The story of the Cheyenne started nearly six-hundred years ago.  They weren't always a plains tribe.  They originally were a woodland tribe.  They lived in the Great lakes region and were farmers and lived in earth lodges.  They latter began moving west and slowly began becoming nomads.  They quickly learned the uses of horses. 
       They are some of the western most tribes of the Algonquian family.  The word Cheyenne means, alien language.  They split into two groups the northern and southern Cheyenne.  Relations continued but inevitably the intervention of white people made this impossible. 
       The Cheyenne had many religions.  I'm only going to mention a few.  The Cheyenne had at one time a belief given to them by the medicine man, sweet medicine.  It was that there were arrows that would make them indestructible. It was suppose to return their power to them but if they are broken then they will cease to exist spiritually and as tribe.  Part of the ritual was that only men may view the arrows to keep them powerful the Cheyenne had to act accordingly, responsibly, and not abuse the power. Oh yeah required the participation.  Another very important part of the ritual is a symbolic peeled willow stick.  Each family had one to represent them this was placed in side a double tipi called the renewal lodge where the bundle was opened and the arrows redone.  Another very important part in Cheyenne religion was the usage of sacred earths.  Two small patches of cleared soil on opposite sides of the renewal lodge one representing the Cheyenne diminishing drawing power in on it's self.  While the other represented Shwatio increasing in power in power as energy was released from the center.
       They also had a belief called the sun dance ritual a dancer in summer would dance for days without food or water often sometimes there was a special lodge built around a central pole. The dancer may often hang his body from the sticks with raw hide or instead the pole might have animal skulls used and dance until his skin burst from the sticks.  This ritual was is often performed so that one gain favor in the spirit world.
      All right when I said two I meant three.  One type of religion was the tree burial were a close relative  of the deceased would put the deceased in good clothes and was painted and put in a tree as a burial.  If in a treeless area then a scaffold was made and supported on four upright poles.  The people the people would often mourn for about a year.  To show sorrow they might scar them selves or a loved one might moan on grave sights, although they believed spots so haunted not even enemy tribes would dare defile such a sight for fear of spiritual vengeance.
       The Cheyenne are as a hole not a war like people.  As a hole no more than any other group of people.  Although having been betrayed in many treaties have made them have to fight.  The most known of their soldiers were the dog soldiers or crazy dogs.
        In 1851 word of gold caused whites to move forward west causing raids and war with other Indians so to stop the raids the Fort Laramie treaty set up.  The treaty set up tribal boundaries as well as states that land is theirs for every and says they will receive money as well as as military aid.  The Indians signed it aside from a few small gangs that attacked whites.  The Cheyenne obeyed the treaty while the government flat out ignored it.
       On October 14, 1865 the southern Cheyenne tribe signed a treaty stating they cede all of their land unto the u.s. government and most of the Colorado teritority.  Due to the medicine lodge treaty saying they move onto smaller reservation in Indian territory. The United States Government ignored their side of the treaty.  This caused more Indians to join roman nose.  In 1861the southern Cheyenne signed a treaty giving up all their land except their sand creek reservation which was about two hundred miles away from the nearest buffalo herd. 
This was set off by Cheyenne attacked on white settlement in 1861-1864 after the of gold in the pikes peak region of Colorado between 250-400 Indians were killed on November 29, 1864.  Black Kettle rose an American flag and a white flag as symbols of peace the Cheyenne were involved in a battle called the sand creek massacre in which Black Kettle was killed a group of Cheyenne who were under government protection were camped on sand creek were were slattered by the third Colorado volunteers under command by colonel John chivington well they were attacked on their land and military personal researched the slatter though action was not taken to pay it back so the Cheyenne began raiding and obliterating Colorado cattle for food the Colorado militia attacked Indian groups because of this well of course the first group they attacked had nothing to do with this. This caused anger and so black kettle went to see the army. The army agreed to peace terms on that they return to sand creek so they can be at peace.  This caused military action against them which led to the Medicine Lodge treaty. November 12, ove4r 100men and women and children were killed including black kettle. When the attacked village came out to see what the problem was they were killed.  Custer decided to attack the Cheyenne in winter his soldiers followed a group onto the Washitia river they attacked a village with nothing to do with the raids.  Thanks to this a small band followed along with Roman Nose and began to wander their former lands. Black Kettle and surviving Cheyenne a treaty for better Kansas territory.
Revised: December 23, 2004 .
Brian Rutschmann

8th American History

Rossville Jr. High

Plains History Project

2004

Bibliography