EARLY YEARS
ORIGINS
Evidence indicates that the Cheyennes were among the Algonquian peoples of North America and originated in the subarctic. Early migrations from that homeland began around 1200-900 BC. Europeans first encountered the Cheyennes in the 17th century in the Lake Superior region. They were fishing, keeping gardens and gathering wild rice much as their ancestors had done since about 1000 AD. Western recorded history of the Cheyenne begins just west of the Mississippi River in Minnesota in the area between Mille Lacs and the River.
HOUSING
In the beginning the Cheyenne lived in large permanent villages. Their homes were large earthen lodges where extended families lived in comfort. A marvel of engineering, it took a year to gather the resources to build these lodges. Though it only took 10 days for the women to build a lodge, a lodge lasted 10 years. Round with a diameter of 40 feet, every inch was utilized to maximum efficiency. A lodge was beautifully decorated and contained sleeping, cooking and storage areas. There was even a place for a hidden cache of food under the floor of the lodge!
LIFE IN THE EARLY YEARS
All
human societies change through time, some gradually and some dramatically
over short periods of time. With this in mind, remember that initially Cheyennes
were not a nomadic people. They were farmers living in permanent villages.
At this time they did not have the horse, and hunted the buffalo on foot.
Hunting the buffalo on foot was not easy. A buffalo jump was a strategy they
used to capture the buffalo. They also grew corn, beans and squash, which
were traded to other tribes. The Cheyennes favored the banks of rivers to
live where the soil was sandy and easy to plant. There was not an easy way
to break the hard sun baked ground of the open areas. It was corn that kept
surrounding tribes friendly, as they needed these foods.
As long as they lived in villages the men had to go out to seek the buffalo and other large game animals. Others had to remain behind to protect the gardens which filled their bellies if game could not be found and served as trade with other tribes. This excess of foodstuffs also made them targets for enemies.
During
this early period there were no guns or horses. Their method of teaching relied
on the tradition of oral history. Story telling was a way of teaching about
the past and to give a path to follow in the future. Look at the photo to
the right and see the seating area where an elder would sit and repeat the
history of the Cheyenne time and time again. This is how they learned. Today,
when Cheyennes read and write many of the elders say that story telling is
the only true way to understand the past. The cadence of the words, rise and
fall of the voice, inflection and expression give so much more interpretation
than the written word.
Listen to one of the sacred stories to see
what we mean.