The Chiefs' Prophecy: The Destruction of "Original" Cheyenne Leadership During "the Critical Era" (1876-1935)
type: CreativeWork
description: Inconsistent modern tribal government political leadership standards are common throughout Indian Country. There is an urgent need to address the causes and effects of tribal political instability and the root of this instability which lies in the lack of leadership and the absence of a realistic leadership identity, specific to nations like the Northern Cheyenne. The modern concepts of tribal leadership are inconsistent, undefined, and if they do exist these concepts are incompatible with traditional Indian culture, spirituality, and community needs. Traditional Cheyenne concepts of leadership are rooted in the oral tradition and the Cheyenne ceremonial practices.This is a study of the Northern Cheyenne change in leadership concepts and the loss of traditional concepts of leadership during the time after their last armed resistance and before the establishment of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Constitutional government. The history of Northern Cheyenne Nation is comprised of heroic triumphs and tragedies. Throughout this rich history, there have been spiritual and political leaders who have contributed to the survival of the Northern Cheyenne people. Leadership, from the perspective of the Cheyenne, and the traditional Cheyenne governing system were rooted in spiritual teachings, ceremonies, and sustained through serving the people. These ancient concepts of leadership allowed for stability. These traditional concepts were destroyed through colonization, and this led to political dysfunction.The goal of this study is to first identify the traditional concepts leadership, then identify the significant changes in these concepts of leadership to discuss how these changes have led to the current political instability of the Northern Cheyenne government. What were the major changes in traditional Cheyenne leadership and governance that occurred between 1876 and 1935? How did these changes in traditional leadership and governance occur? What traditional political, spiritua…
abstract: Inconsistent modern tribal government political leadership standards are common throughout Indian Country. There is an urgent need to address the causes and effects of tribal political instability and the root of this instability which lies in the lack of leadership and the absence of a realistic leadership identity, specific to nations like the Northern Cheyenne. The modern concepts of tribal leadership are inconsistent, undefined, and if they do exist these concepts are incompatible with traditional Indian culture, spirituality, and community needs. Traditional Cheyenne concepts of leadership are rooted in the oral tradition and the Cheyenne ceremonial practices.This is a study of the Northern Cheyenne change in leadership concepts and the loss of traditional concepts of leadership during the time after their last armed resistance and before the establishment of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Constitutional government. The history of Northern Cheyenne Nation is comprised of heroic triumphs and tragedies. Throughout this rich history, there have been spiritual and political leaders who have contributed to the survival of the Northern Cheyenne people. Leadership, from the perspective of the Cheyenne, and the traditional Cheyenne governing system were rooted in spiritual teachings, ceremonies, and sustained through serving the people. These ancient concepts of leadership allowed for stability. These traditional concepts were destroyed through colonization, and this led to political dysfunction.The goal of this study is to first identify the traditional concepts leadership, then identify the significant changes in these concepts of leadership to discuss how these changes have led to the current political instability of the Northern Cheyenne government. What were the major changes in traditional Cheyenne leadership and governance that occurred between 1876 and 1935? How did these changes in traditional leadership and governance occur? What traditional political, spiritua…
author: Killsback, Leo Kevin
language: en
keywords: Cheyenne-Indian, Indian-Leadership, Indigenous-Decolonization, Reorganization-Act, Traditional-Government, Tribal-Governance
date published: 2010
date modified: 2026-07-24T00:57:57Z
provider: University of Arizona
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The University of Arizona.

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/204273