?The award has been given to an interdisciplinary research team with the participation of scientists from the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC

The study looked into the evolutionary history of the American horse. This collaboration opens the way to repair history and create co-designing strategies for a more sustainable future.

An interdisciplinary team of Indigenous and western scientists from around the globe, among them researchers from the Doñana Biological Station-CSIC, were selected as recipients of the 2024 Newcomb Cleveland Prize. The award of $25,000, given at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the oldest and most prestigious award given by the organization. It is offered annually to an outstanding publication in Science. It was given to the diverse authorship team of Early Dispersal of Domestic Horses in the Great Plains and Northern Rockies, published in the journal in the spring of 2023.

The paper, which combined archaeozoological study of ancient horses from archaeological sites and museum collections across the continent with cutting-edge genomics, and traditional Indigenous scientific knowledge, helped rewrite the story of people and horses in North America – showing that horses had deeper antiquity in Native societies across the region than could be gleaned from European or American historical records. Most importantly, the research demonstrated the enhanced research experience and scientific power that comes from thoughtful cross-cultural partnerships based on equal footing.

"Walking the earth as Lakota is to protect, sustain and advocate for all life. This global collaboration, and those to come, are what is necessary for ourselves and all Peoples to protect their traditional lands, relations and lifeways for the sustainability of Grandmother Earth and all life. The time is upon us," says Chief Joe American Horse, an Indigenous scientist, knowledge keeper and study co-author.

The funds from the award will be donated to create a new endowment at the University of Colorado, named in memoriam for late study co-author and elder, Knowledge Keeper and cultural educator for the Sicangu Lakota People, Sam High Crane. The endowment will help support research and training for Indigenous perspectives and young professionals in archaeology, archaeogenetics, and the museum world. This donation is the first step in a larger partnership between leaders from the Global Institute for Traditional Sciences (GIFTS), the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Paul Sabatier University of Toulouse, and the University of Colorado.

Further info about the paper here

William Thimothy Threal Taylor et al. Early dispersal of domestic horses into the Great Plains and northern Rockies. Science 379, 1316–1323 (2023), www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adc9691