Annotated Bibliography of Cheyenne-Arapaho Indian Resources
Alexander, Hartley Burr.
The World’s Rim: Great
Mysteries of the North American
Indian. Lincoln: University of Nebraska, 1953.
Alexander, a non-Indian, attempts to explain the North American Indians culture and religion based on the stories of their ceremonies. The collection includes “The Sun Dance” which was practiced among the Plains Indians, including the Cheyenne and Arapaho. Alexander, a philosopher, poet, and anthropologist, introduces the work.
Anniversary Book Committee.
They Passed This Way: A
Family History of Early N. W.
Blaine County. Watonga, Oklahoma: Committee, 1985.
A local history book that includes an essay on the early Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians and the history of Cantonment by local writer, Darrell Rice.
Andrist, Ralph K. The Long Death: The Last Days of the Plains Indians. New York:
Macmillan, 1964.
Historian, Ralph Andrist, discusses the battles of the Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians and includes information on aspects of culture regarding this tribe and other Plains Indians.
Ashabranner, Brent. Morning
Star, Black Sun: The Northern Cheyenne
Indians and
America’s Energy Crisis. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1982.
This work provides a history of the Northern Cheyenne on their reservation in Montana and the effects of the coal mining on the reservation. While geared to a juvenile audience, this book gives a concise overview of the tribe and the challenges they faced up through the twentieth century. Ashabranner grew up in Oklahoma. Photographer Paul Conklin provides a visual story.
Bankston, Carl L. III, et al., eds. Racial and Ethnic Relations in America. 1st ed., 3 vols.
Hackensack, New Jersey, 2000.
A comprehensive 3 volume reference work with encyclopedia type, signed entries on a multitude of terms relating to race in North America. Examples of entries in volume 1 are Abolition, African American Cowboys, Assimilation Theory, etc. Entries represent current and historical perspective.
Bass, Althea. The Arapaho Way. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1967
Berthrong, Donald J.
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Ordeal:
Reservation and Agency Life
in the Indian Territory, 1875-1907. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1976.
Former chairman of the Department of History in the University of Oklahoma, Berthrong is considered an authority on the Southern Cheyenne Indians and served as a consultant and expert witness in 1965 for the Cheyenne Indians before the Indian Claims Commission. Berthrong has documented the events that occurred during the time when the United States government was attempting to force the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes to assimilate to the reservation in Oklahoma and to a way of life which was much different that what they were accustomed to.
---.”Black Kettle, A Friend of Peace.” Indian Leaders: Oklahoma’s First Statesmen. Ed.
H. Glenn Jordan and Thomas M. Holm. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Historical Society, 1979. 29-48.
Berthrong’s essay discusses Black Kettle in the context of historical events leading to his death at the hands of General Custer at the village on the Washita River in 1868.
--- . The Southern Cheyenne. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1963.
Berthrong has researched the body of work written by George Bird Grinnell, other primary sources, government documents, and newspaper accounts to produce a work which, according to Berthrong, is a more balanced accounting of the Cheyenne Indians in the years prior to 1875. The book includes an extensive bibliography.
Brown, Dee. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. New York: Henry Holt and Company,
1991.
First published in 1970, this book covers a period from 1860 to 1890 and details the events of the American Indian wars.
Brown, Donald N. “The Ghost Dance Religion Among the
Oklahoma Cheyenne.” The
Chronicles of Oklahoma 30.4 (1952): 408-416.
Donald Brown was born in Cheyenne, Oklahoma and was a graduate student in history at the University of Oklahoma at the time her wrote this article. Brown drew heavily on books by Mooney, Miller and others as cited in the article. Examples of songs such as “Turtle River” are included, as well as photographs of Watangaa, or Black Coyote, who was a Southern Arapaho leader in the Ghost Dance and an example of an Arapaho ceremonial shirt.
Buntin, Martha. “Difficulties Encountered in Issuing Cheyenne and Arapaho Subsistence
1861-1870.” The Chronicles of Oklahoma 13.1 (1935): 37-45.
Buntin examined letters between Captain Seth Bonney, appointed to issue the rations to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians in the vicinity of Fort Supply, and General M. R. Morgan. These letters are housed at the Oklahoma Historical Society. With a brief introduction by the author, this article is primarily a reprinting of these letters outlining the problems that existed during these years.
Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce. Indian Population in the United States and Alaska: 1910. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1915.
Early census records provide a great deal of information regarding the Indians of the United States in the form of maps and diagrams, tables, and text.
Carriker, Robert C. Fort Supply Indian Territory: Frontier Outpost on the Plains.
Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1970.
The author accessed the records at the National Archives and created the history of military station at Fort Supply in Northwest Oklahoma from 1868 until 1894.
Cheyenne Autumn. Dir. John Ford. Perf. Richard Whidmark, Carroll Baker, and Karl
Malden. Warner Bros., 1964.
The motion picture version of Mari Sandoz book.
Coel, Margaret. Chief Left Hand: Southern Arapaho. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1981.
A biography of Chief Left Hand (1820-1864) taken from government reports, manuscripts, and diaries and letters.
Cohoe with Commentary by E. Adamson Hoebel and Karen Daniels
Petersen. A
Cheyenne Sketchbook. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1964.
A collection of 12 sketches by Cheyenne Indian, Cohoe, done while he was imprisoned at Fort Marion in Florida from 1875-1878. The sketches depict various activities including hunting buffalo, The Sun Dance, and war dance at Fort Marion. Photographs, including one of Cohoe and one of Henry Roman Nose, are included. Introduction and commentary were written by E. Adamson Hoebel and Karen Daniels Petersen, who was given the sketchbook by a family member.
Collings, Ellsworth.
“Roman Nose: Chief of the
Southern Cheyenne.” The Chronicles
of Oklahoma 42.4 (Winter 1964-65): 429-457.
Dr. Ellingsworth Collings, College of Education at Oklahoma University, contributed this article which describes in great detail the life of Chief Henry Roman Nose. Collings consulted a long list of books and original documents, as well as personal interviews with Carl Sweezy, in preparation of this article. Included are Appendices containing the Roman Nose family genealogy and a brief history of Roman Nose State Park.
Corden, Seth K. and W. B. Richards, comp. The Oklahoma Red Book: Volume 1.
Tulsa, Oklahoma: Democrat Printing Company, 1912.
Papers of the state of Oklahoma regarding the creation and foundation of Oklahoma law, laws of the Indian government, treaties, federal laws, rulings, and acts of Congress affecting the state.
Dale, Edward Everett. “The Cheyenne-Arapaho Country.” The Chronicles of Oklahoma
20.4 (1942): 360-371.
This articles give a concise overview of the Cheyenne-Arapaho situation from 1866 through the Land Run of 1892 which opened the reservation for settlement. The author recounts first hand knowledge of the area at the turn of the century in this reprinting of an address delivered to the annual meeting of the Oklahoma Historical Society at Cordell on April 20, 1942.
Debo, Angie. A History of the Indians of the United States. Norman: University of
Oklahoma Press, 1970.
A general history of the Indians of the United States, Debo’s book is a good beginning for a basic understanding of the history of the various tribes. The Oklahoma tribes are treated more extensively. Debo includes a bibliography which is broad enough to serve as a starting point for a more in-depth study of individual tribes. Indexed.
Dorsey, George A. The Cheyenne Indians: The Sun Dance. New Mexico: Rio Grande
Press, 1971.
Initially printed in 1905 in two books, written by George Dorsey, an anthropologist, and published by the Field Columbian Museum, Anthorpological Series. The current publisher was introduced to the works by Cheyenne Indian artist, Dr. Walter Richard West who suggested that the publisher reprint this work on the ceremonial customs of the Cheyenne Indians. Includes drawings and photographs.
Flanders, Stephen A. Atlas of American Migration. New York: Facts on File, 1998.
This atlas includes a chapter on the involuntary migration of the American Indian. Includes maps depicting movement caused by the Indian removal, a map depicting major battle sites and massacres, and population figures 1890 to 1990.
Fowler, Loretta, ed. The Arapaho. New York: Chelsea House, 1989.
Part of the Indians of North America series, this book is designed to give a history of culture of this tribe for students in upper elementary and middle school. The book contains a bibliography, glossary, index and numerous photographs of the Indians and their traditional dress.
Furtaw, Julia C. ed. Native American Information Directory. Detroit: Gale, 1993.
A guide to organizations, agencies, institutions, programs, publications, services, and other resources concerned with the indigenous peoples of the United States and Canada.
Grinnell, George Bird. By Cheyenne Campfires. New Haven: Yale University Press,
1962.
The introduction, written by Grinnell, gives a brief history of the Cheyenne Indians and explains the story telling habits of these people. The stories, retold by Grinnell, are divided into the following categories: war stories, stories of mystery, hero myths, early stories, and Wihio stories. Photographs included in the book were taken by Elizabeth Grinnell, his wife. Grinnell spent a great deal of time with the Cheyennes and recounts their stories in order to preserve the oral tradition of story telling.
---. The Cheyenne Indians: Their History and Ways of Life. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, Inc., 1962.
George Bird Grinnell spent many summers with the Cheyenne Indians. Over the period of 33 years, which Grinnell spent studying the tribe, he documented the culture, social organization, dress, hunting habits, and government. The introduction is written by Mari Sandoz.
---The Fighting Cheyennes. New York: Scribner, 1915. Norman: University of
Oklahoma, 1955.
George Bird Grinnell is a respected authority on the Cheyenne Indians. His first experience with these people was hostile—as a naturalist accompanying General George Custer in 1874. Grinnell spent the rest of his life studying these people and tells the history from this point of view. This book covers approximately 1800 to 1890 and contains an index.
---.The Whistling Skeleton. New York: Four Winds Press, 1982.
A collection of mystery tales told by Pawnee, Cheyenne, and Blackfoot storytellers in the late nineteenth century are retold by Grinnell. Illustrations by Robert Andrew Parker.
Heritage Book Committee.
Their Story: A Pioneer Days
Album of the Blaine County
Area. Watonga, Oklahoma: Committee, 1977.
Local history book includes essays on the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians of the area, two articles reprinted from early local titled “An Indian Scare” and “World War I Scalp Dance” and an essay on Cantonment.
Hoig, Stan. The Peace Chiefs of the Cheyennes. Norman: University of Oklahoma,
1980.
Formatted basically in chronological order, this book discusses the history featuring the chiefs in both the Northern and Southern Cheyenne during the time of the forced assimilation of these tribes. A bibliography is furnished.
Hyde, George E. Life of George Bent: Written From His Letters. Norman: University
of Oklahoma, 1968.
This history of the Cheyenne Indians prior to their placement on the reservations (approx. 1826-1875) is taken from letters written by Bent to author George E. Hyde. Bent, the son of Colonel William Bent and Southern Cheyenne, Owl Women, reveal a first-hand knowledge of the Cheyenne culture and battles during this turbulent time in the history of the tribe. The book includes chapters on Roman Nose (1830-Sept. 17, 1868—not Henry Roman Nose).
Jablow, Joseph. The Cheyenne in Plains Indian Trade Relation 1795-1840. Seattle:
University of Washington, 1950.
One of the Monographs of the American Ethnological Society, this study examines trade relations between and within the tribes.
Josephy, Alvin M. Jr. Now That The Buffalo’s Gone. Norman, University of Oklahoma,
1984.
A collection of essays, all written by the author, examine the following issues: Indian culture, stereotypes, spirituality, tribal lands, water rights, and government issues. Includes an extensive bibliography for each essay.
Klein, Barry T. Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian. 9th ed. New York:
Todd Publications, 2000.
Good reference source for information on American Indians such as lists of Federally Recognized Tribes, Reservations, Schools, Organizations, Financial Aid and other services. Also included are lengthy bibliographies suggesting other resources that are arranged alphabetically, by subject, and by publisher. A section of biographies is also included.
Laubin, Reginald and Gladys Laubin. The Indian Tipi: Its History, Construction, and
Use. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1977.
Originally published in 1954, the authors provide an in-depth study of the tipi and discuss various tribes with regard to their specific habits.
---. Indian Dances of North America: Their Importance to Indian Life. Norman:
University of Oklahoma, 1977.
Reginald and Gladys Laubin lived with the Indians most of their lives and were adopted by Chief White Bull, nephew of Sioux Chief Sitting Bull. The Laubins were accepted by the Indian people. Many of the photographs were of the Laubins dressed in Indian dance attire, since many of the Indians did not want their pictures taken. This book is still in print in paper, copyright 1989, University of Oklahoma Press.
Llewellyn, Karl N. and E. Adamson Hoebel. The Cheyenne Way. Norman: University
of Oklahoma Press, 1941.
Written by a lawyer, Llewellyn, and an anthropologist, Hoebel, this books is a result of 3 years of field work with the Northern Cheyennes. Hoebel had formerly worked with the Comanches of Oklahoma as a member of the ethnology field group. The authors use case law and cite specific examples in an attempt to explain the primitive law which governed the Cheyenne people for many years. The authors drew heavily upon the writings of George Bird Grinnell, a noted authority on the Cheyenne people to provide historical reference.
Markowitz, Harvey. American Indian Biographies. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1999.
Brief biographies arranged in alphabetical order and by tribal affiliation.
Marriott, Alice and Carol K. Rachlin. Dance Around the Sun: The Life of Mary Little Bear Inanish, Cheyenne. Thomas Y. Crowell
Mary Little Bear was born in 1877 at Darlington Indian agency to a Cheyenne mother called Little Bear and a white agent named Block. Mary witnessed the transition of the Cheyenne people over many decades. Author Alice Marriott, anthropologist, met Mary in 1937 and began recording her story.
---. Peyote. New York: New American Library, 1971.
A study of the controversial peyote religion and the Native American Church, this book was written by two anthropologists who participated in peyote ceremonies and consulted with experts in this area including OU Medical School, officers and members of the Native American Church at El Reno, Oklahoma, and others with knowledge in various areas. This book received the Oklahoma Writers’ Association award for non-fiction. Bibliography and index included.
Miller, David Humphreys. Ghost Dance. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1959.
Mainly concerned with the Northern Cheyennes, this work describes the dance that the Indians believed would restore their former way of life.
Mooney, James. The Ghost Dance Religion and Wounded Knee. New York: Dover,
1973.
Includes history of the tribes, the doctrine and ceremony of the Ghost Dance accounting for variations from tribe to tribe, and songs of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Commanche, Paiute, Sioux, Kiowa, and Caddo tribes in the native language and English. Also includes a glossary for each.
Morris, John W., Charles R. Goins, and Edwin C.
McReynolds. Historical Atlas of
Oklahoma. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1976.
This atlas covers many aspects of the history of the state including tribal locations in Oklahoma during different time periods—maps of Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory.
O’Brien, Sharon. American Indian Tribal Governments. Norman: University of
Oklahoma, 1989.
Part of the Civilization of the American Indian series, this book provides an in-depth look at issues of tribal sovereignty and discusses issues such as tribal membership, child welfare, land and resource use, business regulation, legal systems, hunting and fishing rights, and control of natural resources. Includes a chronological timeline of American Indian history, a glossary, an extensive bibliography arranged by format, and an index.
Petersen, Karen Daniels. Plains Indians Art From Fort Marion. Norman: University of
Oklahoma, 1971.
The Indians imprisoned at Fort Marion, Florida were encouraged to draw. This art has been preserved and the author has added biographies of eight of the artists that recount the trials endured by the Indian culture in the years prior to 1875. Petersen interprets the drawings based on the painting traditions of the Plains Indians. The book includes the work of major artists such as Cohoe and several minor artists including Cheyenne, Henry Roman Nose.
---“The Writings of Henry Roman Nose.” The Chronicles of
Oklahoma 42.4 (Winter 1964-65): 458-478.
Peterson researched the life of Chief Henry Roman Nose, Southern Cheyenne, from documents at the Oklahoma Historical Society. Covers the time period when the Cheyenne Indians came into the Agency at Darlington in 1875 forward.
Powell, Peter J. Sweet Medicine. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1998.
Father Peter Powell, an Anglo Catholic priest, studied the Cheyenne Indians and their ceremonies from 1957 through 1967. First published in 1969, this study of the continuing role of the Sacred Arrows, the Sun Dance, and the Sacred Buffalo Hat, is now in its third printing. Presented in two volumes, Volume One recounts the history of the Northern Cheyenne and Volume Two “records the contemporary Sacred Arrows and Sun Dance ceremonies in their entirety.”
Ruth, Kent. Window on the Past. Oklahoma City: The Oklahoma Publishing Company,
1974.
Includes articles and photographs of historic places in Oklahoma including Cantonment, former Cheyenne and Arapaho sub-agency, in Blaine County.
Salzmann, Zdenek, comp. Dictionary of Contemporary Arapaho Usage.
Wyoming: Wind River Reserevation, 1983.
A project of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, this dictionary includes the Arapaho and the Algonquian language family, a brief history of the Arapaho language, a bibliography, and notes on orthography.
Sandoz, Mari. Cheyenne Autumn. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1953.
Based on personal interviews, this book describes the mistreatment of the Cheyenne Indians and recounts the story of the Northern Cheyenne’s 1,500 mile flight from Indian Territory back to Yellowstone country.
Seger, John H. Early Days Among the Cheyenne & Arapahoe Indians. Norman,
University of Oklahoma, 1934.
John Seger lived with and taught the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians for many years—and they taught him about the Indian ways. Seger’s unique perspective recounts a first-hand experience of life during a time of great change for the tribe. The appendix consists of the “Tradition of the Cheyenne”—Seger was entrusted with the legend in order to preserve the oral tradition.
Seymour, Flora Warren. Indian Agents of the Old Frontier. New York: D. Appleton-
Century Company, 1941.
Chapter 12 examines the challenges of Brinton Darlington, Quaker agent, in his attempt to establish an agency near El Reno, Oklahoma.
Silberman, Arthur.
“Watonga’s Day in the Sun or Trickster Comes to Town.” The
Chronicles of Oklahoma 66.4 (Winter 1988-89): 374-391.
Silberman’s article discusses the controversy existing in 1944 when a group of Cheyenne Indians picketed in front of the Watonga Post Office in protest of a mural which had recently been installed depicting the Cheyenne Indians at the time of the Land Run of 1892. The article cites primary documents in the form of local and state newspapers as the main source for the article. A photograph of the mural, painted by Edith Mahier, is represented along with several photographs of the Indians involved borrowed from local sources and from the Western History Collection at the University of Oklahoma.
Stands In Timber, John and Margot Liberty. Cheyenne Memories.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 1967.
John Stands In Timber, a Native American, has combined his effort to preserve the oral history of the Northern Cheyenne people with the writing skills of anthropologist, Margot Liberty to record the early history of these people through the beginning of life on the reservation.
Strickland, Rennard. The Indians of Oklahoma. Norman: University of Oklahoma,
1980.
Part of the Newcomers to a New Land series which analyzes the role of major ethnic groups in the history of Oklahoma, The Indians of Oklahoma gives a concise overview of this groups part in the making of this state. Includes photographs, a bibliographical essay, and tables providing tribes and population.
Stoutenburgh, John Jr. Dictionary of the American Indian. New York: Philosophical
Library, 1940.
Concise definitions of terms related to indigenous people provide help for the student or researcher.
Sweezy, Carl and Althea Bass. “A long Way from the Buffalo Road.” American
Heritage 16.6 (Oct. 1966): 22-25+.
Carl Sweezy (Black was his Indian name) was an Arapaho Indian born in 1881. Sweezy, because of his commitment to preserving the traditions of a vanishing culture, told his memories to Althea Bass, a writer, who arranged the material into a book titled The Arapaho Way. This article is taken from that account and tells the story of the Indians adjustment to the white man’s way. Included in the article are copies of watercolors of the Arapaho people, painted by Sweezy, which show the old way of life.
Trenholm, Virginia Cole. The Arapahoes, Our People. Norman: University of
Oklahoma Press, 1970.
An extensive bibliography includes unpublished materials, government documents, newspaper accounts, and lists of books, journals, and pamphlets divided into primary and secondary source materials
Watonga Centennial History Book Committee. Centennial
History of the Watonga Area:
1892-1992. Watonga, Oklahoma: Committee, 199?
Includes articles written by local Native American, Darrell Rice, titled “The Land Run—From the Indian Perspective”, “Henry Roman Nose”, and “The Origin of Watonga’s Name”.
Weber, M. C. Roman Nose: A History of the Park. Southard, Oklahoma: Oak Haven
Books, 1994.
Discusses the history of Roman Nose, Chief of the Southern Cheyenne Indians, including the early years, confinement in Florida, the family allotments, appointment as chief, and his death.
Wood, Marion. Spirits, Heroes & Hunters from North American Indian Mythology.
New York: Schocken Books, 1982.
A collection of myths, retold from authentic sources (?). Included in this anthology is a Cheyenne myth, “Behind the Waterfall, and a Plains Indian myth, “The Search of the Buffalo”. Eighteen color paintings and forty black and white drawings by John Sibbick are included.
Wright, Muriel. A Guide to the Indian Tribes of Oklahoma. Norman: University of
Oklahoma, 1951.
Muriel Wright is the Choctaw granddaughter of Chief Allen Wright. This book lists the sixty-seven different tribes that have resided in Oklahoma and includes information on each such as linguistic stock, physical characteristics, location, number, brief history, ceremonials and suggested readings. While this book is somewhat dated, it is still a good general guide, especially for historical research.