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{{About|the Native American people|the city in Wyoming|Cheyenne, Wyoming|other uses|Cheyenne (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
|group=Cheyenne
|image=[[Image:Cheyenne-portraits.jpg|none|270px]]Cheyenne portraits
|poptime=22,180<br/>
(Northern: 10,050 <ref name="Northern Cheyenne Tribe website">{{Cite web|url = http://www.cheyennenation.com/|title = Northern Cheyenne Tribe website|accessdate = November 11, 2013}}</ref> Southern: 12,130<ref name=OIA>Oklahoma Indian Affairs. [http://www.ok.gov/oiac/Publications/index.html Oklahoma Indian Nations Pocket Pictorial Directory.] 2008:7</ref>)
|popplace={{Flag|United States}} ({{Flag|Montana}}, {{Flag|Oklahoma}})
|rels=traditional tribal religion, [[Native American Church]], and [[Christianity]] 
|langs=[[Cheyenne language|Cheyenne]], [[English language|English]]
|related=[[Arapaho]], [[Blackfoot]], Suhtai, and other [[Algonquian peoples]]
}}
[[File:Gilcrease - Cheyenne Beaded Dress.jpg|thumb|Cheyenne beaded hide dress, ca. 1920, [[Gilcrease Museum]]]]
[[File:Woolaroc - Cheyenne-Shirt.jpg|thumb|Cheyenne beaded hide shirt, [[Woolaroc]]]]

'''Cheyenne people''' ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|aɪ|ˈ|æ|n}} {{respell|shy|AN|'}}) are an [[indigenous people of the Great Plains]], belonging to the [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]] language–speaking people. The Cheyenne are made up of two [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] ethnic groups, the '''Só'taeo'o''' (more commonly spelled as '''Suhtai''' or '''Sutaio''') and the '''Tsétsêhéstâhese''' (also spelled '''Tsitsistas'''<ref name=ohs>[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/C/CH030.html "Cheyenne, Southern."] ''Oklahoma History Center's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.'' Retrieved 3 July 2013.</ref>). These tribes merged in the early 19th century. Today Cheyenne people are split into two [[federally recognized]] groups:  [[Southern Cheyenne]], who are enrolled in the [[Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes]] in [[Oklahoma]], and the [[Northern Cheyenne]], who are enrolled in the [[Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation]] in [[Montana]].

The Cheyenne lived in [[Minnesota]] at the time of European contact and were often allied with the [[Lakota people|Lakota]] and [[Arapaho]]. They migrated west across the [[Mississippi River]] and into [[North Dakota|North]] and [[South Dakota]] in the early 18th century.<ref name=ohs/> They adopted [[horse culture]] and developed more centralized authority through ritual ceremonies and structure than other Plains Indians in the 19th century. Having settled the [[Black Hills]] of South Dakota and the [[Powder River Country]] of present-day Montana, they introduced the horse culture to Lakota bands about 1730. Allied with the Arapaho, the Cheyenne pushed the [[Kiowa]] to the Southern Plains. In turn, they were pushed west by the more numerous Lakota.

The Cheyenne Nation or '''Tsêhéstáno''' had ten bands, spread across the Great Plains, from southern [[Colorado]] to the Black Hills in South Dakota. They performed an annual Arrow Renewal ceremony and [[Sun Dance]].<ref name=ohs/> When gathered, the bands leaders met in formal council. They fought their traditional enemies the [[Crow Nation|Crow]], and later (1856–1879) against [[United States Army]] forces. In the mid-19th century, the bands began to split, with some bands choosing to remain near the Black Hills, while others chose to remain near the [[Platte River]]s of central Colorado.

The Northern Cheyenne, known in Cheyenne either as '''Notameohmésêhese''' meaning "Northern Eaters" or simply as '''Ohmésêhese''' meaning "Eaters", live in southeast Montana on the [[Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation]]. Tribal enrollment figures as of early 2013 show that there are approximately 10,050 enrolled tribal members, of which about 4,939 reside on the reservation. Approximately 91% of the population are Native Americans (full or part race), with 72.8% identifying themselves as Cheyenne. Slightly more than one quarter of the population five years or older spoke a language other than English.<ref name ="Cheyenne Tribe website">Northern Cheyenne Tribe website[http://www.cheyennenation.com]</ref>

The [[Southern Cheyenne]], known in Cheyenne as '''Heévâhetaneo'o''' meaning "Roped People", together with the Southern ''Arapaho'', form the [[Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes]], in western Oklahoma. Their combined population is 12,130, {{as of|2008|lc=y}}.<ref name="OIA"/>  In 2003, about 8,000 of these identified as Cheyenne. With continued intermarriage, it is difficult to separate the tribes.<ref name=ohs/>

==Name==
The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two [[Indian tribe|tribes]], the '''Só'taeo'o''' (more commonly as '''Sutaio''') and the '''Tsétsêhéstâhese''' (more commonly as the '''Tsitsistas'''; singular: '''Tsétsêhéstaestse'''), which translates to "those like us" or "Human Beings." These two tribes had always traveled together, becoming fully merged sometime after 1831, when they were still noted as having separate camps. The Suhtai were said to have originally had slightly different speech and customs from their traveling companions.<ref name="Grinnell, p. 2">Grinnell, ''The Fighting Cheyenne'', p. 2.</ref>

The name "Cheyenne" derives from [[Siouan language|Dakota Sioux]] [[exonym]] for them, ''Šahíyena'' (meaning "little ''Šahíya''"). Though the identity of the ''Šahíya'' is not known, many [[Great Plains]] tribes assume it means [[Cree]] or some other people who spoke an [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian language]] related to Cree and Cheyenne.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.geocities.com/cheyenne_language/origin.htm|title = What is the origin of the word "Cheyenne"?|accessdate = September 21, 2007|date = 2002-03-03|publisher = Cheyenne Language Web Site|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090807032944/http://geocities.com/cheyenne_language/origin.htm|archivedate=2009-08-07}}</ref>  The Cheyenne word for Ojibwe" is "'''Sáhea'eo'o'''," a word that sounds similar to the ''Dakota'' word ''Šahíya''."

One of the most common etymologies for ''Cheyenne'' is "a bit like the [people of an] alien speech" (literally, "red-talker").<ref>Bright, William (2004). ''Native American Place Names of the United States''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pg. 95</ref> According to [[George Bird Grinnell]], the Dakota had referred to themselves and fellow [[Siouan]]-language bands as "white talkers", and those of other language families, such as the Algonquian Cheyenne, as "red talkers" (''Šahíyena'').<ref name="Grinnell, p. 2"/>

==Language==
{{Main|Cheyenne language}}
The Cheyenne of Montana and Oklahoma speak the [[Cheyenne language]], known as ''Tsêhésenêstsestôtse'' (common spelling: Tsisinstsistots). Approximately 800 people speak Cheyenne in Oklahoma.<ref name=ohs/> Only a handful of vocabulary differs between the two locations. The Cheyenne alphabet contains 14 letters. The Cheyenne language is one of the larger [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian-language]] group.

==History==

===Early History===
[[Image:Edward S. Curtis Collection People 084.jpg|thumb|Cheyenne woman photograph by [[Edward S. Curtis]], 1930]]
The earliest known written historical record of the Cheyenne comes from the mid-17th century, when a group of Cheyenne visited the [[France|French]] [[Fort Crevecoeur]], near present-day [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]. The Cheyenne at this time lived between the [[Mississippi River]] and [[Mille Lacs Lake]] in present-day [[Minnesota]]. The Cheyenne economy was based on collection of [[wild rice]] and hunting, especially of [[bison]] which lived in the prairies 70–80 miles west of the Cheyenne villages.<ref>Moore, John H. ''The Cheyenne.'' Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Co., 1999, pp. 15-16</ref>

According to tribal tradition, during the 17th century the Cheyenne had been driven by the ''Ho hé'' ([[Assiniboine people|Assiniboine]]) from the [[Great Lakes]] region to present-day [[Minnesota]] and [[North Dakota]], where they established villages. The most prominent of the ancient Cheyenne villages is Biesterfeldt Village, in eastern North Dakota along the [[Sheyenne River]]. Tradition tells that they first reached the [[Missouri River]] in 1676.<ref>Grinnell, ''The Fighting Cheyenne'', p. 1–8.</ref> A more recent analysis of early records posits that at least some of the Cheyenne remained in the Mille Lac region of Minnesota until c. 1765, when the [[Ojibwe]] defeated the Dakota with firearms &mdash; pushing the Cheyenne in turn to the Minnesota River, where they were reported in 1766.<ref>Moore, John H. ''The Cheyenne.'' Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Co., 1999, p. 18</ref>

On the Missouri River, the Cheyenne came into contact with the neighboring [[Mandan]], [[Hidatsa]] and [[Arikara]] people, and they adopted many of their cultural characteristics. They were first of the later Plains tribes into the [[Black Hills]] and [[Powder River Country]]. About 1730 they introduced the horse to Lakota bands. Conflict with migrating Lakota and Ojibwe people forced the Cheyenne further west, and they in turn pushed the [[Kiowa]] to the south.<ref name="cheyenne">{{Cite web| last =Liberty | first =Dr. Margot | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url = http://www.friendslittlebighorn.com/cheyenneprimacy.htm| title = Cheyenne Primacy: The Tribes' Perspective As Opposed To That Of The United States Army; A Possible Alternative To "The Great Sioux War Of 1876| work = | publisher = Friends of the Little Bighorn| accessdate = 13 January 2008}}</ref>

By 1776 the Lakota had overwhelmed the Cheyenne and taken over much of their territory near the [[Black Hills]]. In 1804, [[Lewis and Clark Expedition|Lewis and Clark]] visited a surviving Cheyenne village in North Dakota.  Such European American explorers learned many different names for the Cheyenne, and did not realize how the different sections were forming a unified tribe.<ref name="cheyenne"/>

Cheyenne people had an oral culture. Their [[oral history]] relays how the prophet Sweet Medicine organized their war societies, their system of legal justice, and the [[Council of Forty-four]] chiefs.<ref name=ohs/> The ten bands have four leaders each, and the Council of Forty-Four meet to deliberate at regular tribal gatherings, centered around the Sun Dance.

The prophet Erect Horns gave them the Sacred Arrows and accompanying ceremonies, which they carried when they waged tribal-level war.<ref name="cheyenne"/> Erect Horns convinced the tribe to abandon their earlier sedentary agricultural traditions to adopt [[nomad]]ic Plains horse culture. They replaced their earth lodges with portable [[tipi]]s and switched their diet from fish and agricultural produce, to mainly [[bison]] and wild fruits and vegetables. Their lands ranged from the upper [[Missouri River]] into what is now [[Wyoming]], Montana, Colorado, and South Dakota.
{{clear}}

===Historical Cheyenne bands===
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2012}}
'''[[Northern Cheyenne]]''' (known in Cheyenne either as '''Notameohmésêhese''' meaning "Northern Eaters" or simply as '''Ohmésêhese''' or '''Ôhmésêheseo'o''' meaning "Eaters")
* Notameohmésêhese proper ("Northern Eaters", also simply known as ''Omísis'', ''Ohmésêhese'' or ''Ôhmésêheseo'o'' - "Eaters", went by this names because they were known as great hunters and therefore had a good supply of meat to feed their people, most populous Cheyenne group)
** Anskówînîs ("Narrow Nose", "narrow-nose-bridge", named after their first chief ''Anskówînîs'')
** Mo'ôhtávêhetane ("Black Men", "[[Ute people|Ute]]-like Men", because they had darker skin than other Cheyenne, they looked more like the Utes to their Cheyenne kin, also meaning ″Mountain Men″)
* Northern Oivimána (''Northern Oévemana'' - "Northern Scabby", "Northern Scalpers")
* Totoimana (''Tútoimanáh'' - "Backward Clan", "Shy Clan" or "Bashful Clan", lived along the [[Tongue River (Montana)|Tongue River]])
* Masikota ("Crickets", "Grasshoppers", perhaps a [[Lakota language|Lakotiyapi]] word ''mazikute'' - "iron (rifle) shooters", from ''mazi'' - "iron" and ''kute'' - "to shoot", mixed Cheyenne-Lakota band, were known by the latter as ''Sheo'', lived southeast of the Black Hills along the White River, intermarried with [[Oglala Lakota]] and [[Brulé|Sičháŋǧu Oyáte]], was the first group of the tribal unit on the Plains, hence their name ''First Named'')
** Hó'nawa (''Honowa'', ''Ononeo'' or ''Háovôhnóva'' - "[[Arikara]] People", because they were through intermarriage of mixed Cheyenne-Arikara heritage)
* Northern Só'taeo'o (''Suhtai'' or ''Sutaio'', married only other Só'taeo'o (Northern or Southern alike) and camped always separate from the other Cheyenne camps, maintained closest ties to the ''Notameohmésêhese'' band)
** first band
** second band
'''[[Southern Cheyenne]]''' (known in Cheyenne as '''Heévâhetaneo'o''' meaning "Roped People", also commonly known as ''Sówoniá'' - "the Southern People")
* Tsistsistas proper
** Heviksnipahis (''Iviststsinihpah'' - "Aorta People" or "Burnt Aorta People")
** Moiseo (''Monsoni'' - "Flint-Men", called after the ''Flintmen Society'' (Motsêsóonetaneo'o), were also called ''Otata-voha'' - "Blue Horses", after Blue Horse, the first leader of the ''Coyote Warriors Society'' (O'ôhoménotâxeo'o), both were branches of the ''Fox Warriors Society'' (Vóhkêséhetaneo'o or Monêsóonetaneo'o), one of the four original [[Cheyenne military societies]])
* Hévhaitanio or Heévâhetaneo'o proper (''Heévâhetane'' - "Haire Rope Men", "Hairy People", also ″Fur Men″)
* Southern Oivimána (''Southern Oévemana'' - "Southern Scabby", "Southern Scalpers", originally part of the ''Hevhaitanio'')
* Hisíometanio (''Hesé'omeétaneo'o'' or ''Issiometaniu'' - "Ridge People", originally part of the Hevhaitanio, lived in the hill country along the Upper Smoky River in Colorado)
* Ná'kuimana ("Bear People")
* Hotametaneo (''Hotnowa'', ''Hownowa'' - "Poor People")
* Wotápio (from the [[Lakota language|Lakotiyapi]] word ''Wutapiu'': - "Eat with Lakota-Sioux", "Half-Cheyenne", "Cheyenne-Sioux", originally a band of Lakota Sioux which joined the Southern Cheyenne)
* Wóopotsît (''Wóhkpotsit'', ''Woxpometaneo'' - "White Wolf", "White River")
* Ohktounna (''Oktogana'', ''Oqtóguna'' or ''Oktoguna'' - "Bare Legged", "Protruding Jaw", referring to the art of dancing the ''Deer Dance'' before they were going to war, almost wiped out by an cholera epidemic in 1849)
* Southern Só'taeo'o (''Suhtai'' or ''Sutaio'', married only other Só'taeo'o (Northern or Southern alike) and camped always separate from the other Cheyenne camps, maintained closest ties to the ''Hisiometaneo'' band)
** first band 
** second band

The Heviksnipahis, Hévhaitanio, Masikota, Omísis (Notameohmésêhese proper), Só'taeo'o (''Suhtai'' or ''Sutaio'', Northern and Southern), Wotápio, Oivimána (Northern and Southern), Hisíometanio, Ohktounna and the Hónowa were the ten principal bands that had the right to send four chief delegates representing them in the [[Council of Forty-Four]].

After the ''Masikota'' had been almost wiped out through a [[cholera]] epidemic in 1849, the remaining Masikota joined the [[Dog Soldiers]] warrior society (''Hotamétaneo'o''). They effectively became a separate band and in 1850 took over the position in the camp circle formerly occupied by the Masikota. The members often opposed policies of peace chiefs such as [[Black Kettle]]. Over time the Dog Soldiers took a prominent leadership role in the wars against the whites. In 1867, most of the band were killed by United States Army forces in the [[Battle of Summit Springs]].

Due to an increasing division between the Dog Soldiers and the council chiefs with respect to policy towards the whites, the Dog Soldiers became separated from the other Cheyenne bands. They effectively became a ''third division'' of the Cheyenne people, between the Northern Cheyenne, who ranged north of the Platte River, and the Southern Cheyenne, who occupied the area north of the Arkansas River.

===Expansion on the Plains===
[[File:Cheyenne-George Catlin.jpg|thumb|Portrait of Cheyenne chief Wolf-on-the-Hill by [[George Catlin]], 1832. A band of Cheyenne visited Fort Pierre in 1832 where some were painted by Catlin during a westward expedition.]]
After being pushed south and westward by the Lakota and the unified Cheyenne people began to create and expand a new territory of their own. Sometime around 1811 the Cheyenne made a formal alliance with the [[Arapaho people]], which would remain strong throughout their history and into modern times. The alliance helped the Cheyenne expand their territory which stretched from southern Montana, through most of Wyoming, the eastern half of Colorado, far western Nebraska, and far western Kansas. As early as 1820, traders and explorers reported contact with Cheyenne at present-day [[Denver, Colorado]] and on the Arkansas River. They were probably hunting and trading in that area earlier. They may have migrated to the south for winter. The Hairy Rope band is reputed to have been the first band to move south, capturing wild horses as far south as the [[Cimarron River (Arkansas River)|Cimarron River]] Valley.<ref>Berthrong, pp. 13–21</ref> In response to the construction of [[Bent’s Fort]] by [[Charles Bent]], a friend of the Cheyenne who established a popular trading area for the Cheyenne, a large portion of the tribe moved further south and stayed around the area.<ref>Berthrong, pp. 24–26</ref> The other part of the tribe continued to live along the headwaters of the North Platte and Yellowstone rivers. The groups became the Southern Cheyenne, known as Sówoníă (Southerners) and the Northern Cheyenne, known as O'mǐ'sǐs (Eaters). The separation of the tribe was only a geographic one and the two divisions had regular and close contact.

[[File:Ledger Drawing - Cheyenne warriors fighting Mexican Lancers.jpg|thumb|left|Ledger drawing by Hubble Big Horse showing a battle between Cheyenne warriors and Mexican lancers.]]
In the southern portion of their territory the Cheyenne and Arapaho warred with the allied Comanche, Kiowa, and Plains Apache. Numerous battles were fought including a notable fight along the Red River in 1873 with the Kiowa which resulted in the death of 48 Cheyenne warriors of the Bowstring society.<ref>{{cite web|title=Battle of Wolf Creek|url=http://www.okhistory.org/sites/fswolfcreek|work=Oklahoma History|accessdate=02/09/2013}}</ref> The following summer many Cheyenne and Arapaho attacked a camp of Kiowa and Comanche along Wolf Creek in Oklahoma resulting in heavy losses from both sides. Conflict with the Comanche, Kiowa, and Plains Apache ended in 1840 when the tribes made an alliance with each other. The new alliance allowed the Cheyenne to enter the [[Llano Estacado]] in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles and northeastern New Mexico to hunt bison and trade. Their expansion in the south and alliance with the Kiowa led to their first raid into [[Mexico]] in 1853. The raid ended in disaster with heavy resistance from Mexican lancers, resulting in all but 3 of the war party being killed. To the north the Cheyenne made a strong alliance with the Lakota Sioux, which allowed them to expand their territory into part of their former lands around the Black Hills. They managed to escape the small pox epidemics which swept across the plains from white settlements in 1837-39 by heading into the Rocky Mountains but were greatly affected by the Cholera epidemic in 1849. Contact with Euro-Americans was mostly light, with most contact involving mountain men, traders, explorers, treaty makers, and painters.

===Enemies and Warrior Culture===
{{see also|Cheyenne military societies}}
[[File:Painting of chief Chief Killer - Cheyenne - E.A Burbank.jpg|thumb|left|Painting of chief Chief Killer a Southern Cheyenne war chief wearing society headdress. Painted by [[Elbridge Ayer Burbank|E.A Burbank]], 1899.]] 
[[File:Ledger drawing - Cheyenne and Pawnee or Osage fight.jpg|thumb|Ledger drawing showing a battle between a Cheyenne warrior (right) and an Osage or Pawnee warrior (left).]]
[[File:Crow-Cheyenne-fight.jpg|thumb|Ledger drawing of a mounted Cheyenne warrior counting coup with lance on a dismounted Crow warrior.]]
[[File:Ledger Drawing - Cheyenne Crazy Dog Society Warrior.jpg|thumb|Ledger drawing of a Cheyenne warrior with [[pronghorn antelope|pronghorn]] horned headdress, symbol of the Crazy Dog Society.]]
Like all other plains Indian nations the Cheyenne were a [[horse culture|horse and warrior]] people who developed as skilled and powerful mounted warriors. The warrior was viewed by the people not as a maker of war but as a protector, provider, and leader. Warriors gained rank in Cheyenne society by performing and accumulating various acts of bravery in battle known as [[counting coup|coups]]. The title of war chief can be earned by any warrior who performs enough of the specific coups required to become a war chief. Specific [[Cheyenne military societies|warrior societies]] developed among the Cheyenne as with other plains nations. Each society had selected leaders which would invite those they see worthy enough to join their society to their society lodge for initiation. Often societies would have minor rivalry or would work together as a unit when warring with an enemy. Military societies played an important role in Cheyenne government, society leaders were often in charge of organizing hunts and raids as well as ensuring proper discipline and enforcement of laws within the nation.<ref name="greene-9">Greene 2004, p. 9.</ref> Each of the six distinct warrior societies of the Cheyenne would take turns assuming the leadership role within the nation.<ref name="hyde-336">Hyde 1968, p. 336.</ref> The four original military societies of the Cheyenne were the Swift Fox Society, Elk Horn Scrapper or Crooked Lance Society, Shield Society, and the Bowstring Men Society. The fifth society is split between the Crazy Dog Society and the famous [[Dog Soldiers]]. The sixth society is the Contrary Warrior Society, most notable for riding backwards into battle as a sign of bravery.<ref>"Cheyenne Dictionary". Chief Dull Knife College. 2007-09-05. pp. societies. Retrieved June 10, 2013</ref> All six societies and their various branches exist among the Southern and Northern Cheyenne Nations in present times. Warriors use a combination of traditional weapons such as various types of [[Gunstock war club|war clubs]], [[Tomahawk (axe)|tomahawks]], bows and arrows, and lances as well as non-traditional weapons such as revolvers, rifles, and shotguns acquired through raid and trade.

The enemies of the Cheyenne included the [[Crow Nation|Crow]], [[Shoshone people|Shoshone]], [[Blackfoot Confederacy|Blackfeet]], [[Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation|Flathead]], [[Arikara people|Arikara]], [[Gros Ventre people|Gros Ventre]], [[Assiniboine people|Assiniboine]], and [[Cree|Plains Cree]] to the north and west of Cheyenne territory. To the east of Cheyenne Territory they fought with the [[Sioux]], [[Pawnee people|Pawnee]], [[Ponca]], [[Kaw people|Kaw]], [[Iowa people|Iowa]], [[Ho-Chunk]] and [[Omaha people|Omaha]]. South of Cheyenne territory they fought with the Kiowa, [[Comanche]], [[Ute people|Ute]], [[Plains Apache]], [[Osage Nation|Osage]] and [[Wichita people]]. Many of the enemies the Cheyenne fought were only encountered occasionally, such as on a long distance raid or hunt. Some of their enemies, particularly the Indian peoples of the eastern great plains such as the Pawnee and Osage would act as [[United States Army Indian Scouts|Indian Scouts]] for the US Army, providing valuable tracking skills and information regarding Cheyenne habits and fighting strategies to US soldiers. Some of their enemies such as the Lakota would latter in their history become their strong allies, helping the Cheyenne fight against the United States Army during [[Red Cloud's War]] and the [[Great Sioux War of 1876]]. The Comanche, Kiowa and Plains Apache became allies of the Cheyenne towards the end of the Indian wars on the southern plains, fighting together during conflicts such as the [[Red River War]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Red River War|url=http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/redriver/|work=Texas Beyond History|accessdate=10/06/2013}}</ref>

===Relationship with the Arapaho===
{{see also|Arapaho people}}

The Cheyenne and [[Arapaho people]] formed an alliance together around 1811 which helped them expand their territories and strengthen their presence on the plains. Like the Cheyenne, the Arapaho language is part of the Algonquian group, although the two languages are not mutually intelligible. The Arapaho remained strong allies with the Cheyenne and helped them fight alongside the Sioux during Red Cloud's War and the Great Sioux War of 1876, also known commonly as the Black Hills War. On the southern plains the Arapaho and Cheyenne allied with the Comanche, Kiowa, and Plains Apache to fight invading settlers and US soldiers. The Arapaho were present with the Cheyenne at the [[Sand Creek Massacre]] when a peaceful encampment of mostly women, children, and the elderly were attacked and massacred by US soldiers. Both major divisions of the Cheyenne, the Northern Cheyenne and Southern Cheyenne were allies to the Arapaho who like the Cheyenne are split into northern and southern divisions. The Southern Cheyenne and Southern Arapaho were assigned to the same reservation in Oklahoma [[Indian Territory]] and remained together as the federally recognized [[Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes]] after the reservation was opened to American settlement and into modern times.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arapaho, Southern|url=http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/a/ar002.html|work=Oklahoma Historical Society|accessdate=24/06/2013}}</ref> The Northern Arapaho were to be assigned a reservation of their own or share one with the Cheyenne however the government failed to provide them with either and placed them on the already established [[Wind River Indian Reservation]] in Wyoming with their former enemies the [[Shoshone people|Shoshone]].

===Treaty of 1825===
In the summer of 1825, the tribe was visited on the upper Missouri by a US treaty commission consisting of [[Henry Atkinson (soldier)|General Henry Atkinson]] and [[Indian agent]] Benjamin O'Fallon, accompanied by a military escort of 476 men.  General Atkinson and his fellow commissioner left [[Fort Atkinson (Nebraska)|Fort Atkinson]] on May 16, 1825.  Ascending the Missouri, they negotiated [[Treaty#United States|treaties]] of friendship and trade with tribes of the upper Missouri, including the [[Arikara]], the Cheyenne, the [[Crow Nation|Crow]], the [[Mandan]], the [[Ponca]], and several bands of the [[Sioux]].  At that time the US had competition from [[United Kingdom|British]] traders on the upper Missouri, who came down from [[Canada]].

The treaties acknowledged that the tribes lived within the United States, vowed perpetual friendship between the US and the tribes, and, recognizing the right of the United States to regulate trade, the tribes promised to deal only with licensed traders.  The tribes agreed to forswear private retaliation for injuries, and to return or indemnify the owner of stolen horses or other goods.  The commission's efforts to contact the [[Blackfoot]] and the [[Assiniboine people|Assiniboine]] were unsuccessful.  Along their return to Fort Atkinson at the Council Bluff in Nebraska, the commission had successful negotiations with the [[Otoe tribe|Ota]], the [[Pawnee people|Pawnee]] and the [[Omaha (tribe)|Omaha]].<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=OHxu5MRcDNcC&pg=PA143&lpg=PA143&dq=treaty+cheyenne+%22Henry+Atkinson%22&source=bl&ots=SkxrYaza_a&sig=N1sY7I62pIXRFsJXNFC7LW_G3fw&hl=en&ei=XumRSuT5CIaPtgfl55zPBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false Page 143], Francis Paul Prucha, ''American Indian treaties: the history of a political anomaly'',  University of California Press (March 15, 1997), trade paperback, 562 pages ISBN 0-520-20895-1 ISBN 978-0-520-20895-7</ref>

===Effects of the Emigrant Trail===
Increased traffic of emigrants along the related [[Oregon]], [[Mormon]] and [[California]] trails, beginning in the early 1840s, heightened competition with Native Americans for scarce resources of water and game in arid areas.  With resource depletion along the trails, the Cheyenne became increasingly divided into the Northern Cheyenne and Southern Cheyenne, where they could have adequate territory for sustenance.

During the [[California Gold Rush]], emigrants brought in [[cholera]].  It spread in mining camps and waterways due to poor sanitation.  The disease was generally a major cause of death for emigrants, about one-tenth of whom died during their journeys.

Perhaps from traders, the cholera epidemic reached the Plains Indians in 1849, resulting in severe loss of life during the summer of that year.  Historians estimate about 2,000 Cheyenne died, one-half to two-thirds of their population.  There were significant losses among other tribes as well, which weakened their social structures.  Perhaps because of severe loss of trade during the 1849 season, Bent's Fort was abandoned and burned.<ref>Berthrong, pp. 113–114</ref>

====Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851====
In 1846 [[Thomas Fitzpatrick (trapper)|Thomas Fitzpatrick]] was appointed US [[Indian agent]] for the upper Arkansas and [[Platte River]].  His efforts to negotiate with the Northern Cheyenne, the Arapaho and other tribes led to a great council at [[Fort Laramie]] in 1851.  Treaties were negotiated by a commission consisting of Fitzpatrick and [[David Dawson Mitchell|D.D. Mitchell]], US [[Superintendent of Indian Affairs]], with the [[Plains Indians|Indians of the northern plains]].

To reduce inter-tribal warfare on the Plains, the government officials "assigned" territories to each tribe and had them pledge mutual peace.  In addition, the government secured permission to build and maintain roads for European-American travelers and traders through Indian country on the Plains, such as the [[Emigrant Trail]] and the [[Santa Fe Trail]], and to maintain [[Fortification#American West|forts]] to guard them.  The tribes were compensated with annuities of cash and supplies for such encroachment on their territories.  The [[Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)|Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851]] affirmed the Cheyenne and Arapaho territory on the [[Great Plains]] between the [[North Platte River]] and the Arkansas.  This territory included what is now Colorado, east of the Front Range of the [[Rocky Mountains|Rockies]] and north of the Arkansas River; Wyoming and [[Nebraska]], south of the North Platte River; and extreme western [[Kansas]].<ref>Berthrong, pp. 106–123</ref>

====Punitive US expedition of 1857====
In April 1856, an incident at the Platte River Bridge (near present-day [[Casper, Wyoming]]), resulted in the wounding of a Cheyenne warrior.  He returned to the Cheyenne on the plains.  During the summer of 1856, Indians attacked travelers along the Emigrant Trail near Fort Kearny.  In retaliation, the US Cavalry attacked a Cheyenne camp on [[Grand Island (Nebraska)|Grand Island in Nebraska]]. They killed ten Cheyenne warriors and wounded eight or more.

Cheyenne parties attacked at least three emigrant settler parties before returning to the [[Republican River]].  The Indian agent at [[Fort Laramie]] negotiated with the Cheyenne to reduce hostilities, but the [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] ordered the [[1st Cavalry Regiment (1855)]] to carry out a punitive expedition under the command of [[Edwin Vose Sumner|Colonel Edwin V. Sumner]].  He went against the Cheyenne in the spring of 1857.  [[John Sedgwick|Major John Sedgwick]] led part of the expedition up the [[Arkansas River]], and via Fountain Creek to the [[South Platte River]].  Sumner's command went west along the North Platte to Fort Laramie, then down along the Front Range to the South Platte.  The combined force of 400 troops went east through the plains searching for Cheyenne.<ref>Berthrong, pp. 133–140</ref><ref name="Grinnell, pp. 111-121">Grinnell, ''The Fighting Cheyenne'', pp. 111–121</ref><ref name="Hyde, pp. 99-105">Hyde, pp. 99–105</ref>

Under the influence of the [[medicine man]] White Bull (also called Ice) and Grey Beard (also called Dark), the Cheyenne went into battle believing that strong spiritual [[Magic (paranormal)#Native American medicine|medicine]] would prevent the soldiers' guns from firing.  They were told that if they dipped their hands in a nearby lake, they had only to raise their hands to repel army bullets. Hands raised, the Cheyenne surrounded the advancing troops as they advanced near the [[Solomon River]]. Sumner ordered a cavalry charge and the troops charged with drawn sabers; the Cheyenne fled. With tired horses after long marches, the cavalry could not engage more than a few Cheyenne, as their horses were fresh.

This was the first battle which the Cheyenne fought against the US Army. Casualties were few on each side; [[J.E.B. Stuart]], then a young lieutenant, was shot in the breast while attacking a Cheyenne warrior with a sabre. The troops continued on and two days later burned a hastily abandoned Cheyenne camp; they destroyed lodges and the winter supply of buffalo meat.<ref name="Grinnell, pp. 111-121"/><ref name="Hyde, pp. 99-105"/><ref name="Berthrong, pp. 133 to 140">Berthrong, pp. 133 to 140</ref><ref>Page 97-98, David Fridtjof Halaas and Andrew E. Masich, ''Halfbreed: The Remarkable True Story Of [[George Bent]] – Caught Between The Worlds Of The Indian And The White Man'', Da Capo Press (March 15, 2005), hardcover, 458 pages, ISBN 0-306-81410-2 ISBN 978-0306814105</ref>

Sumner continued to [[Bent's Fort]].  To punish the Cheyenne, he distributed their annuities to the Arapaho.  He intended further punitive actions, but the Army ordered him to Utah because of an outbreak of [[Utah War|trouble with the Mormons]]. (This became known as the [[Utah War]].) The Cheyenne moved below the Arkansas into [[Kiowa]] and [[Comanche]] country.  In the fall, the Northern Cheyenne returned to their country north of the Platte.<ref name="Grinnell, pp. 111-121"/><ref name="Berthrong, pp. 133 to 140"/><ref>Hyde, pp. 99 to 105</ref>

====The Pikes Peak Gold Rush====
[[Image:Dull Knife.jpg|thumb|180px|right|[[Morning Star (chief)|Dull Knife]] ([[Cheyenne language|Cheyenne]]: ''Vóóhéhéve'' or [[Lakota language|Lakota]]: ''Tamílapéšni''), Chief of Northern Cheyennes at [[Battle of Little Bighorn]]]] [[File:Chief Black Kettle.jpg|left|thumb|180px|Chief [[Black Kettle]] of the Southern Cheyenne, an advocate of peace among his people.]]

Starting in 1859 with the [[Colorado Gold Rush]], European-American settlers moved into lands reserved for the Cheyenne and other Plains Indians.  Travel greatly increased along the Emigrant Trail along the [[South Platte River]] and some emigrants stopped before going on to California. For several years there was peace between settlers and Indians.  The only conflicts were related to the [[endemic warfare]] between the Cheyenne and Arapaho of the plains and the [[Ute Tribe|Ute]]s of the mountains.

US negotiations with [[Black Kettle]] and other Cheyenne favoring peace resulted in the [[Treaty of Fort Wise]]: it established a small reservation for the Cheyenne in southeastern Colorado in exchange for the territory agreed to in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851.  Many Cheyenne did not sign the treaty, and they continued to live and hunt on their traditional grounds in the Smokey Hill and Republican basins, between the Arkansas and the South Platte, where there were plentiful buffalo.<ref name="Grinnell, pp. 124">Grinnell, ''The Fighting Cheyenne'', pp. 124 to 158</ref>

Efforts to make a wider peace continued, but in the spring of 1864, [[John Evans (governor)|John Evans]], governor of Colorado Territory, and [[John Chivington]], commander of the [[Colorado Volunteers]], a [[Militia (United States)|citizens militia]], began a series of attacks on Indians camping or hunting on the plains.  They killed any Indian on sight and initiated the [[Colorado War]].  General warfare broke out and Indians made many raids on the trail along the South Platte which Denver depended on for supplies.  The Army closed the road from August 15 until September 24, 1864.<ref name="Grinnell, pp. 124"/>

On November 29, 1864, the Colorado Militia attacked a Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment under [[Chief Black Kettle]], although it flew a [[White flag|flag of truce]] and indicated its allegiance to the US government.  The [[Sand Creek massacre]], as it was known, resulted in the death of between 150 and 200 Cheyenne, mostly unarmed women and children. The survivors fled northeast and joined the camps of the Cheyenne on the Smokey Hill and Republican rivers.  There warriors smoked the war pipe, passing it from camp to camp among the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho.<ref name="Hyde, pp. 168 to 195">Hyde, pp. 168 to 195</ref>

In January 1865 they planned and carried out an attack with about 1000 warriors on Camp Rankin, a stage station and fort at [[Julesburg, Colorado|Julesburg]]. The Indians made numerous raids along the South Platte, both east and west of Julesburg, and raided the fort again in early February.  They captured much [[Looting|loot]] and killed many European Americans.  Most of the Indians moved north into Nebraska on their way to the Black Hills and the Powder River.<ref name="Hyde, pp. 168 to 195"/>  (See [[Battle of Julesburg]], [[Battle of Mud Springs]], [[Battle of Rush Creek]], [[Powder River Expedition]], [[Battle of Platte Bridge]])

Black Kettle continued to desire peace.  He did not join in the second raid or in the plan to go north to the Powder River country.  He left the large camp and returned with 80 lodges of his tribesmen to the Arkansas River, where he intended to seek peace with the US.<ref>Grinnell, ''The Fighting Cheyenne'', p. 188</ref>

====Battle of Washita River====
Four years later, on November 27, 1868, [[George Armstrong Custer]] and his troops attacked Black Kettle's band at the [[Battle of Washita River]].  Although his band was camped on a defined reservation, complying with the government's orders, some of its members had been linked to raiding into [[Kansas]] by bands operating out of the [[Indian Territory]]. Custer and his men killed more than 100 Cheyenne, mostly women and children.

There are conflicting claims as to whether the band was hostile or friendly.  Historians believe that Chief Black Kettle, head of the band, was not part of the war party within the Plains tribes.  But, he did not command absolute authority over members of his band and the European Americans did not understand this.  When younger members of the band took part in raiding parties, European Americans blamed the entire band for the incidents and casualties.

====Battle of the Little Bighorn====
The Northern Cheyenne fought in the [[Battle of the Little Bighorn]], which took place on June 25, 1876.  The Cheyenne, together with the Lakota, other Sioux warriors and a small band of [[Arapaho]], killed General [[George Armstrong Custer]] and much of his 7th Cavalry contingent of soldiers.  Historians have estimated the population of the Cheyenne, Lakota and Arapaho encampment along the [[Little Bighorn River]] was approximately 10,000, making it one of the largest gatherings of Native Americans in North America in pre-reservation times.  News of the event traveled across the United States and reached [[Washington, D.C.]], just as the nation was celebrating its [[Centennial]].  Public reaction arose in outrage against the Cheyenne.

====Northern Cheyenne Exodus====
{{Main|Northern Cheyenne Exodus|Fort Robinson tragedy}}
[[Image:Little Coyote and Morning Star.jpg|thumb|right|[[Little Wolf|Little Coyote (Little Wolf)]] and [[Morning Star (chief)|Morning Star (Dull Knife)]], chiefs of the Northern Cheyennes]]
[[File:Cheyenne-prisoners-Kansas.jpg|thumb|left|Cheyenne prisoners in Kansas involved in escape northward. From left to right: Tangle Hair, Wild Hog, Strong Left Hand, George Reynolds (interpreter), Old Crow, Noisy Walker, Porcupine, and Blacksmith. All prisoners were released free from charges.]]
Following the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the US Army increased attempts to capture the Cheyenne. In 1879, after the [[Dull Knife Fight]], when [[Crazy Horse]] surrendered at [[Fort Robinson]], a few Cheyenne chiefs and their people surrendered as well. They were [[Dull Knife]], Standing Elk and Wild Hog with around 130 Cheyenne. Later that year [[Two Moons]] surrendered at [[Fort Keogh]], with 300 Cheyenne. The Cheyenne wanted and expected to live on the reservation with the [[Sioux]] in accordance to an April 29, 1868 treaty of [[Fort Laramie]], which both Dull Knife and Little Wolf had signed.<ref name="Brown, Dee 1970 pp.332-349">Brown, pp. 332–349</ref>

As part of a US increase in troops following the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the Army reassigned Colonel [[Ranald S. Mackenzie]] and his Fourth Cavalry to the Department of the Platte. Stationed initially at [[Fort Robinson|Camp Robinson]], they formed the core of the Powder River Expedition. It departed in October 1876 to locate the northern Cheyenne villages. On November 25, 1876, his column discovered and defeated a village of Northern Cheyenne in the Dull Knife Fight in [[Wyoming Territory]]. After the soldiers destroyed the lodges and supplies, and confiscated the horses,  the Northern Cheyenne soon surrendered.  They hoped to remain with the Sioux in the north but the US pressured them to locate with the Southern Cheyenne on their reservation in Indian Territory. After a difficult council, the Northern Cheyenne eventually agreed to go South.

When the Northern Cheyenne arrived at Indian Territory, conditions were very difficult: rations were inadequate, there were no buffalo near the reservation and  according to several sources, there was [[malaria]] among the people.  On 9 September 1878, a portion of the Northern Cheyenne, led by Little Wolf and Dull Knife started their trek back to [[Northern Cheyenne Exodus|the north]].  Upon reaching the northern area, they split into two bands.  That led by Dull Knife (mostly women, children and elders) surrendered and were taken to Fort Robinson, where subsequent events became known as the [[Fort Robinson tragedy]]. Dull Knife's group was first offered food and firewood, and then after a week and a half, they were to told to go back to [[Indian territory]]. When they said no, they were then locked in the wooden barracks with no food, water or firewood for heat for four days. Most escaped in an estimated forty degrees below zero on January 9, 1879, but all were recaptured or killed.<ref name="Brown, Dee 1970 Chapter 14, "Cheyenne Exodus", pages 331 to 359">Brown, pp. 332–349.</ref><ref name="Glenn"/>

Eventually the US forced the Northern Cheyenne onto a [[Northern Cheyenne Reservation|reservation]], in southern Montana.<ref name="Brown, Dee 1970 Chapter 14, "Cheyenne Exodus", pages 331 to 359">Brown, pp. 332–349.</ref><ref name="Glenn">Maddux Albert Glenn, ''In Dull Knife's Wake: The True Story of the Northern Cheyenne Exodus of 1878,'' Horse Creek Publications (2003), ISBN 0-9722217-1-9 ISBN 978-0-9722217-1-9</ref><ref>Grinnell, ''The Fighting Cheyenne'', pp. 398–427</ref>

===Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation===
[[Image:Flag of Northern Cheyenne.svg|thumb|[[Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation]] flag]]
{{Main|Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation}}
[[File:WhiteBuffalo.jpg|thumb|White Buffalo a Northern Cheyenne chief who received the rank of sergeant in the United States Army.]]

The Cheyenne who traveled to [[Fort Keogh]] (present day [[Miles City, Montana]]), including Little Wolf, settled near the fort.<ref name="Brown, Dee 1970 pp.332-349"/>  Many of the Cheyenne worked with the army as scouts.  The Cheyenne scouts were pivotal in helping the Army find [[Chief Joseph]] and his band of [[Nez Perce tribe|Nez Percé]] in northern Montana.  Fort Keogh became a staging and gathering point for the Northern Cheyenne.  Many families began to migrate south to the [[Tongue River (Montana)|Tongue River]] watershed area, where they established homesteads.<ref name="WE, THE NORTHERN CHEYENNE PEOPLE">[http://www.archive.org/stream/wenortherncheyen2008amblrich/wenortherncheyen2008amblrich_djvu.txt "WE, THE NORTHERN CHEYENNE PEOPLE]: Our Land, Our History, Our Culture", Chief Dull Knife College. Page 30. Accessed September 20, 2009</ref>

[[File:Montana Indian Reservations.svg|thumb|left|Map of Indian Reservations in the state of Montana including the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.]]
The US established the Tongue River Indian Reservation, now named the [[Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation]], of {{convert|371200|acre|km2}} by the executive order of [[Chester A. Arthur|President Chester A. Arthur]] November 16, 1884. It excluded Cheyenne who had homesteaded further east near the Tongue River. The western boundary is the [[Crow Indian Reservation]]. On March 19, 1900, [[William McKinley|President William McKinley]] extended the reservation to the west bank of the Tongue River, making a total of {{convert|444157|acre|km2|0}}. Those who had homesteaded east of the Tongue River were relocated to the west of the river.<ref name="WE, THE NORTHERN CHEYENNE PEOPLE"/>

The Northern Cheyenne, who were sharing the Lakota land at [[Pine Ridge Indian Reservation]] were finally allowed to return to the Tongue River on their own reservation.  Along with the Lakota and Apache, the Cheyenne were the last nations to be subdued and placed on reservations. (The [[Seminole]] tribe of Florida never made a treaty with the US government.)

The Northern Cheyenne were given the right to remain in the north, near the [[Black Hills]], land which they consider sacred.  The Cheyenne also managed to retain their culture, religion and language.  Today, the Northern Cheyenne Nation is one of the few American Indian nations to have control over the majority of its land base, currently 98%.

==Culture==
[[File:Big Back art.jpg|thumb|Cheyenne courting scenes, by Big Back, before 1882]]
Over the past 400 years, the Cheyenne have changed their lifestyles. In the 16th century they lived in the [[Great Lake]].<ref name=ohs/> They farmed corn, squash, and beans, and harvested [[wild rice]] like other [[indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands]]. They migrated west in the 18th century and hunted bison on the Great Plains.<ref name=ohs/> By the mid-19th century, the US forced them onto [[Indian reservation|reservations]].<ref name=ohs/>

The traditional Cheyenne government system is a politically unified system. The central traditional government system of the Cheyenne is the Arrow Keeper, followed by the Council of Forty-Four. Early in Cheyenne history, three related tribes known as the ''Heviqsnipahis'', the ''Só'taeo'o'' and the ''Masikota'', unified themselves to form the ''Tsé-tsêhéstâhese'' or the "Like Hearted People" who are known today as the "Cheyenne." The unified tribe then divided themselves into ten principal bands:

* Heviksnipahis (''Iviststsinihpah'')
* Hévhaitanio (''Heévâhetaneo'o'')
* Masikota
* Omísis (''Ôhmésêheseo'o'', the Notameohmésêhese proper)
* Só'taeo'o (''Suhtai'' or ''Sutaio'', Northern and Southern)
* Wotápio
* Oivimána (''Oévemana'', Northern and Southern)
* Hisíometanio (''Hesé'omeétaneo'o'' or ''Issiometaniu'')
* Ohktounna (''Oqtóguna'') 
* Hónowa (''Háovôhnóva'')

Each of the ten bands had four seated chief delegates; the remaining four chiefs were the principal advisers of the other delegates. Smaller bands or sub-bands had no right to send delegates to the council. This system also regulated the [[Cheyenne military societies]] that developed for planning warfare, enforcing rules, and conducting ceremonies.

Anthropologists debate about Cheyenne society organization. On the plains, they had a bilateral band kinship system. However, some anthropologists reported that the Cheyenne had a matrilineal band system. Studies into whether the Cheyenne developed a matrilineal [[clan system]] are inconclusive.
{{Wide image|Cheyenne dance4.jpg|1500px|<center>A Cheyenne [[sun dance]] gathering, c. 1909.</center>}}

===Traditional Cheyenne plains culture===
While they participating in nomadic Plains horse culture, men hunted and occasionally [[endemic warfare|fought with and raided]] other tribes.<ref>Grinnell, ''The Cheyenne Indians'', Vol. 1, pp. 258–311</ref> The women tanned and dressed hides for clothing, shelter, and other uses.<ref name="Grinnell, pp. 1-57">Grinnell, ''The Cheyenne Indians'', Vol. 2, pp. 1–57</ref> They also gathered roots, berries, and other useful plants.<ref>Grinnell, ''The Cheyenne Indians'', Vol. 1, pp. 247–311</ref>  From the products of [[hunting and gathering society|hunting and gathering]], the women also made lodges, clothing, and other equipment.<ref>Grinnell, ''The Cheyenne Indians'', Vol. 1, 209-246</ref>  Their lives were active and physically demanding.<ref>Grinnell, ''The Cheyenne Indians'', Vol. 1, pp. 63–71, 127-129, 247-311</ref> The range of the Cheyenne was first the area in and near the [[Black Hills of South Dakota|Black Hills]], but later all the [[Great Plains]] from Dakota to the Arkansas River.

===Role models===
A Cheyenne woman has a higher status if she is part of an extended family with distinguished ancestors. Also, if she is friendly and compatible with her female relatives and does not have members in her extended family who are alcoholics or otherwise in disrepute.  It is expected of all Cheyenne women to be hardworking, chaste, modest, skilled in traditional crafts, knowledgeable about Cheyenne culture and history and speak Cheyenne fluently. Tribal powwow princesses are expected to have these characteristics.<ref>Moore, pp. 154–156</ref>

==Famous Cheyenne==
[[File:WRichardWestJr.jpg|thumb|[[W. Richard West Jr.]], Founding Director of the [[Smithsonian Institution|Smithsonian's]] [[National Museum of the American Indian]].]]
*[[Black Kettle]] (in Cheyenne: ''Moke-tav-a-to'' or ''Mo'ôhtavetoo'o'', since 1854 member of the [[Council of Forty-four]] and chief of the Wotapio band of Southern Cheyenne, killed by [[George Armstrong Custer]] at [[Battle of Washita River]])
*[[Morning Star (chief)|Morning Star]] (in Cheyenne: ''Vóóhéhéve'', better known as [[Dull Knife]], a translation of his Lakota name ''Tamílapéšni'',<ref>recorded as '''''Tah-me-la-pash-me'''''; from '''ta''' (his) + '''míla''' (big knife) + '''péšni''' (dull)</ref> Head chief of the Northern Cheyenne)
*[[Little Wolf]] (in Cheyenne: ''Ó'kôhómôxháahketa'', more correctly translated ''Little Coyote'', Northern Só'taeo'o chief and Sweet Medicine Chief, was one of the "Old Man" chiefs among the [[Council of Forty-four]], belonged to the Elk Horn Scrapers (Hémo'eoxeso), one of the four original [[Cheyenne military societies]])
*[[Owl Woman]], daughter of White Thunder and wife of [[William Bent]]
*[[Roman Nose]] (in Cheyenne: ''Woo-ka-nay'', Northern Cheyenne, legendary war hero and chief of the ''Elk Horn Scrapers'' (Hémo'eoxeso), one of the four original [[Cheyenne military societies]]) 
*[[Tall Bull]], chief of the Cheyenne [[Dog Soldiers]], killed at [[Battle of Summit Springs]]
*[[Wooden Leg]], Northern Cheyenne, warrior fought at [[Battle of the Little Bighorn|Little Bighorn]]
*[[Wolf Robe]], chief, Southern Cheyenne, peacemaker
*[[George Bent]], son of [[Owl Woman]], interpreter and Cheyenne historian
*[[Jimmy Carl Black]], drummer and vocalist for [[The Mothers of Invention]]
*[[Ben Nighthorse Campbell]], Northern Cheyenne, former US Senator, State of Colorado, [[United States Congress]]
*[[Chris Eyre]], Southern Cheyenne and Southern Arapaho, directed the films: ''[[Smoke Signals (film)|Smoke Signals]]'' and ''[[Skins (film)|Skins]]''
*[[Joseph Fire Crow]], Northern Cheyenne, Cheyenne flutist and recording artist, [[Grammy Award|Grammy Nominee]] and [[Native American Music Awards|Nammy]] winner
*[[Suzan Shown Harjo]], Southern Cheyenne and Muscogee (Creek), Founding Trustee, Smithsonian [[National Museum of the American Indian]];  President, [[Morning Star Institute]] (a Native rights advocacy organization based in Washington DC).
*[[Eugene Little Coyote]], Northern Cheyenne, former president of the [[Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation]]
*[[David Pendleton Oakerhater|St. David Pendleton Oakerhater]], ''Okuhhatuh'' or "Making Medicine," Southern Cheyenne (1847–1931), veteran of the Red River War, Fort Marion prisoner of war, ledger artist, deacon of Whirlwind Mission, sun dancer, canonized saint in the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]]
*[[Harvey Pratt]], Southern Cheyenne and Southern Arapaho, painter, sculptor and a leading [[Forensic arts|forensic artist]] in the United States
*[[W. Richard West Jr.]], Southern Cheyenne, Founding Director, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
*[[W. Richard West, Sr.]], "Dick West" or ''Wahpahnahyah'', Southern Cheyenne painter, educator, and Director of Art at [[Bacone College]]

==See also==
*[[Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes]]
*[[Native American tribes in Nebraska]]
*[[Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation]]
*''[[The Cheyenne Indians: Their History and Lifeways]]''

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
*Berthrong, Donald J. ''The Southern Cheyenne''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1963.
*[[Dee Brown (novelist)|Brown, Dee]]. ''[[Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee]]''. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970. ISBN 0-8050-1730-5.
*Bourke, John G. ''Mackenzie's Last Fight with the Cheyenne''. New York: Argonaut Press, 1966.
*Greene, Jerome A. (2004). Washita, The Southern Cheyenne and the U.S. Army. Campaigns and Commanders Series, vol. 3. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, P. 9
*Grinnell, George Bird. ''The Fighting Cheyenne''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1956. (original copyright 1915, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons). ISBN 0-87928-075-1.
*Grinnell, George Bird. ''The Cheyenne Indians: Their History and Ways of Life''. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1923. 2 volumes; trade paperback, reprints: ''The Cheyenne Indians, Vol. 1: History and Society'', Bison Books, 1972. ISBN 978-0-8032-5771-9; ''The Cheyenne Indians, Vol. 2: War, Ceremonies, and Religion'', Bison Books, 1972. ISBN 978-0-8032-5772-6.
*Hyde, George E. ''Life of George Bent: Written From His Letters'', ed. Savoie Lottinville, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1968. Reprint, trade paperback, March 1983. ISBN 978-0-8061-1577-1
*{{Cite book| last = Moore | first = John H. | title = The Cheyenne | url = http://books.google.com/?id=R2mGnzKF3uQC | series = The peoples of America | year = 1996 | publisher = Blackwell Publishing | location = Cambridge, MA | isbn = 978-1-55786-484-0 | oclc = 34412067 }}
* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 978-0-19-513877-1.

== Further reading ==
*  Ambler, Marjane; Little Bear, Richard E; ''et al''. (2008) [http://www.archive.org/details/wenortherncheyen2008amblrich ''We, The Northern Cheyenne People'']. Lame Deer, MT: Chief Dull Knife College
* {{Cite book
| year = 2006
| publisher = Northern Cheyenne Curriculum Committee, Montana Office of Public Instruction
| title = Bringing the Story of the Cheyenne People to the Children of Today
| series = Northern Cheyenne Social Studies Units
| accessdate = 2012-05-12
| url = http://www.opi.mt.gov/pdf/IndianEd/Search/Social%20Studies/Bringing%20the%20Story%20of%20the%20Cheyenne%20People%20to%20the%20Children%20of%20Today.pdf
}}
*{{Cite book
| publisher = University of Oklahoma Press
| last = John Stands In Timber and Margot Liberty
| title = A Cheyenne voice : the complete John Stands in Timber interviews
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=9nOdmwEACAAJ&dq=isbn:9780806143798&hl=en&sa=X&ei=dXPhUe3YLvfl4APssYCIDg&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA
| location = Norman, OK
| accessdate = 2013-07-13
| year = 2013
| ISBN = 9780806143798
}}
* {{Cite journal
| volume = 13
| issue = 50
| pages = 161–190
| last = Kroeber
| first = A L
| title = Cheyenne Tales
| journal = [[Journal of American Folklore]]
| url = http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/533882.pdf
| accessdate = 2013-07-13
| year = 1900
| month = July–September
| jstor = 533882
}}

==External links==
{{InterWiki|code=chy}}
{{Commons category|Cheyenne}}
*[http://www.c-a-tribes.org/ Cheyenne Arapaho Tribe (Official Site)]
*[http://www.cheyennenation.com/ Northern Cheyenne Nation (Official Site)]
*[http://www.native-languages.org/cheyenne_culture.htm "Cheyenne Culture and History Links"], Native Languages
*{{Cite web
| last = Montana Office of Public Instruction
| title = Symbols of Our People
| accessdate = 2012-05-12
| url = http://www.opi.mt.gov/programs/IndianEd/Symbols_of_our_People.html
}}
*[http://www.nathpo.org/News/NAGPRA/News-NAGPRA67.html Jomay Steen, "Indian remains finally at rest"], ''The Rapid City Journal'', 31 March 2005
*[http://www.freedomokla.com/batteleofturkey.htm "The Cheyenne Outbreak: The Battle of Turkey Springs and Red Hills"], Freedom Oklahoma
*[http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues03/Co07122003/CO_07122003_CheyenneMarine.htm "Cheyenne perform Victory Dance to honor Marine tank driver"], Turtle Track
*[http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/northamerica/cheyenne.html Minnesota State University eMuseum] Article on the Cheyenne

{{Native Americans in Nebraska}}

[[Category:Algonquian peoples]]
[[Category:Great Sioux War of 1876]]
[[Category:Cheyenne tribe| ]]
[[Category:Comanche Campaign]]
[[Category:Plains tribes]]
[[Category:Cheyenne people]]