THE CHEYENNE

TRIBAL SYNONYMY

Ba′hakosĭn—Caddo name; “striped arrows,” băh, arrow. The Caddo sometimes also call them Siä′näbo, from their Comanche name.

Cheyenne—popular name, a French spelling of their Sioux name. It has no connection with the French word chien, “dog.”

Dzĭtsĭ′stäs—proper tribal name; nearly equivalent to “our people.”

Gatsa′lghi—Kiowa Apache name.

Hĭtäsi′na (singular Hĭ′täsi)—Arapaho name, signifying “scarred people,” from hĭtäshi′ni, “scarred or cut.” According to the Arapaho statement the Cheyenne were so called because they were more addicted than the other tribes to the practice of gashing themselves in religious ceremonies. The name may have more special reference to the tribal custom of cutting off the fingers and hands of their slain enemies. (See tribal sign, [page 1024].)

Ităsupuzi—Hidatsa name, “spotted arrow quills” (Matthews).

Ka′naheăwastsĭk—Cree name, “people with a language somewhat like Cree” (Grinnell).

Niere′rikwats-kûni′ki—Wichita name.

Nanonĭ′ks-kare′nĭki—Kichai name.

Pägănävo—Shoshoni and Comanche name; “striped arrows,” from päga, “arrow,” and nävo, “striped.”

Säk̔o′ta—Kiowa name; seems to refer to “biting.”

Sa-sis-e-tas—proper tribal name according to [Clark] (Indian Sign Language, 99, 1885). The form should be Dzĭtsĭ′stäs as given above.

Shaiela or Shaiena—Sioux name; “red,” or decorated with red paint. According to Riggs, as quoted by Clark, the Sioux call an alien language a “red” language, while they designate one of their own stock as “white,” so that the name would be equivalent to “aliens.” The Sioux apply the same name also to the Cree.

Shiä′navo—another Comanche name, probably a derivative from the word Cheyenne.

Shiĕ′da—another Wichita name, derived from the word Cheyenne.

Staitan—unidentified tribal name, given, by Lewis and Clark. Identical with the Cheyenne, from their own word Hĭstä′itän, “I am a Cheyenne.”

TRIBAL SIGN

The Cheyenne tribal sign, made by drawing the right index finger several times across the left forefinger, is commonly interpreted “cut fingers” or “cut wrists,” and is said to be derived from their custom of cutting off the fingers and hands of slain enemies. Although the same practice was found among other tribes, the Cheyenne were particularly distinguished in this regard. In Mackenzie’s great fight with the Cheyenne in Wyoming, in 1876, two necklaces made of human fingers were found in the captured Indian camp, together with a small bag filled with hands cut from the bodies of children of the Shoshoni tribe, their enemies. One of these necklaces was afterward deposited in the National Museum at Washington. (See [Bourke] in Ninth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology.) Some competent Indian authorities say, however, that the sign is intended to indicate “stripe people,” or “striped-arrow people,” referring to the fact that the Cheyenne usually feathered their arrows with the striped feathers of the wild turkey. This agrees with the interpretation of the name for the Cheyenne in several different languages.

SKETCH OF THE TRIBE

The Cheyenne are one of the westernmost tribes of the great Algonquian stock. In one of their ghost songs they sing of the “turtle river,” on which they say they once lived. (Cheyenne song 3.) From several evidences this seems to be identical with the Saint Croix, which forms the boundary between Wisconsin and Minnesota. This statement agrees with the opinion of [Clark] (Indian Sign Language), who locates their earliest tradition in the neighborhood of Saint Anthony falls. They were driven out by the Sioux and forced toward the northwest, where they came in contact with the Asiniboin (called by them Hohe′), with whom they were never afterward at peace. At a later period, according to Lewis and Clark, they lived on the Cheyenne branch of Red river, in northern Minnesota, whence they were again driven by the Sioux into the prairie.

In 1805 they wandered about the head of Cheyenne river of Dakota and in the Black hills, and were at war with the Sioux, though at peace with most other tribes. Since then they have pushed on to the west and south, always in close confederation with the Arapaho. These two tribes say they have never known a time when they were not associated. About forty years ago, in Wyoming, the band since known as the northern Cheyenne separated from the others (Clark), and have since lived chiefly in Montana or with the Sioux, with whom the Cheyenne made peace about sixty years ago. The other and larger portion of the tribe continued to range chiefly on the lands of the Arkansas and Canadian in Colorado and the western part of Kansas and Oklahoma. They and the Arapaho made peace with the Kiowa and Comanche in 1840, and raided in connection with these tribes into Texas and Mexico until assigned in 1869 to a reservation in what is now western Oklahoma. In 1874 they, as well as the Kiowa, Comanche, and Kiowa Apache, again went on the warpath in consequence of the depredations of the buffalo hunters, but the outbreak was speedily suppressed. In 1890 they sold their reservation and took allotments in severalty. The northern Cheyenne joined the Sioux in the “Custer war” of 1876–77. At the surrender of the hostiles they were removed to Oklahoma and placed with the southern Cheyenne, but were much dissatisfied with their location, the dissatisfaction culminating in the attempt of a large party, under Dull Knife, to escape to the north, in September, 1878. They were pursued, and a part of them captured and confined at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, whence they made a desperate attempt to escape on the night of January 9, 1879, resulting in the killing of nearly all of the prisoners. They were finally assigned a reservation in Montana, where they now are, with the exception of a few among the Sioux. According to the official report for 1892, the southern Cheyenne in Oklahoma numbered 2,119, the northern Cheyenne in Montana, 1,200, and those with the Sioux at Pine Edge, South Dakota, 120, a total of 3,439.

The Cheyenne have eleven tribal divisions. They have at least two dialects, but probably more. The tribal divisions in their order in the camping circle are—

1. Evĭ′sts-unĭ′pahĭs (“smoky lodges”—Grinnell, fide Clark).

2. Sŭta′ya or Sŭ′tasi′na. This is one of the most important divisions and formerly constituted a distinct tribe, but was afterward incorporated with the Cheyenne. According to concurrent Cheyenne and Blackfoot tradition, as given by Grinnell, they seem originally to have been a part of the Blackfeet, who became separated from the main body of their tribe by the sudden breaking up of the ice while crossing a large river. They drifted to the southward and finally met and joined the Cheyenne in the Black hills. Their name, spelled Suti by Grinnell, is said to mean “strange talkers.” They live now on the upper Washita in Oklahoma and speak a dialect differing considerably from that of the rest of the tribe.

3. Ĭ′sium-itä′niuw’, (“ridge-people;” singular, Ĭ′siumi-tän—Grinnell, fide Clark).

4. Hĕwă-tä′niuw’, “hairy men.” The name is also sometimes used collectively to designate all of the southern Cheyenne as distinguished from the northern Cheyenne, called collectively Hmĭ′sĭs. The southern Cheyenne are also designated collectively as So′wăniă, “southerners.”

5. Ŏ′ivimă′na, “scabby.” This name is said to have been given them originally on account of an epidemic which once broke out among their horses and rendered them mangy.

6. Wi′tapi′u (“haters”—Grinnell, ƒide Clark).

7. Hotă′mi-tä′niuw′, “dog men,” or Mĭ′stäviĭ′nût, “heavy eyebrows.” This is also the name of one of the divisions of their warrior organization.

8. O′tu′gŭnŭ.

9. Hmĭ′sĭs, “eaters.” This is the most important division of the northern Cheyenne, and the name is also used by those of the south to designate all the northern Cheyenne collectively.

10. Anskowĭ′nĭs.

11. Pĭnû′tgû′.

Fig. 100—Cheyenne camping circle.

These are the names given to the author by the Cheyenne themselves as the complete list of their tribal divisions. Grinnell, on the authority of the Clark manuscript, names six of these with two others, Matsĭ′shkota, “corpse from a scaffold,” and Miayŭma, “red lodges,” which may be identical with some of the others named above, or may perhaps be degrees of their military organization instead of tribal divisions.

In the great ceremony of the “medicine arrow,” last enacted on the Washita in 1890, the camping circle opened to the south. At all other gatherings of the tribe the circle opened to the east, agreeable to the general Indian custom, the several divisions encamping in the order shown in [figure 100].

The Cheyenne, like the prairie tribes generally, are, or were until within a few years past, a nation of nomads, living in skin tipis, and depending almost entirely on the buffalo for food. Yet they have a dim memory of a time when they lived in permanent villages and planted corn, and in their genesis tradition, which occupies four “smokes” or nights in the telling, they relate how they “lost” the corn a long time ago before they became wanderers on the plains. They deposit their dead on scaffolds in trees, unlike their confederates, the Arapaho, who bury in the ground. Their most sacred possession is the bundle of “medicine arrows,” now in possession of the southern division of the tribe. They have a military organization similar to that existing among the Arapaho and other prairie tribes, as described under number 43 of the Arapaho songs. Above all the tribes of the plains they are distinguished for their desperate courage and pride of bearing, and are preeminently warriors among people whose trade is war. They are strongly conservative and have steadily resisted every advance of civilization, here again differing from the Arapaho, who have always shown a disposition to meet the white man half-way. In fact, no two peoples could well exhibit more marked differences of characteristics on almost every point than these two confederated tribes. The Cheyenne have quick and strong intelligence, but their fighting temper sometimes renders them rather unmanageable subjects with whom to deal. Their conservatism and tribal pride tend to restrain them from following after strange gods, so that in regard to the new messiah they assume a rather skeptical position, while they conform to all the requirements of the dance code in order to be on the safe side.

[Clark], in his Indian Sign Language, thus sums up the characteristics of the Cheyenne:

As a tribe they have been broken and scattered, but in their wild and savage way they fought well for their country, and their history during the past few years has been written in blood. The men of the Cheyenne Indians rank as high in the scale of honesty, energy, and tenacity of purpose as those of any other tribe I have ever met, and in physique and intellect they are superior to those of most tribes and the equal of any. Under the most demoralizing and trying circumstances they have preserved in a remarkable degree that part of their moral code which relates to chastity, and public sentiment has been so strong in them in regard to this matter that they have been, and are still, noted among all the tribes which surround them, for the virtue of their women.

The Cheyenne language lacks the liquids l and r. It is full of hissing sounds and difficult combinations of consonants, so that it does not lend itself readily to song composition, for which reason, among others, the Cheyenne in the south usually join the Arapaho in the Ghost dance and sing the Arapaho songs.

SONGS OF THE CHEYENNE

1. O′tä nä′nisĭ′näsists

O′tä nä′nisĭ′näsĭsts—Ehe′e′ye′!

Mä′tesemä′moestä′nowe′t—Ähe′e′ye′!

Ho′ivitu′simo′moĭ′ts—E′ähe′e′ye′!

Nu′ka′eshe′väo′e′tse′

Nitu′si′mitä′nun,

Nitu′si′mitä′nun.

Translation

Well, my children—Ehe′e′ye′!

When you meet your friends again—Ähe′e′ye′!

The earth will tremble—E′ähe′e′ye′!

The summer cloud (?)

It will give it to us,

It will give it to us.

The interpretation of this song is imperfect and the meaning is not clear. It evidently refers to the earthquake which it is supposed will occur at the moment of contact of the spirit world with the old earth. The literal meaning of the second line, rendered “when you meet your friends again,” is “when you are living together again.”

2. Ehä′n esho′ini′

Ehä′n esho′ini′,

Hoi′v esho′ini′,

I′yohä′—Eye′ye′!

I′nisto′niwo′ni—Ahe′e′ye′!

Translation

Our father has come,

The earth has come,

It is rising—Eye′ye′!

It is humming—Ahe′e′ye′!

This is the song composed by Porcupine, the great leader of the Ghost dance among the northern Cheyenne. It refers to the coming of the new earth which is to come over this old world and which is represented as making a humming or rolling noise as it swiftly approaches.

3. Nä′niso′näsĭ′stsihi′

Nä′niso′näsĭ′stsihi′,

Hi′tää′ni mä′noyu′hii′,

Owa′ni tsi′nitai′-wosi′hi′,

Tsĭ′nitai′-womai′-wosihi′,

Tsĭ′nitai′-womai′-wosihi′.

I′häni′ i′hiwo′uhi′,

I′häni′ i′hiwo′uhi′.

Translation

My children, my children,

Here is the river of turtles,

Where the various living things,

Are painted their different colors,

Are painted their different colors.

Our father says so,

Our father says so.

This song has a very pretty tune. The Cheyenne claim to have lived originally in the north on a stream known to them as the “River of Turtles.” Reverend H. R. Voth, former missionary among the Cheyenne and Arapaho, states that the Indians say that along the banks of this stream were clays of different colors which they used for paint. In a letter of October 1, 1891, he says: “I have now in my possession some red and some gray or drab paint that Black Coyote brought with him from the north, which he claims came from that ancient Turtle river, and which the Indians are now using to paint themselves. They say there are more than two kinds of color at that river, or at least used to be.” According to [Clark] (Indian Sign Language, page 99) the oldest traditions of the Cheyenne locate their former home on the headwaters of the Mississippi in Minnesota, about where Saint Paul now is. Other facts corroborate this testimony, and the traditional “Turtle river” would seem to be identical with the Saint Croix, which is thus described by Coxe in 1741:

A little higher up is the river Chabadeda, above which the Meschacebe makes a fine lake twenty miles long and eight or ten broad. Nine or ten miles above that lake, on the east side, is a large fair river, called the river of Tortoises, after you have entered a little way, which leads far into the country to the northeast, and is navigable by the greatest boats forty miles. About the same distance farther up, the Meschacebe is precipitated from the rocks about fifty feet, but is so far navigable by considerable ships, as also beyond, excepting another fall, eighty or ninety miles higher, by large vessels, unto its sources, which are in the country of the Sieux, not at a very great distance from Hudson’s bay. There are many other smaller rivers which fall into the Meschacebe, on both sides of it, but being of little note, and the description of them of small consequence, I have passed over them in silence. (Coxe, Carolana, 1741, in French’s Hist. Coll. of La., part 2, 233, 1850.)

4. Nä′see′nehe′ ehe′yowo′mi

Nä′see′nehe′ ehe′yowo′mi,

E′nää′ne mä′noyo′h ehe′yowo′mi,

E′nää′ne mä′noyo′h ehe′yowo′mi.

Translation

I waded into the yellow river,

This was the Turtle river into which I waded,

This was the Turtle river into which I waded.

This song is probably explained by the one immediately preceding.

5. Wosi′vä-ă′ă′

Wosi′vä-ă′ă′,

Nänima-iyä,

Ä′hiya′e′yee′heye′!

Translation

The mountain,

It is circling around,

Ä′hiya′e′yee′heye′!

The interpretation of this song is not satisfactory. It was explained that by the mountain was meant the new earth, which was represented as approaching rapidly with a circular motion.

6. Ni′ha-i′hi′hi′

Ni′ha-i′hi′hi′,

Na′eso′yutu′hi′,

U′guchi′hi′hi′,

Na′nisto′hewu′hi′,

Ga′! Na′hewu′hi,

Ga′! Na′hewu′hi.

Translation

My father,

I come to him,

The crow,

I cry like it,

Caw! I say,

Caw! I say.

The connection of the crow with the doctrine of the Ghost dance has already been explained. See [Arapaho song 36].

7. Hi′awu′hi—hi′hi′hai′-yai′

Hi′awu′hi—Hi′hi′hai′-yai′!

Ni′äsĭ′tano′ni—Hi′hi′hai′-yai′!

Hi′äma′ wihu′i—Hi′hi′hai′-yai′!

Ni′hihi′no′ni—Hi′hi′hai′-yai′!

Nĭ′shibä′tämo′ni—Hi′hi′hai′-yai′!

Translation

The devil—Hi′hi′hai′-yai′!

We have put him aside—Hi′hi′hai′-yai′!

The White Man Above—Hi′hi′hai′-yai′!

He is our father—Hi′hi′hai′-yai′!

He has blest us—Hi′hi′hai′-yai′!

It is hardly necessary to state that the idea of a devil is not aboriginal, although now embodied in the Indian mythology and language from contact with the whites. The “White Man Above” is understood to mean the ruler whose precursor the messiah is, equivalent to our idea of God.

8. Ni′ha—E′yehe′! E′he′eye

Ni′ha—E′yehe′! E′he′eye′!

Tsĭ′stamo′nohyo′t—Ehe′eye′!

O′täta′wome′mäpe′wä—He′eye′!

Ni′mistä′tuhä′mi—He′eye′!

E′hiwou′, E′hiwou′—He′!

Translation

My father—E′yehe′! E′he′eye′!

When I first met him—Ehe′eye′!

“In the blue-green water—He′eye′!”

”In the blue-green-water—He′eye′!”

“You must take a bath“—He′eye′!”

“You must take a bath”—He′eye′!”

Thus he told me, thus he told me—He′!

Quite a number of the Cheyenne ghost songs refer to rivers seen in the spirit world, these being frequently designated by colors, as yellow, blue, etc. It may be that certain rivers play a prominent part in their mythology, and as has been said they locate their earliest traditional home on the “Turtle river.” The word here rendered “blue-green” might mean either blue or green, as in Cheyenne and in many other Indian languages the two colors are not differentiated. Compare [Cheyenne song number 16].

9. Ä′minû′qi

Ä′minû′qi—I′yahe′yahe′e′!

Nĭ′stsishi′hiyo′honi′mäni—Ahe′e′ye′!

Nĭ′shka′nĭ nĭ′stsishĭ′nutsi′mani—Ahe′e′ye′!

Ehä′ni ni′nĭni′etä′ni—Ahe′e′ye′!

Translation

My comrade—I′yahe′yahe′e′!

Let us go and play shinny—Ahe′e′ye′!

Let us look for our mother—Ahe′e′ye′!

Our father tells us to do it—Ahe′e′ye′!

This song was composed by Mo ki, “Little Woman,” the Cheyenne wife of Grant Left-hand. Although a young woman, she is regarded as a leader in the Cheyenne Ghost dance, having been in frequent trances and composed numerous songs. In this she relates her experience in one trance, during which she and her girl comrade played together the woman’s game of shinny, already described, and then went to look for their mothers, who had gone to the spirit world years before.

10. He′stutu′ai

He′stutu′ai—Yä′hä′yä′!

He′sutu′äi—

[Ad libitum].

Translation

The buffalo head—Yä′hä′yä′!

The half buffalo—

[Ad libitum].

This song refers to the crazy dance, which the author of the song saw the former warriors of his tribe performing in the spirit world. The crazy dance, called Psam by the Cheyenne and Ahaka′wŭ by the Arapaho, belonged to one order of the military organization already described in treating of the Arapaho songs. (See [Arapaho song 43].) The name in both languages is derived from the word for “crazy.” Men, women, and children took part in the ceremony, dressed in skins or other costume to represent various animals, as buffaloes, panthers, deer, and birds, with one bear, two foxes, and seven wolves, besides two “medicine wolves.” Each strove to imitate the animal personated in action as well as in appearance. It was the business of the two foxes to be continually running and stumbling over the others in their efforts to escape from the crowd. The dance, whose essential feature was the doing of everything by contraries, had its parallel among many eastern tribes, particularly among the old Huron and Iroquois. It was considered the most picturesque and amusing dance among the prairie tribes. The “half buffalo” of the song refers to the robe worn by certain of the dancers, which consisted of the upper half of a buffalo skin, the head portion, with the horns attached, coming over the head of the dancers. The dance was an exhibition of deliberate craziness in which the performers strove to outdo one another in nonsensical and frenzied actions, particularly in constantly doing the exact opposite of what they were told to do. It was performed only in obedience to a vow made by some person for the recovery of a sick child, for a successful war expedition, or for some other Indian blessing. It lasted four days, the performers dancing naked the first three days and in full dance costume on the fourth. The leaders in the absurdities were two performers whose bodies and cheeks were painted with white clay, and whose ears were filled with hair shed by the buffalo, which was believed to confer strong “medicine” powers. They carried whistles, and shot at the spectators with blunt arrows. Almost every license was permitted to these two, who in consequence were really held in dread by the others. Among other things the crazy dancers were accustomed to dance through a fire until they extinguished it by their tramping. This was done in imitation of the fire-moth, called aha′kăa′, “crazy,” by the Arapaho, which hovers about a flame or fire and finally flies into it. They also handled poisonous snakes, and sometimes, it is said, would even surround and kill a buffalo by their unaided physical strength. The Cheyenne dance differed somewhat from that of the Arapaho. It was last performed in the south about ten years ago.

11. Nä′mio′ts

Nä′mio′ts—Ehe′ee′ye′!

Nä′tosĭ′noe′yotsĭ′nots he′wowi′täs—E′yahe′eye′!

Nĭ′tsävĭ′sĭwo′mätsĭ′nowa′—

Nĭ′tsävĭ′sĭwo′mätsĭ′nowa′.

Translation

I am coming in sight—Ehe′ee′ye′!

I bring the whirlwind with me—E′yahe′eye′!

That you may see each other—

That you may see each other.

The whirlwind is regarded with reverence by all the prairie tribes. In the mythology of the Ghost dance it seems to be an important factor in assisting the onward progress of the new world and the spirit army. It is mentioned also in several Arapaho ghost songs.

12. A′gachi′hi

A′gachi′hi,

I′nimä′iha′,

I′nimä′iha′.

Hi′tsina′yo,

Hi′tsina′yo—

Na′vishi′nima′ yu′suwu′nutu′,

Na′vishi′nima′ yu′suwu′nutu′.

Translation

The crow, the crow,

He is circling around,

His wing, his wing—

I am dancing with it,

I am dancing with it.

This song refers to the sacred crow feathers, which certain of the dancers wear upon their heads in the Ghost dance, as explained in the Arapaho songs.

13. Nä′nise′näsĕ′stse

Nä′nise′näsĕ′stse nä′shi′nisto′ni′va—He′eye′!

Nä′niso′niwo′, nä′niso′niwo′,

I′votä′omo′mĕstä′o—He′eye′!

Nä′visi′vämä′, nä′vi′sivämä′.

Translation

My children, I am now humming—He′eye′!

Your children, your children,

They are crying—He′eye′!

They are hurrying me along,

They are hurrying me along.

This song is supposed to be addressed by the father or messiah to his disciples. He tells them that their children in the spirit world are crying to be reunited with their friends here, and thus are hastening their coming. The expression, “I am humming,” may possibly refer to his rapid approach.

14. Ogo′ch—Ehe′eye′

Ogo′ch—Ehe′eye′!

Tseä′nehä′sĭ nä′viho′m,

Tseä′nehä′sĭ nä′viho′m.

A′ae′vä, A′ae′vä,

Nĭ′stsistä′nä′ e′wova′shimä′nĭsts,

Nĭ′stsistä′nä′ e′wova′shimä′nĭsts.

Ni′shivä′tämä′ni,

Ni′shivä′tämä′ni.

Translation

The crow—Ehe′eye′!

I saw him when he flew down,

I saw him when he flew down.

To the earth, to the earth.

He has renewed our life,

He has renewed our life.

He has taken pity on us,

He has taken pity on us.

This song was composed by Grant Left-hand’s wife. The Crow is here considered as the lord of the new spirit world.

15. Tsĭso′soyo′tsĭto′ho

Tsĭso′soyo′tsĭto′ho,

He′stänowä′hehe′,

Näviho′säni′hi,

Tse′novi′tätse′stovi,

Ä′koyoni′vähe′,

Ä′koyoni′vähe′.

Translation

While I was going about,

Among the people, at my home,

I saw them,

Where they gambled,

With the ä‛ko′yo wheel,

With the ä‛ko′yo wheel.

This song was also composed by Mo′‛ki, the wife of Grant Left-hand. The expression here rendered “my home” is literally “where I belonged,” as, since the death of her children, she speaks of the spirit world as her own proper home. In this song she tells how she found her departed friends playing the game of the ä‛ko′yo or bä′qăti wheel, as described in [Arapaho song 49].

16. Ni′ha—E′yehe′e′yeye′

Ni′ha—E′yehe′e′yeye′!

Hi′niso′nihu′—Hi′yeye′!

O′tätä′womi′ mä′piva′—He′e′ye′!

E′tätu′hamo′tu—He′eye′!

Nä′hisi′maqa′niwo′m—Ähe′eye′!

E′tä′wu′hotä′nu—He′eye′!

Translation

My father—E′yehe′e′yeye′!

His children—Hi′yeye′!

In the greenish water—He′e′ye′!

He makes them swim—He′eye′!

We are all crying—Ähe′eye′!

This song conveys nearly the same idea as that of number 8. The expression “We are all crying” might be rendered “We are all pleading, or praying” to the father, to hasten his coming.

17. A′ga′ch—Ehe′e′ye′

A′ga′ch—Ehe′e′ye′!

Ve′ta chi—He′e′ye′!

Ve′ta′chi—He′e′ye′!

E′hoi′otsĭ′stu,

E′hoi′otsĭ′stu.

Ma′e′tumu′nu′—He′e′ye′!

E′ho′i′o′tso′,

E′ho′i′o′tso′.

Nä′vi′sivû′qewo′nĭt,

Nä′vi′sivû′qewo′nĭt.

Nĭstä′kona′oe′vo,

Nĭstä′kona′oe′vo.

E′he′vo′o′, E′he′vo′o′.

Translation

The crow—Ehe′e′ye′!

The grease paint—He′e′ye′!

He brings it to me,

He brings it to me.

The red paint—He′e′ye′!

He brings it,

He brings it.

I prepare myself with it,

I prepare myself with it.

It will make you strong,

It will make you strong.

He tells me, He tells me.

Red is a sacred color with all Indians, and is usually symbolic of strength and success, and for this reason is a favorite color in painting the face and body for the dance or warpath, and for painting the war pony, the lance, etc. On all important occasions, when painting the face or body, the skin is first anointed with grease to make the paint adhere better, so as not to obscure the sharp lines of the design.

18. Nä′niso′näsĭ′stsi—He′e′ye′

Nä′niso′näsĭ′stsi—He′e′ye′!

Vi′nänä′tuu′wa o′gochi′—Ahe′e′ye′!

Nĭ′stsivĭ′shiwo′mätsĭ′no,

Nĭ′stsivĭ′shiwo′mätsĭ′no.

Translation

My children—He′e′ye′!

Kill a buffalo (or beef) for the Crow—Ahe′e′ye′!

By that means I shall see you,

By that means I shall see you.

This song refers to the feast which accompanies every dance. The implied meaning is that the people must get ready for a dance in order that they may see the Crow, their father.

19. A′guga′-ihi

A′guga′-ihi,

A′guga′-ihi.

Tsi′shistä′hi′sihi′,

Tsi′shistä′hi′sihi′.

I′hoo′‛tsihi′,

I′hoo′‛tsihi′.

Tsĭtäwo′‛tähi′,

Tsĭtäwo′‛tähi′.

Hi′nisa′nûhi′,

Hi′nisa′nûhi′.

Tsĭtäwo′mohu′,

Tsĭtäwo′mohu′.

Translation

The crow woman—

To her home,

She is going,

She is going.

She will see it,

She will see it.

Her children,

Her children.

She will see them,

She will see them.

This song was also composed by Mo′‛ki, “Little Woman,” the wife of Grant Left-hand. On account of her frequent trances and consequent leadership in the Cheyenne Ghost dance, she assumes the title of the Crow Woman, i. e., the woman messenger from the spirit world. The story of her own and her husband’s connection with the Ghost dance is of interest for the light it throws on the working of the Indian mind, especially with regard to religion.

Mo′‛ki is a young Cheyenne woman married to a young Arapaho, Grant Left-hand, about 30 years of age, a former Carlisle student, and the son of Nawat, or Left-hand, the principal chief of the southern Arapaho. Notwithstanding several years of English education, Grant is a firm believer in the doctrine and the dance, and the principal organizer and leader of the auxiliary “crow dance” in his own tribe, while his wife is as prominent in the Ghost dance among the Cheyenne, and has composed a series of a dozen or more songs descriptive of her various trance experiences in the other world.

Her first child died soon after birth, and the young mother was keenly affected by the bereavement. Afterward a boy was born to them, and became the idol of his parents, especially of the father. He grew up into a bright and active little fellow, but when about 4 years of age was suddenly seized with a spasm in the night and died in a few minutes, almost before his father could reach his bed. This second loss brought deep sorrow to them both, and the mother brooded over it so that there was serious fear for her own life. Then came the Ghost dance and the new doctrine of a reunion with departed friends. The mother went to the dance, fell into a trance, met her children as in life, and played with her little boy. On awaking and returning home she told her husband. He could hardly believe it at first, but it required but little persuasion to induce him to attend the next Ghost dance with her, because, as he said, “I want to see my little boy.” He himself fell into a trance, saw his children, and rode with his little boy on the horse behind him over the green prairies of the spirit land. From that time both became devoted adherents and leaders of the Ghost dance; their trances have been frequent, and every dance is welcomed as another opportunity of reunion with departed friends. The young man was deeply affected as he spoke of his love for his children, the sudden death of the little boy, and their second meeting in the other world, and as his wife sat by his side looking up into our faces and listening intently to every word, although she understood but little English, it could not be doubted that their faith in the reality of the vision was real and earnest. Every Indian parent who has lost a child, every child who has lost a parent, and every young man and woman who has lost a brother, sister, or friend affirms a similar reason for belief in the Ghost dance.

CHEYENNE GLOSSARY

A′ae′vä—for Hoĭ′vă.

A′gach—for O′go‛chi.

A′gachi′hi—for O′go‛chi.

A′guga′-ihi—for Ogo′‛gaĕ.

Ahe′eye′—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.

Ähiya′eyee′heye′—ibid.

Ä′ko′yo—the Cheyenne name for the bä′qăti gaming wheel. See [Arapaho song 49].

Ä′‛koyonĭ′vă—with the ä‛ko′yo wheel.

Äkwi′u—for ä‛ko′yo, the Cheyenne name of the bä′qati wheel.

Ä′minûqi—my (female) comrade (vocative).

Anskowĭ′nĭs—a Cheyenne division. The meaning of the name is unknown.

Cheyenne—the popular name for the Cheyenne tribe. It is derived from their Sioux name Shaie′na or Shai′ela, “red,” and figuratively “alien.”

Dzĭtsĭ′stäs—“our people;” the name used by the Cheyenne for themselves.

Eähe′eye′—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.

Ehän or Ehäni—for Ĭhänh.

Ehe′ee′ye′—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.

Ehe′eye′—ibid.

E′hevo—for Ï′hiwo.

E′heyowo′mi—yellowish.

Ehoi′otsĭst—he brings it. Another form is Ehoi′otso. Nä′hoiotsĭ′st, I bring it.

Ehoi′otso′—another form of Ehoi′otsĭst.

E′nää′ne—for Hĭnä′änĭ.

E′shoĭn—he has come. Nä′hoĭn, I come.

Etätu′hamo′tu—for Ĭtätu′hamo′‛t.

E′täwu′hotä′nu—for Ĭtäwohwĭtä′nu.

Evĭ′sts-Unĭ′‛pahĭs—“smoky lodges” (Clark), a Cheyenne division.

Ewo‛va′shimä′nĭsts—he has renewed it, he has changed it. Näwova′shimä′nĭsts, I have renewed it.

E′yahe′eye′—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.

E′yehe′—ibid.

E′yehe′e′yeye′—ibid.

Eyeye—ibid.

Ga!—caw! an imitation of the cry of the crow.

Gatsalghi—the Kiowa Apache name for the Cheyenne.

He!—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.

He′eye′—ibid.

Hestäno′wh—the people, among the people.

Hestutu′ai—for Ĭ′hĭstutuai.

Hesutu′äh—for I′s-hotu′-ai.

He′wă′-Tä′niuw’—“hairy men;” the name of a principal division of the southern Cheyenne, and also used to designate all of the southern Cheyenne collectively.

He′wowĭtä′su—the whirlwind.

Hi′äma-Wihu′i—for Hiä′mh-Wihu.

Hiä′mh-Wihu—God; literally the “white man” (wihu) “above” (hiä′mh). See Cheyenne song 7.

Hia′wŭhi—the devil. See Cheyenne song 7.

Hi′hi′hai′yai′—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.

Hĭnä′änĭ—that is it; it is that one. Compare Hĭtä′änĭ.

Hinisa′nŭhi—for Hĭnĭ′sonh.

Hĭnĭ′sonh—her (his) children. Compare Nänĭ′sonästs.

Hĭtä′änĭ—here it is. Compare Hĭnä′änĭ.

Hitä′niwo′ĭv—“cloud men,” the Cheyenne name for the Arapaho. From hitän, man, and wo′ĭv, cloud.

Hi′tsina′yo—for Hĭ′tsino′n.

Hĭ′tsino′n—his wing. There is no word for wing alone.

Hi′yeye′—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.

Hmĭ′sĭs—“eaters,” the name of one of the most important divisions of the northern Cheyenne, and also used collectively in the south to designate the whole of the northern band.

Hohe′—the Cheyenne name for the Asiniboin. The name is originally from the Sioux language, and is said to mean “rebels.”

Hoĭ′vă—the earth, the ground.

Hoo′isi′yonots—the Cheyenne name for the qaqa-u′nûtha, or throwing sticks, used in the game of the bä′qati. See [Arapaho song 49].

Ho‛so′ewo′năt—dancing with it, dancing by means of it. Nä′ho‛so, I dance.

Hotă′m-itä′niuw’—“dog men;” the name of a division of the Cheyenne and also of one order of their military organization.

Ĭ′hänh—our father. Compare Ni′hûw’e.

Ĭ′hĭstutuai—buffalo head; hotu′-ai, buffalo.

Ĭ′hiwo—he says, he says so. Nä′hĭv, I say, I say so.

Ihiwo′uhi—for Ĭ′hiwo.

Ihoo′‛ts—she (he) is going there.

Ĭnĭ′mäihă′—he is circling around. Nävĭ′shinĭ′maih, I am circling (going) around; nänĭ′ma-ia, it is circling around.

Ĭ′nisto′niwon—he (she, it) is humming, or making a rolling noise. Nänĭsto′nivă, näshĭnisto′niva, I am humming, etc.

Ĭ′s-hotu′-ai—a half buffalo, i. e., the upper half of a buffalo hide, including the head and horns, worn in the Crazy dance. See Cheyenne song 10. From ĭs, half, and hotu′-ai, buffalo.

Ĭ′sium-itä′niuw’—“ridge people” (Clark), a Cheyenne division.

Ĭta′supuzi—“spotted arrow quills;” the Hidatsa name for the Cheyenne (Matthews).

Ĭtätu′hamo′‛t—he causes them to swim. Nä′tuham, I swim; nä′tätu′hăm, let me swim.

Ĭtäwohwĭtä′nu—he makes them better.

Itu′simo′moĭts—it will tremble, or shake. Nä′momoĭts, I tremble.

I′votäomo′mĕstä′o—they are crying. Nä-qai′m, I am crying; nähĭ′simaqä′niwom, we are all crying. Compare Nänĭ′stohew’.

I′yahe′yahe′e—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.

Iyo′häĭ—he (she, it) is rising. Nä′ohä, I rise.

Ma′etu′mŭn—red paint. Ma′etŭmh, paint.

Mä′ĭnoyo′hi—Turtle river; for mä-ĭ′nh, turtle (plural, mäĭno′nh), o′‛hĭ, river. Mäpĭ′vă, water.

Mä′noyo′h—for Mä′ĭnoyo′hi.

Mänoyu′hii—for Mä′ĭnoyo′hĭ.

Mäpĭ′vă—water.

Maranshobishgo—“cut-throats;” according to Long, the name applied by the Cheyenne to the Sioux. The form is incorrect, as there is no r in the Cheyenne language. According to Hayden, the Cheyenne call the Sioux Oo′homoi′o.

Mätä′sĭvamämowĭstä′nowĭt—when you (plural) are living together again. Nävĭstä′nowimonh, I live with him; nama′mowĭ′stä′nowĭn, we are living together.

Mä′tesemä′moestä′nowet—for Mätä′sĭvamämowĭstä′nowĭt.

Matsĭ′shkota—“corpse from the scaffold;” an unidentified Cheyenne division, on the authority of Clark (Grinnell).

Miayŭma—“red lodges,” an unidentified Cheyenne division, on the authority of Clark (Grinnell).

Mĭ′stävĭ′inût—“heavy eyebrows;” another name for the Hotă′m-itä′niuw’, q. v.

Mo′‛ki—“little woman;” a Cheyenne woman prominent in the Ghost dance.

Mo′nshimonh—The Cheyenne name of the dice game, called ta′-usĕta′na by the Arapaho. See [Arapaho song 64].

Na′eso′yutuhi—for Na′suyut.

Nä′hew’—I say.

Nä′hewu′hi—for Nä′hew’.

Nä′hĭsimaqä′niwom—we are all crying. Compare Ivotä′omomĕstä′o.

Nämi′io‛ts—I am coming in sight.

Nä′miots—for Nämi′io‛ts.

Nänĭ′ma-i′ă—it is circling around. Compare Ĭmĭ′mäihă′.

Nä′nise′näsĕ′stse—for Nänĭ′sonästs.

Nänisĭ′näsĭsts—for Nänĭ′sonästs.

Nä′niso′näsĭ′stsi—for Nänĭ′sonästs.

Nänĭ′sonästs—my children. Compare Arapaho Nänĭ′sanaû. Nänĭ′soniwo, your children; hĭnĭ′sonh, his, or her, children.

Nänĭ′soniwo—your children. Compare Nänĭ′sonästs.

Nänĭ′stohew’—I make the sound, I make a cry. Compare I′votäomo′mĕstä′o.

Näsee′nehe′—for Näsĕĭn-hnă.

Näsĕĭn-hnă—I waded in.

Nä′shĭnisto′niva—I am now humming. See Ĭ′nisto′niwon.

Nä′suyut—I come to him.

Nä′tosĭ′noeyots—I shall have it with me. Nä′tänoeyo′tsĭ′nots, I have it.

Nä′vihomh—I looked at him, I saw him. The present tense has the same form: Näviho′t, I look at it; näviho′sänh, I looked on. Compare Tsĭtäwo′moh.

Näviho′sänh—I looked on (present tense, same form). Compare Nä′vihomh.

Nävĭ′sevûqewo′nit—I prepare myself with it.

Nävĭ′shinĭ′maih—I am going (circling) around. Compare Ĭnĭ′mäihă′.

Nävĭ′sivämä—they are hurrying me along. Nä′vĭsitä′n, I hurry.

Niäsătă′nonh—we have put him away, or aside. Nä′satonh, I have put him aside.

Niererikwats-kûni′ki—the Wichita name for the Cheyenne. See also Shiĕda.

Ni′ha—for Ni′hûw’e.

Ni′ha-i′hihi′—for Ni′hûw’e.

Nihi′hininh—he is our father. Compare Ni′hûw’e.

Ni′hûw’e—my father. Ni′hûw’, father; Ni′hûw’e, my father; nihi′hinonh, he is our father. Compare I′hänh and Arapaho niqa, father.

Nĭ′mĭ′stätu′häm—you should take a swim or bath. Nätu′ham, I swim or bathe.

Nĭ′nh-nitä′n—he asks, or tells, us to do it. Nänh-itŭ′, I ask, or tell, him to do it.

Ninĭni′etäni—for Nĭ′nh-nitä′n.

Nĭshivä′tämä′ĭnh—he has taken pity on us, he has blest us, he has sympathy for us. Näshivä′tämh, I pity him.

Nĭ′shivä′tämoni—for Nĭshivä′tämä′ĭnh.

Nĭshkă′nh or N‛shkă′nh—our mother. Na′‛ku, mother; na′‛kui, my mother.

Nĭstäko′naoe′vo—it will strengthen you. Nä′hĭko′nähi, I am strong; nähĭko′nă-mäni′hu, I strengthen him.

Nĭstsävĭ′siwomätsĭ′nowă—so that, in order that, you shall see each other; Näwo′m, I see him; näwo′t, I see it.

Nĭ′stsishihi′yohoni′mäni—for Nĭstsishi′yoho′nĭ′mänh.

Nĭstsishĭ′nutsĭmă′nh—let us seek her, or ask for her. Nähĭ′nutsĭnh, I am looking for her.

Nĭstsishi′yoho′nĭ′mänh—let us go and play shinny. Näho′qu, I am playing shinny; ohonĭ′stuts, shinny. See [Cheyenne song 9].

Nĭ′stsistä′nä—for Nĭ′stsĭstä′nowän.

Nĭ′stsĭstä′nowän—our life, or existence. Näwŭ′stänĭ′hivĭ′stŭts, my existence.

Nĭ′stsivĭ′shiwomä′tsĭnoh—by that means I shall see you (plural). Compare Tsĭtäwo′moh.

Nĭ′tusimĭ′tänun—he (she, it) will give it to us. Nĭ′mĭtûts, I give it to you; nä′mĭt, I give it to him.

Nuka′eshe′väoe′tse—This form occurs in Cheyenne song 1. The correct form and rendering are uncertain, but it is doubtfully rendered “the summer cloud.” It seems to contain the word ĭshi′v, day.

O′go‛ch or O′go′‛chi or O′go‛ki—the crow. In the Ghost dance the crow is the messenger of the spirit world. The messiah and God are frequently spoken of as “The Crow.” See [Arapaho song 36].

Ogo′‛gaĕ—“the crow woman;” from o′go′‛chi, crow.

Ohonĭ′stuts—the shinny game. See [Cheyenne song 9] and [Arapaho song 7].

O′ivima′na—“scabby;” a Cheyenne division.

Otä—now! well!

Otä′si-Tä′niuw’—“pierced-nose people:” the Cheyenne name for the Caddo.

O′tätawo′m—greenish.

O′täta′womemäpewä—for Otä′tawo′m-mä‛p-ĭ′va. In the greenish (bluish) water, or river. O′tätawom, greenish; mä‛p, water.

O‛tu′gŭnŭ—a Cheyenne division. The meaning of the name is unknown.

Owa′‛ni—living things, creatures, animals (including quadrupeds, birds, insects, etc).

Pägănä′vo—“striped arrows,” from päga, arrow, and nävo, striped; the Shoshoni and Comanche name for the Cheyenne. See also Shiä′navo.

Pĭnû′tgû—a Cheyenne division. The meaning of the name is unknown.

Psam—the “crazy dance” of the Cheyenne; psa, crazy. It is somewhat different from the Arapaho crazy dance. See [Cheyenne song 10] and [Arapaho song 43].

Sa-sis-e-tas—the name used by the Cheyenne to designate themselves, according to Clark. It should be Dzĭtsĭ′stäs q. v.

Shiä′navo—another Comanche name for the Cheyenne, probably a derivation from the word Cheyenne.

Shiĕda—another Wichita name for the Cheyenne, probably a derivation from the word Cheyenne. See also Niererikwats-kûni′ki.

Shĭshino′wĭts-itä′niuw’—“snake people,” the Cheyenne name for the Comanche.

So′wănia—“southerners;” Cheyenne name sometimes used to designate the southern portion of the tribe in Oklahoma.

Staitan—a name used by Lewis and Clark to designate a tribe identical with the Cheyenne. It is a corruption of the Cheyenne word hĭstä′itän, “I am a Cheyenne.”

Sŭtasi′na or Sŭta′ya—“strange talkers” (Clark), one of the most important Cheyenne divisions and formerly a distinct tribe.

Tseä′nehä′sĭ—for Tsi′änu′iäs.

Tsenovi′tätse′stovi—for Tsenowĭ′tätsĭ′stowĭ.

Tsenowĭ′tatsĭ′stowĭ—where there was gambling. Nä′now’shĭ, I gamble.

Tsi′änu`iäs—(when) he flew down. Nä′miha′-u, I fly; nä`nuiha′-u, I fly down.

Tsĭnitai′womai′wosihi—for Tsĭ′unĭtai′womai′w’s.

Tsinitai′wosi′hi—for Tsĭunĭ′taiw’s.

Tsi′shistä′hisihi—for Tsĭshĭ′stäs.

Tsĭshĭ′stäs—where she belongs, i. e., her home. Compare Dzĭtsĭ′stäs, the name given by the Cheyenne to themselves.

Tsĭsoso′yotsĭ′to—while I was going about. Näsoso′yots, I go about, I ramble about.

Tsĭ′stamo′nohyot—when I first reached him, when I arrived where he was. Näta′hyot, I shall reach him.

Tsĭstäwo′moh—she (he) will see them. Näwo′m, I see him; stawo′matsĭ′mh, I see you; tsĭtäwo′‛t, he (she) will see it; nĭ′stsivĭ′shiwomätsĭnoh, by that means I shall see you (plural). Compare Nä′vihomh.

Tsĭtäwo′‛t—she (he) will see it. Compare Tsĭstäwo′moh.

Tsĭ′ŭnĭtai′womai′w’s—where they are painted in different colors; tsĭŭnĭ′taiw’s, different; mai′-tămh, paint.

Tsĭŭnĭ′taiw‛s—different, various.

Tû′‛gani—the Cheyenne name for the Wichita; evidently a derivative from their Comanche name, Do′‛kana, tattooed people.

Ugu′chi′hihi—for O′go′‛chi.

Veta′chi—for Vĭchk.

Vĭchk—grease, used in painting or anointing the face and body.

Vĭ′nänätu′uwă—kill a beef or buffalo for him (imperative). Nä′nätun, I kill it; nä′nätu′uh, I kill it for him; hoiwo′ĭts, a beef.

Wităpä hät or Wităpä′tu—the Cheyenne name for the Kiowa; from their Sioux name Wi′tapähä′tu, people of the island butte.

Wĭ′tapi′u—“haters” (Clark); a Cheyenne division.

Wosĭ′vă—a mountain.

Yä′häyä′—an unmeaning exclamation used in the songs.

Yu′suwu′nutu—for Ho′so′ewo′năt.