Cheyenne Nation

Cheyenne Nation
Name	Cheyenne
Caption	Southern Cheyenne warrior, 1857
Population	12,000–20,000 (est.)
Regions	Great Plains, Oklahoma, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming
Languages	Cheyenne, English language
Related	Lakota people, Dakota people, Arapaho people, Arapahoan languages

Cheyenne Nation

The Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains historically known for equestrian culture, warrior societies, and complex kinship structures centered on bands and councils. Traditionally divided into the Tsétsêhéstâhese (Southern Cheyenne) and Só'taeo'o (Northern Cheyenne), they engaged in diplomacy, trade, and conflict with neighboring peoples such as the Arapaho people, Kiowa, Comanche, and Crow. Contact with Spanish Empire, French colonists, and later the United States shaped treaties, battles, and reservation era policies that remain central to contemporary Cheyenne life.

Introduction

The Cheyenne are an Algonquian-speaking people whose ancestral homeland encompassed much of the central Great Plains from the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains. Ethnographers and historians such as James Mooney, George Bird Grinnell, and Francis La Flesche documented Cheyenne social organization, ceremonies, and oral histories during the 19th and early 20th centuries. During the 19th century Cheyenne leaders including Black Kettle, Little Wolf, Dull Knife, and Two Moons negotiated with representatives of Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and Philip Sheridan amid expansion and conflict.

History

Cheyenne oral tradition traces migration from the northeastern woodlands; linguistic ties link them to other Algonquian languages spoken near the Great Lakes. By the early 19th century, equestrian adaptation influenced by trade with Spanish Empire and French colonists transformed subsistence toward bison hunting alongside alliances with the Arapaho people and rivalries with the Crow, Sioux confederacy, and Ute people. Key 19th-century events include the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 involving John Chivington, the Battle of Washita River where George A. Custer’s forces attacked after Fort Laramie treaties, and the Battle of Little Bighorn allied actions with Lakota people. Reservation era impositions such as the Dawes Act and the establishment of agencies under the Bureau of Indian Affairs precipitated land loss, forced relocations to Oklahoma and Montana, and legal struggles exemplified by the 20th-century activism of leaders like Henry Roe Cloud and organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians.

Culture and Society

Cheyenne social life historically revolved around bands, warrior societies, and religious orders including the Beaded Lodge and the Medicine Lodge complex of ceremonies; intermediaries like the military societies enforced customs during buffalo hunts and conflict. Ceremonial life incorporated the Sun Dance, Ghost Dance, and vision quest practices shared across Plains nations; artists produced ledger art, beadwork, and quillwork exhibited in collections at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Prominent cultural figures include the warrior-historian Roman Nose, holy man Sweet Medicine (in oral tradition), and 20th-century cultural advocates such as Mari Sandoz. Intertribal diplomacy was conducted through councils that negotiated treaties such as the Fort Laramie 1868 and disputes that involved officials from Department of the Interior and military officers including Nelson A. Miles.

Language

The Cheyenne language is part of the Algonquian languages and is classified within the Arapahoan languages subgroup alongside Arapaho language. Linguists such as Franz Boas and Maurice Bloomfield recorded phonology, morphology, and oral literature; modern revitalization work involves educators, community programs, and university partnerships at institutions like the University of Oklahoma and the University of Montana. Published resources include grammars, dictionaries, and collections by scholars such as Virginia R. Julyan and revitalization efforts often collaborate with tribal cultural departments and organizations like the Language Conservancy.

Government and Legal Status

Contemporary Cheyenne people are citizens of federally recognized entities such as the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. Tribal constitutions, elected councils, and judicial systems interact with federal law under acts like the Indian Reorganization Act and decisions from the United States Supreme Court that affect jurisdictional matters including land claims, treaty rights, and natural resource governance. Landmark legal disputes have involved litigation over hunting and fishing rights, trust responsibilities of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and compensation claims processed through the Indian Claims Commission and federal courts. Representatives attend intertribal bodies including the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes and advocacy through organizations like the Native American Rights Fund.

Economy and Contemporary Issues

Economic life among Cheyenne communities combines tribal enterprises—such as casinos regulated under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act—agriculture, cultural tourism, and arts markets that sell beadwork, leatherwork, and contemporary media. Social challenges include health disparities addressed with partners like the Indian Health Service, educational initiatives with schools and colleges such as Haskell Indian Nations University, and environmental issues involving Bureau of Land Management lands, Environmental Protection Agency regulations, and resource extraction disputes with energy companies. Activism on sovereignty, cultural protection, and land restoration involves coalitions with groups like the National Congress of American Indians, Sierra Club, and regional tribal organizations, while federal policy developments—led by administrations and Congressional committees—continue to shape funding, legal recognition, and program delivery.

Category:Native American tribes in the United States