Cheyenne (2024)

FAQs

What does Cheyenne mean in Native American? ›

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.

One of the dominant tribes on the Great Plains, the Cheyenne people have a rich and storied history. As one of the largest and most influential tribes on the continent, they played a major role in shaping the American story, and they are still a large tribe today.

The Cheyenne tribe is known for being sedentary agrarians that migrated to the Great Plains to escape the encroachment of white settlers. They became fierce Great Plains nomads, following the buffalo herds for food, shelter, and ceremony.

The tribe call themselves "Tsis tsis'tas" (Tse-TSES-tas) which means "the beautiful people". The Cheyenne Nation is comprised of ten bands, spread all over the Great Plains, from southern Colorado to the Black Hills in South Dakota.

Vehoc means spider, trickster – a way Cheyenne refer to white people. Christian missionaries translated this to Whiteman, since his father was a US soldier.

Today there are 11,266 enrolled members in the Cheyenne tribe, including people on and off the reservations. A total of 7,502 people reside on the Tongue River in Wyoming (Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation), and another 387 live on the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservation in Oklahoma.

Cheyenne Facts & History. On July 4, 1867 the first tents were pitched on the site now known as Cheyenne. Cheyenne means "aliens" or "people of foreign language." The Sioux Indians gave this name to the Indian tribe "Dzitsistes," who roamed the open plains. Their spelling was Shyenne.

The Sacred Buffalo Hat and the Sacred Arrows together form the two great covenants of the Cheyenne Nation. Through these two bundles, Ma'heo'o assures continual life and blessings for the people.

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.

The mainstay of the food that the Cheyenne tribe ate included the meat from all the wild animals that were available to hunt such as Buffalo, deer, elk, bear and wild turkey. They were also supplemented with roots and wild vegetables such as spinach, prairie turnips and potatoes and flavored with wild herbs.

How do you say hello in Cheyenne? ›

Historically, Cheyenne does not seem to have had standard words which were commonly used for greeting or leavetaking. This, of course, does not indicate any lack in the language or culture. Cheyennes still are friendly, even if they do not have a standard greeting in their language.

At the beginning of time, there was nothing but darkness. Maheo the All Spirit lived alone in this darkness. He was tired of the dark—there was nothing to see and nothing to hear. Maheo was very powerful and he decided to use his power to create the world.

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.

Cheyenne is a gender-neutral name of Native American origin. This gorgeous name is the perfect way to honor baby's heritage, especially if their first words will be in the beautiful Lakota language. Derived from Šahíyena, it forges on, inspiring those lucky enough to call it theirs to use their voice for good.

The name Cheyenne is from Hebrew origins for "Grace"