The Cheyenne are a tribe of Native Americans from the Great Plains region of the United States. One inhabiting most of the northern Great Plains region, they fiercely resisted the United States' expansion to the west, and only 22,970 Cheyenne remain in the USA, living in Montana and Oklahoma.
History[]
A Cheyenne settlement in the Great Plains region of the United States
The name Cheyenne is linked to the Dakota Sioux term for the tribe, Sahiyenan, thought to mean "people of different speech." The Cheyenne call themselves Tsitsistas, which translates to - as is the case with many Native American tribal names - “the people.”
Originally an agricultural people, the Cheyenne took up the buffalo hunting lifestyle similar to that of the Sioux as the U.S. westward expansion forced them onto the Great Plains. They were excellent horsemen, and (unlike those of most other tribes) their buffalo hunts involved both men and women. Along with the meat provided (including the much prized heart, brain, liver, and kidneys), the buffalo’s hide was used to make winter clothing, teepee coverings, and blankets.
The Cheyenne were made up of many different clans, spread across a large geographic area. Their size offered both a blessing and a curse. Because they were so widespread, the Cheyenne have managed to keep their identity intact to this day. Unfortunately, however, individual Cheyenne clans often suffered unjust retribution at the hands of the U.S. military for supposed offenses they may or may not have committed. The Sand Creek massacre in 1864 epitomized this cycle of violence; over 150 innocent Cheyenne and Arapaho were slaughtered in an unwarranted attack that shocked many even during that period of great conflict.