Historical & Contemporary Perspectives
1. Background on origination of Cheyenne tribes.
1. The Cheyenne and the Sutai merge.
2. Northern and Southern Cheyenne – The “time” of the Buffalo and the “time” of the Horse.
4. Cheyenne religious ceremonies – Sacred Medicine Hat, Renewal of the Medicine Arrows, the Sun Dance
5. Cheyenne symbolism – the Dragonfly
6. The White Man – Treaties, fragile peace, and bloody battles.
1. Modern tribal divisions – The Allotment Act of 1887.
2. U.S. government compensatory damages to the Cheyenne.
3. Modern socio-economic problems, loss of land, dwindling numbers.
1. Then and Now – Cheyenne heritage endures against the changes of time.
Historical & Contemporary Perspectives
“What made the Cheyenne special was that they were fewer than most of their enemies; always outnumbered but never outfought”
The Cheyenne Indians were one of the mightiest tribes on the Great Plains. The Cheyenne originally settled the land as farmers but during the 18th century their introduction to horses allowed them to travel far distances. Mighty hunters and warriors, the Cheyenne merited the respect of both friends and enemies equally. However, the biggest threat to the Cheyenne, like most Native American tribes, would be the U.S. Army during the late 19th century “Some tribes were hunters and warriors, some were farmers and peacemakers. Each tribe blended with the environment, giving and taking from the land, and wedding itself to nature. Then the White Man came—and everything changed” (Lodge, 1990, BC).
After surviving years of fighting, the Cheyenne were able to defeat General George Custer at the famous Battle of Little Bighorn. Yet, though this battle represented “Custer’s last stand” it, too, represented the last stand of the Cheyenne also. Not long after the Battle of Bighorn, the Cheyenne stopped buffalo hunting and settled on reservat...