
How did the Cheyenne get their name?
The name "Cheyenne" may be derived from Dakota Sioux exonym for them, Šahíyena (meaning "little Šahíya"). Though the identity of the Šahíya is not known, many Great Plains tribes assume it means Cree or some other people who spoke an Algonquian language related to Cree and Cheyenne.
What are the two Cheyenne tribes?
The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the Tsétsêhéstâhese (also spelled Tsitsistas ). These tribes merged in the early 19th century.
What did the Cheyenne tribe do for a living?
Traditional Cheyenne plains culture. While they participated in nomadic Plains horse culture, men hunted and occasionally fought with and raided other tribes. The women tanned and dressed hides for clothing, shelter, and other uses. They also gathered roots, berries, and other useful plants.
Why are the Cheyenne called The Suhtai?
The Suhtai were said to have originally had slightly different speech and customs from their traveling companions. The name "Cheyenne" may be derived from Lakota Sioux exonym for them, Šahíyena (meaning "little Šahíya ").

What does the Cheyenne tribe name mean?
The Cheyenne people carry a tribal name received from their Siouian allies when they all lived in present Minnesota in the 1500s. The name means "foreign speakers" and was used by the Sioux in reference to Algonquian-speaking tribes.
Are Cheyenne and Lakota the same?
No, the Cheyenne and the Lakota are not the same. The Lakota are a Sioux people. They are one of the two main branches of the Sioux. The spoke a Siouan-language like the Dakota, Quapaw, and the Catawba of the east coast of the present-day United States.
What are the Cheyenne Indians known for?
The Cheyenne were very adept on horseback, and the warriors on horseback were fearsome to behold. Warriors of the tribe were venerated and were held with great honor for their skills and bravery. With the rapid expansion of the white culture, conflict was violent and consistent with the Cheyenne tribe.
What is the Cheyenne symbol?
NORTHERN CHEYENNE TRIBAL SYMBOL (MORNING STAR) - The white symbol is the morning star. However, Grinnell in Volume 1 of his 1923 Cheyenne Indians says the morning star can also be symbolized by a green disc.
What god did the Cheyenne worship?
Traditional Cheyenne religion focused upon two principal deities, the Wise One Above and a god who lived beneath the ground. In addition, four spirits lived at the points of the compass. The Cheyenne performed the Sun Dance in a very elaborate form.
Are there any Cheyenne left?
The Northern Cheyenne Nation is located in present-day southeastern Montana and is approximately 444,000 acres in size. The Northern Cheyenne Nation has approximately 11,266 enrolled tribal members with about 5,000 residing on their lands in Montana.
Are the Cheyenne and Sioux the same tribe?
The Cheyenne are a tribe of Algonquian linguistic stock who were closely allied with the Arapaho and Gros Ventre and loosely allied with the Lakota Sioux. One of the most prominent of the Plains tribes, they primarily lived and hunted on hills and prairies alongside the Missouri and Red Rivers.
When did the Cheyenne tribe end?
In 1867, most of the band were killed by United States Army forces in the Battle of Summit Springs. Due to an increasing division between the Dog Soldiers and the council chiefs with respect to policy towards the whites, the Dog Soldiers became separated from the other Cheyenne bands.
What does the word Cheyenne mean in English?
1 plural Cheyenne or Cheyennes : a member of a nation of Algonquian-speaking Indigenous peoples of the western Great Plains of the U.S.
What language did the Cheyenne Indians speak?
One example is Cheyenne, an Algonquian language indigenous to North America, now spoken predominantly in Montana and Oklahoma.
What are the colors of the Cheyenne tribe?
CROW & PLATEAU TRIBES Design Colors: Red, White, Cheyenne Pink (Lavender), Light Blue, Medium Blue, Dark Blue, Yellow, Green, Pumpkin Yellow (Butterscotch) and occasionally Purple – especially for the Plateau Tribes who used more colors, shades and hues than the Crow, as well as more Cut Beads.
How did the Cheyenne bury their dead?
During the 1800s, the Cheyenne laid their dead to rest in the trees. In the absence of a suitable tree, mourners constructed a scaffolding with four wooden posts staked into the ground. A wood platform for the body was then laid across the posts, resulting in a structure, typically 8 to 10 feet high.
Is Cheyenne a Native American name?
The name Cheyenne is primarily a gender-neutral name of Native American origin that means People Of A Different Language. From the Lakota word šahiyena meaning "red speakers," referring to a Native American tribe of the Great Plains that spoke a different language than their own.
Why did the Cheyenne tribe split?
After the introduction of the horse (c. 1760) they eventually became nomadic buffalo hunters. The tribe split (c. 1830) when a large group decided to settle on the upper Arkansas River and take advantage of the trade facilities offered by Bent's Fort.
What were Cheyenne and Sioux enemies?
The Sioux and Cheyenne were also at war with their long-time enemies, the Crow and Shoshone, which drained off many of their resources. To combat the Sioux the U.S. army had a string of forts ringing the Great Sioux Reservation and unceded territory.
What are the 5 Sioux tribes?
SubdivisionsLakota (also known as Lakȟóta, Thítȟuŋwaŋ, Teton, and Teton Sioux) Northern Lakota (Húŋkpapȟa, Sihásapa) Central Lakota (Mnikȟówožu, Itázipčho, Oóhenuŋpa) ... Western Dakota. Yankton (Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋ) ... Eastern Dakota (also known as Santee-Sisseton or Dakhóta) Santee (Isáŋyáthi: Bdewákhathuŋwaŋ, Waȟpékhute)
Overview
Name
The Cheyenne are composed of two tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly as Suhtai or Sutaio; singular: Só'taétane) and the Tsétsêhéstâhese (more commonly as the Tsitsistas; singular: Tsétsêhéstaestse), which translates to "those who are like this". These two tribes had always traveled together, becoming fully merged sometime after 1831, when they were still noted as hav…
Language
The Cheyenne of Montana and Oklahoma speak the Cheyenne language, known as Tsêhésenêstsestôtse (common spelling: Tsisinstsistots). Approximately 800 people speak Cheyenne in Oklahoma. There are only a handful of vocabulary differences between the two locations. The Cheyenne alphabet contains 14 letters. The Cheyenne language is one of the larger Algonquian-language group. Formerly, the Só'taeo'o (Só'taétaneo'o) or Suhtai (Sutaio) ba…
History
The earliest known written historical record of the Cheyenne comes from the mid-17th century, when a group of Cheyenne visited the French Fort Crevecoeur, near present-day Peoria, Illinois. The Cheyenne at this time lived between the Mississippi River and Mille Lacs Lake. Their economy was based on the collection of wild rice and hunting, especially of bison, which lived in the prairies …
Culture
Over the past 400 years, the Cheyenne have changed their lifestyles. In the 16th century, they lived in the regions near the Great Lakes. They farmed corn, squash, and beans, and harvested wild rice like other indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. They migrated west in the 18th century and hunted bison on the Great Plains. By the mid-19th century, the US forced them onto re…
Horse culture on the Great Plains
While they participated in nomadic Plains horse culture, men hunted and occasionally fought with and raided other tribes. The women tanned and dressed hides for clothing, shelter, and other uses. They also gathered roots, berries, and other useful plants. From the products of hunting and gathering, the women also made lodges, clothing, and other equipment. Their lives were active and physically demanding. The Cheyenne held territory in and near the Black Hills, but later all the Great …
Notable historic Cheyenne people
Please list 20th and 21st-century Cheyenne people under their specific tribes, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.
• George Bent (1843–1918), son of Owl Woman, interpreter and Cheyenne historian
• Black Kettle (c. 1803–1868) (in Cheyenne: Moke-tav-a-to or Mo'ôhtavetoo'o, since 1854 member of the Council of Forty-four and chief of the Wotapio band of Southern Cheyenne, killed by George Armstrong Cust…
See also
• Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes
• Native American tribes in Nebraska
• The Cheyenne Indians: Their History and Lifeways