Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian Reservation
Encyclopedia
Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian Reservation were the lands granted the Southern Cheyenne and the Southern Arapaho
under the Medicine Lodge Treaty
signed in 1867. The tribes never lived on the land described in the treaty and did not desire to. Recognizing this fact, on August 10, 1869 lands on the North Fork of the Canadian River were set aside for the tribes by the executive order of President Grant. The lands were located in western Indian Territory south of the Cherokee Outlet
and north of the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache-Fort Sill Apache Indian Reservation. However, a portion of it was split off later to form the Caddo-Wichita-Delaware Indian Reservation. The area occupied by the tribes is now referred to as the Cheyenne-Arapaho Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Area.
nearly all of the Southern Cheyenne and the Southern Arapaho began to live on the reservation, but despite the best efforts of the Indian Agent, John D. Miles, the promised government rations were inadequate and disease affected the tribes. Inadequate funds were appropriated by Congress and only poor quality cattle were available to the government. Thousands of cattle were being grazed illegally on the reservation by Texas cattlemen, but when the Indian agent attempted to buy cattle he was refused. Some cattle were confiscated on promise of payment. On the advice of the army, fearful of an outbreak, ammunition was withheld. The Indians were easy prey for white horse thieves. There was some work for Cheyenne women tanning hides for white traders. In 1875, 1876, and 1877 the tribes competed with white buffalo hunters for the last of the diminishing buffalo herds. Many buffalo were taken, but never enough; by 1877 there were very few left. In the winter of 1877-78 the remaining stragglers of the southern herd were hunted down.
escaped and fled north, the Northern Cheyenne Exodus
. Most of the Northern Cheyenne remained, but by 1883 all that wanted to were permitted to return to the north where the Tongue River Indian Reservation
was established in 1884.
such as conserving winter moisture. There was some work hauling supplies, making hay, and cutting wood. Gradually more children were enrolled in the boarding schools on the reservation and at Carlisle Institute
particularly after a separate facility patronized by the Cheyenne was established in Caddo Springs. However there was little work even for the Carlisle graduates. The Indian agent's promising attempt to build a cattle herd was aborted when the Office of Indian Affairs commanded distribution of the herd giving each Indian an average of three cattle, which predictably they did little with. Shortages of rations continued with few resources available to the Indian agent to provide work opportunities for his charges.
for the exclusive use of the Cheyenne and Arapaho. "...The United States now solemnly agrees that no persons except those herein authorized so to do, and except such officers, agents, and employés of the Government as may be authorized to enter upon Indian reservations in discharge of duties enjoined by law, shall ever be permitted to pass over, settle upon, or reside in the territory described in this article...." In 1890, the United States, operating through the agency of the Cherokee Commission
, acting under the provisions of the Dawes Act
, broke the treaty and took most of the lands on the reservation and sold them to settlers, allotting a small parcel to each individual Indian. It was believed by the government at the time that extinguishment of tribal government and of a tribal interest in land would benefit the Indians and make possible their integration into American society. The allotments were held in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs
which leased much of that land to settlers. This process took several years, but by 1910 nearly all the lands of the reservation were in the possession or control of settlers, leaving the Indians a small minority on the reservation in possession of only a small portion of their original lands. At noon April 19, 1892 ,the lands of the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservation were opened for settlement by homesteaders; the Indians retained 529962 acres (2,144.7 km²) located mostly along the North Fork of the Canadian River, the Canadian River, and the Washita River.
live near Thomas, Clinton, and Weather, Custer County; Hammon (Red Moon), Roger Mills County; El Reno and Concho, Canadian County; Kingfisher, Kingfisher County, Watonga and Canton, Blaine County; Seiling, Dewey County.
The Cheyenne are a Plains Tribe
in Oklahoma
and are of the Algonquian
language family. They have long been associated with the Arapaho. The two tribes are referred to in Oklahoma as the Southern Cheyenne and the Southern Arapaho, a reference intended to distinguish them from their respective northern divisions on reservations in Montana (Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation
) and Wyoming (Wind River), respectively. The southern bands moved to the Indian Territory
as a result of the Medicine Lodge Treaty
of 1867, which was signed by Chief Little Raven as leader of the Southern Arapaho.
live mostly in rural areas near the towns of Canton, Greenfield and Geary in Blaine County, and at Colony in Washita County. The name Arapaho originates in the Pawnee term tirapihu (or larapihu), meaning, "He buys or trades", probably due to their being the dominant trading group in the Great Plains
region. The Arapaho call themselves Inun-ina meaning "our people" or "people of our own kind."
The Arapaho are one of the westernmost tribes of the Algonquian language family. Members of the Northern Arapaho who live on the Wind River Indian Reservation
in Wyoming call the Oklahoma group Nawathi'neha or "Southerners."
With the Organic Act of 1870, the Arapaho retained a nominal tribal government, and twelve chiefs were selected by a scout and retired Arapaho chief named Ute. The twelve chiefs were Jesse Rowlodge, David Meat, John Hoof, Dan Blackhorse, Ben Spotted Wolf, Bill Williams, Wilburn Tabor, John Sleeper, Annanita Washee, Scott Youngman, Saul Birdshead, and Theodore Haury. Two Cheyenne were elected by custom to serve as Arapaho chiefs, Ben Buffalo and Ralph Whitetail.
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are a united, federally recognized tribe of Southern Arapaho and Southern Cheyenne people in western Oklahoma.-History:...
under the Medicine Lodge Treaty
Medicine Lodge Treaty
The Medicine Lodge Treaty is the overall name for three treaties signed between the United States government and southern Plains Indian tribes in October 1867, intended to bring peace to the area by relocating the Native Americans to reservations in Indian Territory and away from European-American...
signed in 1867. The tribes never lived on the land described in the treaty and did not desire to. Recognizing this fact, on August 10, 1869 lands on the North Fork of the Canadian River were set aside for the tribes by the executive order of President Grant. The lands were located in western Indian Territory south of the Cherokee Outlet
Cherokee Outlet
The Cherokee Outlet, often mistakenly referred to as the Cherokee Strip, was located in what is now the state of Oklahoma, in the United States. It was a sixty-mile wide strip of land south of the Oklahoma-Kansas border between the 96th and 100th meridians. It was about 225 miles long and in 1891...
and north of the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache-Fort Sill Apache Indian Reservation. However, a portion of it was split off later to form the Caddo-Wichita-Delaware Indian Reservation. The area occupied by the tribes is now referred to as the Cheyenne-Arapaho Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Area.
The last of the buffalo
Following the Red River WarRed River War
The Red River War was a military campaign launched by the United States Army in 1874, as part of the Comanche War, to remove the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Native American tribes from the Southern Plains and forcibly relocate them to reservations in Indian Territory...
nearly all of the Southern Cheyenne and the Southern Arapaho began to live on the reservation, but despite the best efforts of the Indian Agent, John D. Miles, the promised government rations were inadequate and disease affected the tribes. Inadequate funds were appropriated by Congress and only poor quality cattle were available to the government. Thousands of cattle were being grazed illegally on the reservation by Texas cattlemen, but when the Indian agent attempted to buy cattle he was refused. Some cattle were confiscated on promise of payment. On the advice of the army, fearful of an outbreak, ammunition was withheld. The Indians were easy prey for white horse thieves. There was some work for Cheyenne women tanning hides for white traders. In 1875, 1876, and 1877 the tribes competed with white buffalo hunters for the last of the diminishing buffalo herds. Many buffalo were taken, but never enough; by 1877 there were very few left. In the winter of 1877-78 the remaining stragglers of the southern herd were hunted down.
Northern Cheyenne
In 1877 nearly a thousand Northern Cheyenne came or were escorted to the reservation from their home ranges in the north. Rations were inadequate as was medical care. In September, 1878 a band under the leadership of Dull Knife and Little WolfLittle Wolf
Little Wolf was a Northern Cheyenne Chief...
escaped and fled north, the Northern Cheyenne Exodus
Northern Cheyenne Exodus
The Northern Cheyenne Exodus, also known as Dull Knife's Raid, the Cheyenne War, or the Cheyenne Campaign, was the attempt of the Northern Cheyenne to return to the north, after being placed on the Southern Cheyenne reservation in the Indian Territory, and the United States Army operations to stop...
. Most of the Northern Cheyenne remained, but by 1883 all that wanted to were permitted to return to the north where the Tongue River Indian Reservation
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation
The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, formerly named the Tongue River Indian Reservation, is an Indian reservation that is home to the Northern Cheyenne tribe of the Native Americans. It is located around the small towns of Lame Deer and Ashland, Montana, in parts of Rosebud and Big Horn...
was established in 1884.
Agriculture, education, and work
In the late 1870s and the early 1880s there was some farming by both the Cheyenne and Arapaho with the Arapaho being more enthusiastic and successful. However there were recurrent droughts which resulted in crop failures. It took several years for even the Indian agent and his farmers to understand basic techniques of dryland farmingDryland farming
Dryland farming is an agricultural technique for non-irrigated cultivation of drylands.-Locations:Dryland farming is used in the Great Plains, the Palouse plateau of Eastern Washington, and other arid regions of North America, the Middle East and in other grain growing regions such as the steppes...
such as conserving winter moisture. There was some work hauling supplies, making hay, and cutting wood. Gradually more children were enrolled in the boarding schools on the reservation and at Carlisle Institute
Carlisle Indian Industrial School
Carlisle Indian Industrial School was an Indian boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1879 at Carlisle, Pennsylvania by Captain Richard Henry Pratt, the school was the first off-reservation boarding school, and it became a model for Indian boarding schools in other locations...
particularly after a separate facility patronized by the Cheyenne was established in Caddo Springs. However there was little work even for the Carlisle graduates. The Indian agent's promising attempt to build a cattle herd was aborted when the Office of Indian Affairs commanded distribution of the herd giving each Indian an average of three cattle, which predictably they did little with. Shortages of rations continued with few resources available to the Indian agent to provide work opportunities for his charges.
Grazing licenses, 1882 to 1885
During the early 1880s the vast majority of the reservation was licensed for grazing to large cattle outfits in 8 large parcels at the rate of 2 cents per acre, about a third of the fair market price. They were not leases as an actual lease of reservation land was forbidden by law. Miles, the Indian agent, called a council of chiefs and cattlemen on December 12, 1882 to consider grazing permits, and believed he had obtained the consent of the vast majority of the representatives of the tribes. There was however, strong opposition, particularly among the Cheyenne camped at Cantonment who responded with both killing of cattle for food and cultural resistance by the soldier societies which began requiring participation in medicine ceremonies and punishing Cheyenne who farmed or sent their children to school. Miles resigned on March 31, 1884. Miles replacement, D. B. Dyer, neither respected the Cheyenne nor got on well with them. His approach to disorder was to request troops, which were not provided. Escalating conflict continued between Indians and the cattlemen and in July, 1885, by the presidential order of Grover Cleveland, the cattlemen were ordered off the reservation, the reservation placed under military control, and Dyer was replaced by an army officer, Captain Jesse M. Lee.Dawes Allotment Act
The lands granted by the Treaty of Medicine Lodge were extensive, setting aside a substantial portion of western OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
for the exclusive use of the Cheyenne and Arapaho. "...The United States now solemnly agrees that no persons except those herein authorized so to do, and except such officers, agents, and employés of the Government as may be authorized to enter upon Indian reservations in discharge of duties enjoined by law, shall ever be permitted to pass over, settle upon, or reside in the territory described in this article...." In 1890, the United States, operating through the agency of the Cherokee Commission
Cherokee Commission
The Cherokee Commission, was a three-person bi-partisan body created by President Benjamin Harrison to operate under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, as empowered by Section 14 of the Indian Appropriations Act of March 2, 1889. Section 15 of the same Act empowered the President to...
, acting under the provisions of the Dawes Act
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey Indian tribal land and divide the land into allotments for individual Indians. The Act was named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act was amended in 1891 and again...
, broke the treaty and took most of the lands on the reservation and sold them to settlers, allotting a small parcel to each individual Indian. It was believed by the government at the time that extinguishment of tribal government and of a tribal interest in land would benefit the Indians and make possible their integration into American society. The allotments were held in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
which leased much of that land to settlers. This process took several years, but by 1910 nearly all the lands of the reservation were in the possession or control of settlers, leaving the Indians a small minority on the reservation in possession of only a small portion of their original lands. At noon April 19, 1892 ,the lands of the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservation were opened for settlement by homesteaders; the Indians retained 529962 acres (2,144.7 km²) located mostly along the North Fork of the Canadian River, the Canadian River, and the Washita River.
The Cheyenne
In Oklahoma, the CheyenneCheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
live near Thomas, Clinton, and Weather, Custer County; Hammon (Red Moon), Roger Mills County; El Reno and Concho, Canadian County; Kingfisher, Kingfisher County, Watonga and Canton, Blaine County; Seiling, Dewey County.
The Cheyenne are a Plains Tribe
Plains Indians
The Plains Indians are the Indigenous peoples who live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. Their colorful equestrian culture and resistance to White domination have made the Plains Indians an archetype in literature and art for American Indians everywhere.Plains...
in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and are of the Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
language family. They have long been associated with the Arapaho. The two tribes are referred to in Oklahoma as the Southern Cheyenne and the Southern Arapaho, a reference intended to distinguish them from their respective northern divisions on reservations in Montana (Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation
The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, formerly named the Tongue River Indian Reservation, is an Indian reservation that is home to the Northern Cheyenne tribe of the Native Americans. It is located around the small towns of Lame Deer and Ashland, Montana, in parts of Rosebud and Big Horn...
) and Wyoming (Wind River), respectively. The southern bands moved to the Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
as a result of the Medicine Lodge Treaty
Medicine Lodge Treaty
The Medicine Lodge Treaty is the overall name for three treaties signed between the United States government and southern Plains Indian tribes in October 1867, intended to bring peace to the area by relocating the Native Americans to reservations in Indian Territory and away from European-American...
of 1867, which was signed by Chief Little Raven as leader of the Southern Arapaho.
The Arapaho
In Oklahoma, the ArapahoArapaho
The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...
live mostly in rural areas near the towns of Canton, Greenfield and Geary in Blaine County, and at Colony in Washita County. The name Arapaho originates in the Pawnee term tirapihu (or larapihu), meaning, "He buys or trades", probably due to their being the dominant trading group in the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
region. The Arapaho call themselves Inun-ina meaning "our people" or "people of our own kind."
The Arapaho are one of the westernmost tribes of the Algonquian language family. Members of the Northern Arapaho who live on the Wind River Indian Reservation
Wind River Indian Reservation
Wind River Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation shared by the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes of Native Americans in the central western portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming...
in Wyoming call the Oklahoma group Nawathi'neha or "Southerners."
With the Organic Act of 1870, the Arapaho retained a nominal tribal government, and twelve chiefs were selected by a scout and retired Arapaho chief named Ute. The twelve chiefs were Jesse Rowlodge, David Meat, John Hoof, Dan Blackhorse, Ben Spotted Wolf, Bill Williams, Wilburn Tabor, John Sleeper, Annanita Washee, Scott Youngman, Saul Birdshead, and Theodore Haury. Two Cheyenne were elected by custom to serve as Arapaho chiefs, Ben Buffalo and Ralph Whitetail.
See also
- Cheyenne and Arapaho TribesCheyenne and Arapaho TribesThe Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are a united, federally recognized tribe of Southern Arapaho and Southern Cheyenne people in western Oklahoma.-History:...
- CheyenneCheyenneCheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
- ArapahoArapahoThe Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...