THE
JOURNEY BEGINS
Although
the Cheyennes lived peacefully in their northern villages, fierce, warlike
tribes wanted their land. Leaving this conflict behind, the Cheyenne began
their journey towards the plains and adapted to a new way of life. The men
led the way to the new land following the rivers and buffalo. They roamed
back and forth gradually changing from the woodland life to a semi-sedentary,
agricultural life where the men left the villages to hunt the buffalo. They
still did not have the horse and the men would have to walk many miles as
they followed the huge herds of buffalo.
Over a period of three
hundred years they moved into three different regions: woodland, prairie and
high plains. They stayed on the prairies until the late 1700s whenl they acquired
horses and were able to hunt buffalo at great distances and trade with other
peoples.
The
Chippewas attacked and burned one of the large Cheyenne villages pushing them
onto the high plains. Here began the grand transition from an earthlodge dwelling
agricultural people to nomadic, full-time buffalo hunters. This movement threw
them into the paths of conflict and pressure from other tribes, migrating
settlers, and the US government. As they set sail across the great sea of
grass new opportunities opened up for them. They could go anywhere the buffalo
went and trade along the way. They could trade buffalo meat and robes for
guns from the Mandans and Arikaras then trade more for guns from the plains
tribes such as the Comanches and Apaches. Their villages could be moved quickly
day or night away from enemies and no one would be left behind.
HOUSING TO GO
Did
you know that a tipi required about 11 buffalo skins and weighed about 200
pounds? It required approximately 18 tipi poles and was awkward to move. That
is why the horse was so important in understanding how Cheyennes were able
to become a nomadic people. Three horses could carry a full tipi. This is
where the travois--invented by American Indians-- came into play. With a travois
a horse could drag 2 or 3 times more weight than it could carry on its back!
A pack horse could carry about 2oo lbs while a travois on hard, level ground
could carry up to 600 lbs. Before and after the horse, dogs were also outfitted
with a travois to help with the move.
"The Roles of Cheyenne
Men and Women in Setting up the Tipi" Moses Starr (Cheyenne).
SEASONAL MOVEMENT OF THE CHEYENNE
Movement
of the Cheyennes was determined by their search for buffalo and the need to
harvest the tubers and berries as they ripened. The buffalo was important
not only as a source of food but for many other necessary tools and items
as well. Check
out this table to see how how efficiently
parts of the buffalo were used. There was usually a buffalo hunt in early
spring after the horses had recovered from the hardships of winter. Then came
the collection of early berries. In June the prairie turnips were ready and
required several weeks to harvest. Chokeberries were ready in July and August
and Jerusalem artichokes were ready in late summer. Buffalo berries could
not be harvested until after the first frost. Buffalo was hunted as the opportunity
arose but a major hunt was always organized in the fall to provide food for
the winter. Sand cherries and wild plums were eaten fresh or dried to be eaten
during the long winters. The root of the Prairie turnip became commercially
important as it was dried and ground into flour offering-a welcome change
from corn! Chokeberries also became a trade item. The Cheyenne women ground
the berries, seeds and all, then formed them into a cookie shape that did
not rot or crumble as other berries did. So this was a good food item for
hunters to carry in their parfleches. If the hunting and collecting had been
bountiful they would break into small family groups and settle in some secluded
pasture along a creek or river where they would be protected from the harshest
of the winter storms. Since the entire camp was now mobile they could pack
up and move 20-50 miles during the periodic warm spells on the plains. They
left behind exhausted pasture, garbage, camp refuse and human waste which
meant they were not as subject to disease as the people who stayed in one
place for long periods of time.
A FORCE TO BE DEALT WITH
Unlike many of the plains
tribes the Cheyennes went to great lengths to form an integrated nation. They
began by having the Sun Dance where they all came together once a year to
renew their political and military solidarity. Their four sacred arrows forbade
murder among the bands and required all of them to make war together once
a declaration of war had been legally made. A full scale war meant "moving
the arrows" and every man, woman and child had to be present at the battle
site. Warriors reluctant to support the declaration were severely punished,
their tipis burned or their horses killed. This solidarity created an efficient
and disciplined war-making machine.
An excellent strategic move
was their alliance with the Arapahoes. Not only did they double in population,
but they achieved three very important objectives. First of all they gained
control of the most productive buffalo pasture on the entire plains, the area
from the forks of the Platte south to the Arkansas. Keep in mind that without
good access to the buffalo a tribe would have nothing to eat and only horses
to trade. Second they continued to push back the Utes, Shoshones and Crows
into a different trade corridor thus ensuring their dominance on the central
plains. They supported the Lakotas in their attacks against the Pawnees and
in turn they helped the Cheyennes press the Kiowas southward. See how there
was pressure from all areas for control of the plains. Not only were the Plains
Tribes under attack by the US government and emigrants but other tribes as
well. The Kiowas settled in with the Comanches and moved into Texas for better
raiding and trading. So now the Cheyennes were in complete control of the
central plains. They dominated the legitimate horse trade while raiding southern
tribes for their horses and dominating the trade southward from the Middle
Missouri of all European made goods! Between 1790 and 1840 they became famous
for their ferocity in war and their massive wealth! Their tipis were luxurious
and their horse herds enormous! They were truly the most powerful force on
the central plains.
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ACROSS THE PLAINS | SACRED PLACES AND
STORIES | PRESSURE ON THE PLAINS |
ATTACK AT THE WASHITA | CHEYENNE
LIFE TODAY