks to the conservation efforts of dedicated individuals and organizations.
Ojibwe ponies have been brought back to their ancestral lands after once being on the brink of extinction. The arrival of six in Spring Valley, Wisconsin, in 2022 marked the first time in over 50 years that the horses had set hoof on western Wisconsin land, according to Atlas Obscura.
While their origins are unclear, some believe that Ojibwe ponies have roamed North America for centuries, potentially surviving the last ice age after adapting to cold conditions.
The breed was relied upon by Native American Ojibwe communities for practical tasks, such as hauling wood and nets. But their connection to the horses ran much deeper than that, with a spiritual link making the animals members of the family.
Like the Indigenous people who lived with them, Ojibwe ponies were persecuted in the early 1900s. The horses were exterminated in huge numbers by settlers who saw them as vermin that carried disease.
As Atlas Obscura detailed, only four were left in 1977, and even those were soon to be culled by the Canadian government.
However, an ambitious "heist" rescued the mares and brought them to Minnesota. Through breeding efforts in the years since, with help from a Spanish mustang, the population is rebounding.
It's said there are now 200 Ojibwe ponies, with most living in Canada. But their return to the Midwest in 2022 reconnects them with the culture they were once forced away from.
Em Loerzel, who takes care of a small group of the creatures and is a White Earth Nation descendant, described their return to Atlas Obscura, saying, "It's like bringing a family member home."
The removal of animals from ecosystems can have profound effects on those areas. In India, for example, the decline of a vulture population has been linked to half a million excess deaths in a five-year period, according to a study summarized by The New York Times.
While the Ojibwe horse might not have a similarly huge impact, you simply cannot quantify what the return of these animals means for the Ojibwe people.
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