The Cheyenne: A Study of the Present and Future

Often considered the epitome of the Plains Indians, the Cheyenne are a tribe that has endured as much suffering and broken deals as many other tribes of the United States. Known to us as the Cheyenne, they actually prefer the Tsitsistas which means "Like-Hearted People" as the word "Cheyenne" is actually derived from the Sioux meaning "Cree". The Cheyenne are a people surrounded by history and heart-ache, from broken treaties and massacres to alcoholism and healthcare.

Geographic and Demographic Overview:

The Cheyenne are quite interesting because they are separate yet united tribes separated by hundreds of miles. The Northern Cheyenne live in southeastern Montana on 445,000 acres with a western border with the Crow. About 5,000 people live on the reservation along with Native Americans from other tribes and non-Native Americans. The Southern Cheyenne number around 10,000 and reside primarily in western Oklahoma. The Southern Cheyenne now share land trusts with the Arapaho Indians, a long time ally and friend to the Cheyenne. Tribal lands for the Southern Cheyenne of clearly extremely less than that of the original acreage given in the 1800s, tribal lands now reach about 10,200 acres spread across several counties in western Oklahoma.

Government:

The traditional Cheyenne government system had bands, but they were different from many other tribes in that all the tribes were politically unified with a central government with 44 seats for chief delegates with 4 of the seats reserved for the principal delegates the other chiefs. Now, instead of chiefs, councils have a committee of eight representatives that are elected for four-year terms.

Language:

Cheyenne is the traditional language spoken with little to no structural differences between the Northern and Southern Cheyenne. The language is an Algonquian language only spoken by about 1,500-2,000 people today. In the case of many indigenous languages, the majority of speakers are the elders of the tribe. Many people now fear that without teaching the children to speak the language or to utilize the language, Cheyenne will eventually die out.

Problems and Controversies:

One of the hardest things to hold on to during the 1800s was reservation land given and taken away from the tribe by the United States Government. Now new problems (and some which have never gone away) rear their head. For example: the ever-present casino controversy which helps and sometimes hurts native communities. For the Cheyenne it can be a sticky situation. For the Southern Cheyenne, casinos in that area of the country often aren't entirely helpful. They do provide a check for the natives, but often, because that part of Oklahoma is often quite remote and empty, the patrons of the casinos are the Cheyenne themselves.

Alcoholism is another problem that plagues almost all Native Americans. Because they are on welfare with a limited amount of paying jobs for the Cheyenne, often turning to alcohol is simply to pass time and even cure boredom. To combat alcoholism in an early age, Hammon, OK is currently building a youth center with the help of charities and willing hands to simply give kids a place to go to and give them something to do.

Finally, a third problem for the Cheyenne is healthcare. Often we don't quite think about healthcare as a number one problem, but it is a serious obstacle that needs to be solved. Again, because the Cheyenne are on welfare (along with almost all other Native American tribes) they do not receive the same type of healthcare we receive, even white Americans who have welfare are able to go to a regular hospital. The Indians, however, can only go to the Indian hospital which, as you could guess, is not a very safe or reliable place to be if you have a serious health condition. When I asked about this, I was told about several instances where illnesses were not detected until it was too late and they died or else refusing to go to the Indian hospital, instead paying the full price of a regular public hospital nearby. The serious lack of healthcare being provided is somewhat shocking; I had no idea things such as this still occurred so strongly in the United States. Yet it's odd that so few people are aware of the serious problems in healthcare today.

Gaining Awareness:

Awareness is, perhaps, one of the best ways for one to truly understand the lives of others, particularly lives which reside within one's own country. The Cheyenne are not people of the past. They are living and breathing as easily as you are today. However, often, they are placed within a historic context, without thought to their lives today. Gaining knowledge about others not only dispels stereotypes, it also allows one to see their own culture in a clearer light.

Sources:
-2006 Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribe. Electronic Document, http://www.cheyenne-arapaho.org /index.htm, accessed October 31, 2006.
-Alonso, Richard 1999 Sand Creek Massacre. Electronic Document, http://homepages.tesco.net/~richard.alonzo/ Events/sandcreek.htm, accessed October 31, 2006.
-De Mallie, Raymond J. and Alfonso Ortiz. 1994 Native American Anthology: Essays on Society and Culture. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
-Newcomb, William W Jr. 1974 Native Indians: an Anthropological Perspective. Pacific Palisades: Goodyear Publishing Co.
-Olson, James S. and Raymund Wilson. 1984 Native America in the 20^th Century. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.