The purpose of this paper is to tell you about the general history of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. The savage warrior image of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that others grew accustomed to hearing about was only partially accurate. This group of people came from a background of fishing and agriculture, and ended up as the tribe of Indians that the rest of America began to associate with such events as Custer's Last Stand and the Battle of Rush Creek. The spiritual beliefs of the Cheyenne people are based on one spirit that created them and their universe, a belief that is shared by many cultures around the world. However, there are certain aspects of the Cheyenne that are distinctly their own. They believe in the prophet, Sweet Medicine, who established their representative government. He also gave them many laws dealing with several things, including lying and cheating. He supplied them with a comprehensive value system, with such concepts as love, respect, and cooperation. Another central belief is in the four sacred persons, who are the representatives of both the four directions of the wind and the different stages of life, and they protect the people from famine and hardship. Sweet Medicine gave the arrows of these persons to the Cheyenne, and they were to be protected by the Cheyenne, or the people would not prosper. The creation story of the Cheyenne is very guarded and sacred. It is told only at night, and traditionally was told only by the spiritual leaders of the tribe. The beliefs and tales have been handed down orally through the generations, and all history from the perspective of the Cheyenne is preserved and remembered orally. As their history says, the Cheyenne started out in northeast Canada, but they were ravaged by disease. Fearing the area, they migrated south to the marshlands of Ontario and Minnesota. Eventually they moved further south. In the late 17th century, while living in southwestern Minnesota, they encountered the explorer La Salle and his men.
