What did the Cheyenne tribe live in? The Cheyenne tribe lived in tent-like homes called tepees. The tepee was constructed from wooden poles that were covered with weather-proof animal skins such as buffalo hides. It was cone shaped, with flaps for entrances, rounded at the base and narrowing to an open smoke hole at the top. The inside of the Tepees had few furnishings. Buffalo hides were used for seating, bedding, and covers. A hearth was built in the center of the tepee for cooking and heating. Most tepees were approximately 12 to 16 feet in diameter at the base. This type home suited the nomadic lifestyle of the Cheyenne tribe. A tepee was quick to erect and easy to dismantle. What language did the Cheyenne tribe speak? The Cheyenne tribe spoke in the Algonquian language. What did the Cheyenne tribe eat? The mainstay of the food that the Cheyenne tribe ate included the meat from all the wild animals that were available to hunt: Buffalo, deer, elk, bear and wild turkey. These were supplemented with roots and wild vegetables such as spinach, prairie turnips and potatoes and flavored with wild herbs. Wild berries and fruits were also added to the food available to the Cheyenne. When food was scarce the tribe ate dried buffalo meat, called pemmican. What weapons did the Cheyenne use? The weapons used by the Cheyenne tribe included bows and arrows, stone ball clubs, jaw bone clubs, hatchet axe, spears, lances and knives. War Shields were used on horseback as a means of defence. The rifle was added to their weapons with the advent of the white invaders. Horse whips were commonly used by the Cheyenne tribe to goad their horses forward during battles or during the chase for buffalo. Cheyenne Clothing The women of the Cheyenne tribe were responsible for making the clothes worn by the people. Most items were sewn from soft, tanned skins of deer (buckskin) and buffalo. Clothing was often beautifully decorated with paint, porcupine quills or beadwork. Cheyenne clothing for both men and women were adorned with ornaments, especially necklaces and armbands. What clothes did the Cheyenne men wear? The clothes worn by the Cheyenne men consisted of breechcloths, fringed buckskin tunics or shirts and leggings. Warm buffalo robes or cloaks were also worn to protect against the rain and the cold. The adult Cheyenne men also wore beaded, feathered war bonnets decorated with eagle feathers and beadwork as a symbol of courage, honor and accomplishment. What clothes did the Cheyenne women wear? The type of clothes worn by the women of the Cheyenne tribe were knee-length dresses and leggings. The women also wore the buffalo robes to keep warm and dry. The dresses of the Cheyenne women that were used for special occasions were intricately decorated with beads and painted with signs and symbols that reflected their tribal identity and family values celebrating acts of valor by their men or sacrifices made for the well-being of the family and tribe. Cheyenne women wore their hair in two, thick braids decorated with beads. What was the religion and beliefs of the Cheyenne tribe? The religion and beliefs of the Cheyenne tribe was based on Animism that encompassed the spiritual or religious idea that the universe and all natural objects animals, plants, trees, rivers, mountains rocks etc have souls or spirits. The Great Plains tribes such as the Cheyenne believed in Manitou, the Great Spirit. Who were the most famous leaders and chiefs of the Cheyenne tribe? The most famous leaders and chiefs of the Cheyenne tribe included Dull Knife (aka Morning Star), Chief Roman Nose, Little Rock, Black Kettle, Black Bear, Chief Little Wolf, Crazy Wolf, Crooked Nose and Chief Little Horse. There were constant battles between the different tribes of the Great Plains and the Cheyenne eventually made an alliance with the the Sioux, the Arapaho, and the Comanche against their mutual enemies the Crow, Pawnee, Shoshone and Ute. A fierce band of warriors called the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers were extremely courageous and would to fight to the death to protect their people. Cheyenne History Timeline: What happened to the Cheyenne tribe? The following history timeline details facts, dates and famous landmarks and battles fought by the Cheyenne Nation. The timeline explains exactly what happened to the Cheyenne tribe. Cheyenne History Timeline 1600s: The Cheyenne settled in Minnesota as farmers 1680: First contact with white people at de la Salle's fort in Illinois 1700: The Cheyenne moved northwest to the Sheyenne River in North Dakota, continued to farm but also began to hunt buffalo 1780: The Cheyenne acquired horses and adopted a nomadic lifestyle using tepees and moved to the Black Hills 1790: Conflict with the Chippewa tribe 1832: The tribe split up into the Northern and Southern Cheyenne 1849: Cholera epidemic among the Cheyenne 1851: First Treaty at Fort Laramie. 1856: Platte Bridge Incident 1861: Treaty of Fort Wise establishing a reservation in Colorado. Many Cheyenne opposed the treaty 1864: Sand Creek Massacre. Chivington's massacre of Black Kettle's Cheyenne at Sand Creek in 1864 1865: 1,000 Cheyenne warriors attack the town of Julesburg in retaliation to the massacre 1865: Powder River Expedition 1865: Dull Knife fights in Red Cloud's War (1865–1868) 1865: Treaty with the Southern Cheyenne and the Little Arkansas River reservation established 1866: Fetterman Fight on December 21, 1866. 1868: The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty the US army agreed to abandon the posts along the Bozeman Trail 1875: Gold discovered in Black Hills 1875: Indian agents were directed to move off-reservation Native Indians to report to their agencies leading to violent conflict 1876: Battle of Powder River on March 17, 1876 1876: The Buffalo War - Buffalo are wantonly slaughtered all over the Great Plains (over 65 million were destroyed by white hunters) depriving the Native Indians of their means to live 1876: The Battle of the Rosebud on June 17, 1876 1876: The Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25 1876 against George Custer and the 7th Cavalry 1876: The Cheyenne Dispersal, July - December 1876 Cheyennes forcedto move to reservations 1877: Cheyenne moved from Red Cloud’s Agency to Oklahoma where there is an outbreak of malaria 1878: Cheyenne leaders led by Chief Morning Star and Little Wolf decide to move the people from the reservation 1878: The band led by Morning Star are captured and sent to Fort Robinson in Nebraska 1878: Battles with American forces at Turkey Springs, in Indian Territory, Bluff Creek, Sand Creek, and Punished Women’s Fork in Kansas 1879: Fort Robinson Outbreak. Cheyenne move to Fort Keogh 1882: Cheyenne moved south to the Rosebud and Muddy Creeks 1884: The Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeast Montana on the Tongue River is established 1889: Bureau of Indian Affairs began a 30-year suppression of the Northern Cheyenne Sun Dance 1890: The last Northern Cheyenne conflict with the US Cavalry during the Ghost Dance Turmoil
Cheyenne History Timeline The Story of Cheyenne For additional facts and information refer to the legend and the Story of the Trail of the Dog Soldiers, Chief Roman Nose, Chief Little Wolf and Black Kettle's Village. |