Cheyenne
Location: Today they are settled in Montana and Oklahoma.Language: The
Cheyenne (shy-ANN) dialect is part of
the Algonquin language family. Their alphabet only contains fourteen letters
which can be combined to form words and phrases. Today, the United States
government is working to convert the Cheyenne to an English-only speaking
tribe. The Cheyenne are trying desperately to keep their language alive despite
the government’s recent attempts to make their language extinct. History: The Cheyenne first lived in the
eastern portion of the United States. They lived in fixed villages and used the
land for farming. Some moved west and southwest. Eventually, they moved into
the plains area, in the woodlands of the Mississippi River Valley.
Before the sun rose, the
Cheyenne began preparing for the day. Building the fire was the first task to
be completed. The women woke to get the water from the nearby stream, while the
men and boys went to the stream to bathe. As dawn continued, the camp became
livelier. The women made the morning meal and the boys herded the horses back
into camp.
After the meal, announcements were made by the old crier who circled the
people on his horse. When he was finished, the people went about their daily
activities. The children would scatter about the area to swim, run, and model
images out of clay. The women of the camp had many activities to keep them
busy. They would go off in groups to gather wood and roots early in the day.
This was their time for joking and laughing. They gathered sticks from the
ground and broke dead branches off the trees in the forest. The wood was
divided up, formed into bundles, and strapped on their backs. They then set out
for camp. The older men made bows, arrows and pipes, while the young men spent
time enhancing their personal appearance or listening to wise men.
Many men hunted game to provide the camp with food. As day turned into
night, the Cheyenne people prepared for the meal. This was the lively event of
the day in which music, dancing and various other activities took place. After
a few hours, the camp became silent as people turned in for the night. Best Known Features: An important Cheyenne
custom is the smoking of the peace pipe. There are strict rules during the smoking of the pipe. A prayer
is offered before the first
smoke. Most men have their own specific way to smoke the peace pipe.
Another tradition of the Cheyenne is storytelling, which can only be
done by certain people. These stories are often related.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not
claim expertise on the Cheyenne.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the web address of this page.
If you are Cheyenne, your feedback is much appreciated.
Website of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe: http://www.cheyennenation.com/
Resources:
- Grinnell, George Bird. The Cheyenne Indians: Their History and
Ways of Life. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, Inc., 1962.
- Hoebel, E. Adamson. The Cheyenne’s: Indians of the Great
Plains. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1960.
Written by: Summer Smith
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