Day 40 (D-23) Plains Indians: Returning to The Cheyenne

It's August 15th today, a holiday in France.  And it's on a Thursday this year.  So, many who are not on vacation during this month will perhaps "faire le pont"... "make a bridge" from Wednesday evening until Monday morning!  In English, we simply have a 4-day weekend or a long weekend  No bridges!  
If you are enjoying your holidays today and have no time for your computer traveling, do come back at another time to read about the Cheyenne, watch scenes from two films and listen to Cheyenne music.  Interesting.  Sad.  Important.
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At the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, I'm certain that we will learn about the Cheyenne tribe.  We saw them a little on this blog on Day 7. Theirs is a very sad story.  There was the Sand Creek Massacre on November 29, 1864, when a 675-man force of Colorado U.S. Volunteer Cavalry attacked and destroyed a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho in southeastern Colorado Territory, killing and mutilating an estimated 70 - 163 Native Americans (other sources as between 150 and 200), about two-thirds of whom were women and children. 
Do you know the film Soldier Blue (1970)? You can find the trailer on youtube.
The Sand Creek National Historic Site in Kiowa, Colorado was dedicated on April 28, 2007, almost 142 years after the massacre.



The Northern Cheyenne fought in the Battle of Little Big Horn where General Custer and his men were killed.  The American public as a result hated the Cheyenne.  The Northern Cheyenne were defeated in November 25, 1876.  They were forced to go to Indian Territory in Oklahoma.  No food, no buffalo, illnesses, sadness, death.  A group decided they would return to their country in the north.  Captured, they were refused food, water and firewood until they accepted to go back. (The Fort Robinson Tragedy)  Most escaped, but in freezing cold weather they were all recaptured or killed.  Eventually the US forced the Northern Cheyenne onto a reservation in southern Montana.



John Ford's last film Cheyenne Autumn (1964) tells the story of their exodus; so does Dee Brown in his book, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970).  A very good film.  Heartbreaking.  Go to youtube and choose a scene to watch.  My students who went to The American Southwest in June 2019 can watch the scenes shot in Monument Valley and remember our extraordinary experience there.

Cheyenne leaders: 
Dull knife
Little Wolf
Not a cowboy song today.
Cheyenne music:

 Native American music  Cheyenne Wuayrapa Muspuynin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOiTpi6U52s

Cheyenne (Dancing Wolves)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKcl5iIuPNs

Cheyenne (Dances of the Wolf)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzxDXLGJoYU

 Devenir Cheyenne   sung by Pow Wow who also sang again in 1992 Henri Salvador's French version (1962) of Le Lion Est Mort Ce Soir
You'll need to go to youtube and search Devenir Cheyenne Pow Wow lyrics.  
My best,
Jane
Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation flag

Comments

  1. Robert JACQUEMOUDAugust 15, 2019 at 9:19 PM

    I'm just reading the book -Bury my Heart at Wouned Knee-,by Dee BROWN.
    In it I found the famous words said by General Sheridan " The only good Indians I ever saw were dead."
    This became an American aphorism " The only good Indian is a dead Indian."

    Many thanks for your blog.

    ReplyDelete

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