The Cheyenne Tribe

By: Tasia Brodsky, Zach Rolfs, Alex Hall, and Hldi Nielsen

A Brief History of the Cheyenne

There is no written record of where the Cheyenne were, how they lived, or where they came from prior to the 16th century On the oldest record, the Cheyenne were known as an agricultural tribe (they farmed for their food) and they lived in the upper Mississippi Valley After they traded with the Spanish (in the 1700s) and acquired horses, the Cheyenne became hunters of the buffalo (as they are today) o The buffalo provided food, clothing, tools, and jewelry for the Cheyenne o The Cheyenne never ate the meat located on the front of the buffalo underneath its' chin because they believed it was human flesh The Cheyenne are a relatively peaceful tribe The only war with another native american tribe they were involved in was with the Pawnee o The Kiowa, the Araparo, and the Crow were allies with the Cheyenne o The Pawnee won this war in 1853 and forced the allied tribes off their lands

Past location of the Cheyenne Tribe

Before American settlers came, the cheyenne moved around a lot They did this to be able to hunt big game and not wipe out areas of animal population By the time American settlers met them, the Cheyenne were in the Great Plains Area (South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas) These areas were made up of vast plains which were good for the type of hunting they did.

The Relocation of the Cheyenne

During the 1800's the United States government started forcing the Cheyenne to move to an Oklahoma reservation Some of the Cheyenne escaped and moved north in Montana Those in Montana were eventually forced onto a reservation there.

Orange indicates Cheyenne reservation in Oklahoma

Current location of the Cheyenne

Today about 60% of Cheyenne live on a reservation in Western Oklahoma (known as the Southern Cheyenne) The rest live either on a reservation in Montana (known as the Northern Cheyenne) or live with Dakota and Sioux tribes o The Montana reservation has about 4,868 Cheyenne members living on it today o It is approximately 44,000 acres in size (99% owned by tribe members)

Pink indicates location of Cheyenne reservation in Montana

Characteristics of Tribe
Division of Work:
o

Men Hunted  Made Tools and Weapons

Women Gathered Sticks  Tanned Animal Hides

Free Time Was Spent:

o o o o

Improving Physical Appearance Listening to The Stories of Elders Making Jokes Peace pipes and storytelling were important

Characteristics of Tribe
Politics:
o o

(cont.)

Tribe was run by Chief and council of respected men The Chief was chosen for his generosity, kindness, sympathy, and courage

Language:
o o

A distinct dialect of the Algonquin language Still used today; kept alive as tradition

The Peace Pipe

Many rules o Prayers offered beforehand o Specific ways to smoke it

Religious Practices of the Tribe

Man-hood Ritual:
o o

4 days of fasting Enhances 'spiritual power' Held every summer Brought new life to tribe Gather in circle opening to the East Sacred objects Buffalo hat 4 arrows (For good health, long lives, and plenty of food)

Sun Dance Festival:

o o o o o o o

Cheyenne Gods, spirits, and heros.

Gods
Maheo/great medicine/Heammawihio - Supreme god or great spirit Maiyun - The great spirit Wihio- Spider trickster! Spirits - Star Spirits - Spirits in animals

Creation!
Haemmawehio created man from right rib and woman from his left Placed on opposite sides of the earth man=heat, woman=cold Their battle resulted in the seasons *Great medicine grants power to humans (arrows)

Some more...
Everything could talk and there was a common language Three kinds of people: hairy, white people with hair on head and legs, red hairless people The red people were more advanced and blessed with knowledge from GM The earth grew harsher, the red men suffered The Great Medicine took pity on them but most died The Cheyenne are the red man's descendents.

The Legend of Falling-Star

Birth of Falling-Star
-Two girls were stargazing -Brightest star kidnaps the girl -Allowed to garden, but not the white turnips -Girl was homesick -She fell, but the unborn child survived

The Legend of Falling-Star

The Life of Falling-Star
-Raised by larks -Returned to the tribe -Killed Water-Monster -People could get water again -Moved to another lodge -Killed White Crow -People could hunt buffalo again

Archetypes
-The Child -The Hero -The Mentor -The Shadow -Mother/father=first humans. nurtured the earth with contrasting powers.

Connections!
Cheyenne creation myth very similar to Christianity First humans were created by a God like in most of the myths we've studied Created from God himself Man raised by animals must return to mankind o Jungle book

Values!
-Be careful what you say -Obey to authority -Help the elderly -Fight with courage

Do we have time for a video, Ms.Teacher?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yASrfwkunm8&feature=playe r_embedded#!

Works Cited
"Falling-Star." Indigenous Peoples Literature. Web. 28 Dec. 2011. <http://www.indigenouspeople.net/fallings.htm>. Cheyenne Indian. Web. 30 Dec. 2011. <http://www.cheyenneindian.com/>. http://www.aaanativearts.com/cheyenne-indians/index.html "Cheyenne Indians." AAA Native Arts. Web. 30 Dec. 2011. Tasia: "The Cheyenne and Arapaho." Coloradohumanities.org. Colorado Humanities, 2010. Web. 29 Dec. 2011. <http://coloradohumanities.org/content/cheyenne-and-arapaho>. Alex: "Native American Creation Stories - Cheyenne - Great Medicine Tale." Junto Society Home Page. Web. 30 Dec. 2011. <http://www.juntosociety.com/native/creationcc.htm>. "Kansas: Cheyenne Anthem." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 1 Jan. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yASrfwkunm8>. CHEYENNE TRIBE. Web. 2 Jan. 2012. <http://cheyennetribe2008-v.blogspot.com/>.

Works Cited (cont.)

Hldi: "The Cheyenne Tribe." Omaha Public Library. Omaha Public Library, 1998. Web. 08 Jan. 2012. Redish, Laura, and Orrin Lewis. "Facts for Kids: Cheyenne Indians (Cheyennes)." Native Languages of the Americas. Native Languages of the Americas, 1998. Web. 08 Jan. 2012. "Northern Cheyenne Tribe." Northern Cheyenne Nation. Ed. Wallace. Northern Cheyenne Nation, 2011. Web. 08 Jan. 2012. Pritzker, Barry. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Print.

Waldman, Carl, and Molly Braun. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. New York, NY: Facts on File, 1988. Print. Element Fusion. "Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes." Welcome | Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. Element Fusion, 2010. Web. 08 Jan. 2012.