Arapaho

Arapaho. The Arapaho are a Native American people historically associated with the Great Plains region of the United States. Originally a sedentary, agricultural group in the Midwestern United States, they migrated westward and became nomadic Plains Indians, renowned as skilled hunters and warriors. The tribe split into two main divisions, the Northern Arapaho and Southern Arapaho, in the early 19th century, a division that persists in their federally recognized communities today.

History

Their early history places them around the Red River of the North near present-day Minnesota, closely allied with the Gros Ventre. Pressure from neighboring tribes like the Ojibwe, armed with European guns through the fur trade, pushed them southwest onto the plains. By the early 1800s, they were established in the areas around the Platte River and Arkansas River, forming a powerful alliance with the Cheyenne. This period was marked by conflict with rival nations such as the Shoshone, Ute, Pawnee, and Lakota, as well as involvement in the Bent's Old Fort trading network. The 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie assigned them territory, but the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, where Colorado Territory militia attacked a Southern Arapaho and Cheyenne camp, was a catastrophic event. Following the American Indian Wars, including the Battle of the Little Bighorn where some Arapaho fought alongside Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, the Southern Arapaho were relocated to Indian Territory with the Cheyenne after the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty, while the Northern Arapaho were sent to the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming with their former enemies, the Shoshone.

Language

The Arapaho speak the Arapaho language, an Algonquian language most closely related to Gros Ventre and more distantly to Cheyenne. It is a polysynthetic language known for its complex verb structures and significant sound shifts from Proto-Algonquian. The language was traditionally unwritten, though a Latin script orthography was developed later. It is considered severely endangered, with vigorous revitalization programs led by tribal communities, particularly at the Wind River Indian Reservation, and in collaboration with linguists from institutions like the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of California, Berkeley.

Culture

Traditionally, Arapaho culture centered on the Plains Indian lifestyle, following bison herds and living in portable tipis. Their social structure was organized into bands and age-graded societies, such as the Crazy Dogs warrior society. The Sun Dance was their most important religious ceremony, a rite of renewal and sacrifice. They are also known for intricate Beadwork and quillwork artistry, often featuring geometric patterns, which adorned clothing and ceremonial objects. Key cultural symbols include the Sacred Pipe and the Medicine Wheel, with the latter exemplified by the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming. Religious authority resided with ritual keepers, and sacred narratives often featured the trickster-transformer figure Nihʼą́ą́sán.

Contemporary tribes and communities

Today, the Arapaho people are represented by three federally recognized tribes. The Northern Arapaho Tribe resides on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, sharing the reservation with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe under the governance of the Joint Business Council. The Southern Arapaho Tribe is federally recognized as part of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, headquartered in Concho, Oklahoma. A third group, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, represents the combined nation. These tribal governments manage extensive programs in health care, education, economic development, and cultural preservation, operating entities like the Wind River Hotel and Casino and the Tribal College System.

Notable Arapaho people

Notable historical figures include Chief Left Hand, a prominent 19th-century Southern Arapaho leader known for his advocacy for peace. Chief Black Coal was a significant Northern Arapaho leader during the reservation era. In modern times, individuals like Harold I. Salway served as a tribal chairman and advocate. Educator and language preservationist Alonzo Moss Sr. contributed significantly to cultural revitalization. Contemporary figures include artist Mercy T. Yellowhair and political activist Bernadine Craft.