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Discover the rich history and culture of the Northern Cheyenne, an Algonquian-speaking nation split into Northern and Southern Cheyenne in 1850. Learn about their creation story, escape from Indian Territory, traditional food and clothing, and sacred sites. Explore their family patterns, life cycle rituals, and division of labor between men and women. Understand their educational practices and the impact of boarding schools. Dive into their sovereign government and present-day reservation in southeastern Montana.
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Who Are The Northern Cheyenne? • Algonquian Speaking Nation • Also known as the Tsistsistas, which means Beautiful People and as the So’taae’o • Split into Northern and Southern Cheyenne in 1850.
Creation Story • Similar to Christianity’s Old Testament and God’s creation of Adam and Eve. • Haemmawihio created man from his right rib and woman from his left. • Heammawihio moved woman to the north and man in the south. • Twice a year the two battle for control of the earth
Where Did They Live? Original homeland was in the woodlands near the Great Lakes Placed in Indian Territory 1877 Escaped Indian Territory on September 10, 1878 Tongue River Reservation 1884
Northern Cheyenne ExodusEscape to Montana “ We dodged the soldiers during most of the way, but they were always near us and trying to catch us. Our young men fought them off in seven different battles. At each fight, some of our people were killed, women or children the same as men. I do not know how many of our grown-up people were killed. But I know that more than 60 of our children were gone when we got to the Dakota Country.” ~ Susan Iron Teeth
Little Wolf and Dull Knife
Food Women picked wild plant foods Buffalo were hunted in two ways: • Shooting or lancing from horseback • Impounding, jumping or driving into deep snow Meat butchering was shared by men and women, but the drying and storage was women’s work.
Clothing Men wore Women wore Leggings Dresses Shirts Protective Rope Breech Cloths Moccasins Moccasins Buffalo Robes Buffalo Robes
Shelter Earthern Lodges and Bark Huts Tepees 3 pole structure Covered in buffalo skins
Transportation Before horses used dogs to pull travois. Horses became new way of transportation: Saddles Bridles Ropes travois
Sacred Sites and Objects • Bear Butte • Sturgis, SD • Known as Noavose, meaning “The Hill Where the People Are Taught.” • Sweet Medicine received the Four Sacred Arrows from Ma’heo’o here. • Deer Medicine Rocks • Located on reservation • Where Hunkpapa Lakota Chief Sitting Bull went prior to battle of Little Big Horn. • Lake DeSmet • Central to spiritual ceremonies • North of Buffalo, WY • Cheyenne would go here for spiritual quests. • Sacred Hat • Esevone, the Sacred Buffalo Hat • Source of female renewing power. • Brought the Sun Dance, blesses the male and female relationships ensuring continual strength, harmony, and new life for the people and their world. • Sacred Arrows • Four black painted arrows given to Sweet Medicine at Bear Butte.
Recreation • Hoop Game • Dolls • Lacrosse • Musical Instruments
Family Patterns • Marriage was postponed until a man had a respectable war record • Courtship lasted several years • Girls were chaperoned by families • A girl’s brother had authority over her marriage. • Marriage was often to a brother’s friend or member of his military society.
Life Cycle • Babies • Umbilical cord was dried and saved • 6 months ears were pierced • Were not named until 5 or 6 years old • Puberty • For girls a horse was given away in honor of becoming a woman. • Boys took active role in hunting and war parties • Vision Quests • Adulthood • Marked by achievement • Death • Spirits traveled up to the Hanging Road or Milky Way to Seyan. • In mourning women cut their hair and gashed themselves and men loosened their hair.
Division of Labor Men Women • Hunting • Meat Butchering • Warfare • Made weapons • Painted robes • Ceremonial Life • Doctoring the sick • Meat Butchering • Drying and storage • Gathering fuel and wild plant foods. • Preparation of clothing and robes • Preparation of Lodges • Pitching and dismantling tepees
Education Before Formal Schooling • Education Included: • Language • Ceremonies, customs, and traditions • Tribal government • Gender roles • Morals • Botany, biology, astronomy, geography • Child rearing • Hunting, weaponry • Food preparation, nutrition, agriculture • Bead work, sewing, making clothing, tanning hides • Keeping a lodge • Religion • Healing and medicine
Education Boarding Schools St. Labre Indian School 1884 Cheyenne children forcibly taken from their families and taken to Catholic boarding school. 1904, the Tongue River Boarding school opened. An Indian Bureau School
How Do They Control Their Society • Sovereign Government • Tribal Council • Members from Ashland, Birney, Bubsy, Muddy, and Lame Deer • Maintains reservation including: • Waterways • Watercourses and streams
Problems Loss of Land Loss of Language Poverty
Northern CheyennePresent Day Reservation • Located in Southeastern Montana • Districts • General- Lame Deer • Ashland • Birney • Busby • Muddy (vacant) • 444,000 acres with 99% tribal ownership • 10,050 enrolled tribal members with 4,939 on the reservation
References (April 2002). Cheyenne Indian. Retrieved from http://www.cheyenneindian.com/cheyenne_history_001.htm Biles, J. (2012). Exhibits feature Indian art, Curtis Photos. Retrieved from http://cjonline.com/blog-post/jan-biles/2012-04-20/exhibits-feature-indian-art-curtis-photos Marjane, A., Little Bear, R.E., Wilson, D., Tall Bull, L., Hantz, J., Ward, C., Wertman, B. (2008). We, the Northern Cheyenne People: our land, our history, our culture. Northern Cheyenne Exodus. (2013, February 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:23, February 24, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_Cheyenne_Exodus&oldid=536684695 Omaha public Schools. (2009). Cheyenne. http://www.ops.org/elementary/bancroft/SPECIALISTS/ComputerLab/MRSPEARSON/Curriculum/PlainsIndians/Cheyenne/tabid/210/Default.aspx http://hoocher.com/Frederic_Remington/Frederic_Remington.htm Rock, J. Whitehorse Tipi Village. http://www.whitehorsetipis.co.uk/Tipis.html Little Coyote, J. (2002). An Overview of Northern Cheyenne Culture and History. http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/mt/field_offices/miles_city/og_eis/cheyenne.Par.48387.File.dat/Chap2.pdf http://www.aaanativearts.com/cheyenne-indians/northern-cheyenne-tribe.htm (2013). Countries and Their Cultures: Cheyenne-economy. http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Cheyenne-Economy.html http://www.cheyennenation.com/