Lighthorse was the name given by the Five Civilized Tribes

Five Civilized Tribes

The Five Civilized Tribes were the five Native American nations—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—that were considered civilized by Anglo-European settlers during the colonial and early federal period because they adopted many of the colonists' customs and had generally good...

 of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 to their mounted police force. The Lighthorse were generally organized into companies and assigned to different districts. Perhaps the most famous were the Cherokee

Cherokee

The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...

 Lighthorsemen which had their origins in Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

. Although the mounted police were disbanded when the Five Civilized Tribes lost their tribal lands in the late 19th century, some tribes still use the Lighthorse name for elements of their police forces.

• Cherokee Light Horse
• Chickasaw Light Horse
• Choctaw Light Horse
• Creek Light Horse
• Seminole Light Horse

Sources

• Foreman, Carolyn Thomas. "The Light-Horse in the Indian Territory", Chronicles of Oklahoma 34:1 (January 1956) 17-43 (retrieved August 17, 2006)

External links

• Seminole Light Horse