Читать книгу Montana Madness: A Novel - Sioux Dallas - Страница 6

Beautiful Montana --- Big Sky Country

Welcome to Montana Madness

You will probably need some assistance in pronouncing and understanding some of the names. I shall do the best I can to make it more enjoyable for you.

Chaska Magi Proudfoot

Chaska pronounced chah skay - means first son

Magi pronounced Mah gee (g as in burger) means Michael

Chaska Magi my first son, Michael (Mike)

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Angeline Litzou

Angel leet zow - means angel love (Angel) wife of Chaska magi

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Atian Chetan

ay teen chay than- means Stephen Hawk (Steve)

Son of Mike and Angel

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Ehawee Donoma

eye wah dough mo - means laughing maiden of the sun

Wife of Steve (Donna)

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Nizhniy Tayas nee zhoh nee tah nis - means beautiful daughter

Daughter of Steve and Donna (Ginger)

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Tokala

two klah - means strong hearted (James Deerhunter)

My daughter, Verta and I toured fifteen western states one summer, visiting historical sites, museums and meeting remarkable people. I loved all of them. Montana had breathtaking land and views.

Another time I was visiting friends and they took me to an old fort which had been renovated into a restaurant. We had excellent food. I ate rattlesnake meat and thoroughly enjoyed. They then asked me if I would like Rocky Mountain Oysters. I love oysters and was eager to try them, wondering where they found oysters in the mountains. I took one bite and almost threw up as I spit it out. They laughed at me and they ate them. When I learned what they were, I was glad I had not tried them. They are the testicles of a calf, and sometimes sheep, deep fried and considered a delicacy in the west. When the calves are cut to keep them from breeding, the testicles are saved for mouth watering dishes. (Their words, not mine.)

In the book I tell of gymkhanas. These are games of skill on horseback. A lot of them were instigated by the Plains Indians to keep in practice for their life style. Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Rescue, Trail Class and games of skill on horseback.

I speak of horses being so many hands. A hand is measured from the top of the withers (top of shoulder), down the front leg to the ground. A hand is four inches, or the width of a man’s hand. A fifteen two hand horse would be fifteen times four plus two or sixty-two inches. Five feet, two inches. A sixteen hand horse is sixteen times four or sixty-four inches at the withers.

Yes, cattle rustling, horse stealing and murder still exist in the U. S. A.

A male breeding stallion is called a sire.

A female breeding mare is called a dam.

The baby is spoken of as by a sire and out of a dam. (by Ranger out of Flower)

A just born is a foal. A few months old and being weaned is a weanling.

A year old is a yearling. A just born male horse is a colt; a new female horse is a filly. Filly foal - or - Colt foal.

Crow hopping - all four legs stiff and jumping up and down as well as forward.

I learned a lot about cattle but my heart broke when I learned that a Bobby calf is one killed at four days old for veal.