“Native Horse" looks at the evolution of horses in North America by placing Indigenous Lakota science, which has always dispelled the claim that horses are a "re-introduced" species, alongside ground-breaking DNA research. Today, western science and Taku Skan Skan Wasakliyapi: Global Institute for Traditional Sciences (Lakota scientists) have come together to create a more complete understanding of the Horse, its evolution and its bond with humans. This film is an expansive and intimate exploration of our interconnectedness with the Horse, each other, and our environment. In soul-felt interviews, Native American Elders, Horsemen, and Horsewomen explain their ancient relationship with Horse Nation. Dr. N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa Pulitzer Prize Winning Author) references the age-old mythical story of The Centaur, asking the question of Horse and Man evolving together and being one. The Wild Horse, the representative of the expressive spirit of America - freedom, family, and community, is one of the hero’s of this journey!  

Native Horse opens in the Lakota Nation, Pahá Sápa Grey Horn Butte - aka Devils Tower. In the Lakota culture, Sungwakaη (Horse) is a sacred being that holds an integral place in life ways and history. Nupa and Zuya White Plume of the Sung Nagi Okolakiciye (Horse Spirit Society) ride like the wind, showing how natural and elegant Native riders are in this modern age, maintaining a soul connection with their great Lakota history.

Tokala Black Elk, a descendent of the Lakota wičháša wakȟáŋ (Holy Man) Black Elk, the narrator, explains in a profound deep Lakota tone the history, spiritual connection and living in contemporary times in the Oglala Nation. 

Wendell Yellow Bull, of Taku Skan Skan Wasakliyapi: Global Institute for Traditional Sciences and a direct descendent of Chief Red Cloud, shares ancient Lakota knowledge. Saginaw Grant, Sac and Fox Nation wisdom keeper, shares his reverence for the Horse and how it contributes to the well-being of people. Karen Ducheneaux, a Lakota of the Tatanka Wakpala Community and experienced horse person, shares valuable insight into how Horses empower Lakota youth and the Nation. Raoul Max Trujillo, Apache artist, explains the vital importance of Horses to the Apache and the empowerment they bring. Adam Joaquin Gonzalez (Comanche) makes his living with horses and has appeared in many television and Hollywood films as a featured American Indian horsemen. Tokala Black Elk sings sacred Lakota Horse songs, history, and explaining of how Horse culture plays a critical role in Lakota life ways and spirituality. The voices of these Indigenous people give a powerful and unique historical point of view.

"Native Horse" travels to the Yukon Beringia Museum in Canada to interview Dr. Grant Zazula and other scientists who are studying Horse remains that were unearthed in the melting permafrost. Their findings are re-writing history! Tyler Murchie from McMaster University in Canada has been studying frozen earth cores from the Yukon and has discovered DNA from both Woolly Mammoths and Ice Age Horses, genus Equus, that are about 6,000 years old, which blows up the whole paradigm of these animals going extinct, in the Holocene Epoch roughly 12,000 years ago. The new data implies that horses may have persisted in North America well after the classical Late Pleistocene extinction event.

Return to Wounded Knee! Alex White Plume (traditional Lakota, leader of the Sitanka Wokiksuye Tiospaye, and a creator of the Bigfoot Memorial Ride to Wounded Knee) explains how reconnecting with the Horse Nation helped the Lakota people return to their spiritual and cultural ways after the 1973 Goon Wars on Pine Ridge Reservation. In "Native Horse," we return to the sacred memorial ride to Wounded Knee, where riders make their way through blinding snowstorms and harsh conditions to honor their ancestors and way of life, empowering themselves and the Lakota Nation.

"Native Horse" is a stand-alone episode from Producer/Director/Cinematographer/Writer James Anaquad Kleinert's investigative film series on America's Wild Horses. Kleinert's international award-winning documentary films explore American Indian culture, Western environmentalism, activism, and spirituality. Kleinert's way of life is closely connected to the landscapes and subjects he films. His films take a stand for wildlife species and environmental, constitutional, and American Indian rights. Kleinert's Federal court victory, Kleinert v. Bureau of Land Management, exposed the vast amount of surveillance he was under since 2007 as he exposed the brutal crimes being committed against America's Wild Horses & Burros and our public lands. Federal Judge John D. Bates (who sits on the FISA court) in April 2016 released his decision that Kleinert v. BLM set important precedent for future cases involving public records and legal proceedings with the Bureau of Land Management. Westlaw decided to publish the case (2015 WL 5675792) based on its importance in establishing legal precedent.

With over 20 years of documentary footage, Kleinert's award-winning series Mustangs & Renegades is available here.  Featuring Sheryl Crow, Viggo Mortensen, and Willie Nelson, this hard-hitting investigative film series deeply educates audiences.

Kleinert's earlier feature-length documentary on America's Wild Horses, "Wild Horses & Renegades," was chosen by BlogCritics.org as one of the Top Ten Overlooked Film Gems and received a Special Mention in Investigative Journalism, Cinematography and Music/Sound Editing from the International Wildlife Film Festival. Kleinert is the author of No Country For Truth Tellers - available on Amazon.