James N. Leiker and Ramon Powers. The Northern Cheyenne Exodus in History and Memory

In September 1878, after enduring a year of disease, hunger, and homesickness, some 350 Northern Cheyennes fled their exile in Indian Territory in a bid to return to their homelands in Wyoming and Montana. Along the way they fought off the pursing military and raided settlements in northwestern Kansas, leaving behind at least forty dead. Some of the Cheyennes surrendered to the military and were held at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. In January 1879, they made one last desperate break for freedom. Men, women, and children were shot down as they ran from the barracks, others died during a relentless pursuit over the ensuing two weeks. The story of the Northern Cheyennes' flight and its horrific climax have been told many times, most famously in Mari Sandoz's Cheyenne Autumn (1953, reprint ed. 1992). In the volume under review, James Leiker and Ramon Powers explore the ways in which memories of the events have been created, transformed, and used by Northern Cheyennes and Euro-Americans alike.

Ancient history · Archaeology · Cheyenne · Climax · Ethnology · Genealogy · Geography · Human settlement · Shot (pellet) · History · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Philosophy