Book Review

The Cheyenne, by John H. Moore, provides a history of the Cheyenne people, beginning with their prehistoric origins north of the Great Lakes and concluding with events from their contemporary reservation lives in Oklahoma and Montana.	1
The earliest chapters, describing origins, migrations, pastoral nomadism, trade, and politics, are excellent summaries of the documents on those topics, the author's insights added. However, the following section on warfare and military societies substitutes quantity for quality, conveying only a superficial description of the distinguishing characteristics of the military societies. Historical inaccuracies appear. For example, it is stated that Yellow Wolf reorganized the Bowstring society after the Kiowas wiped out forty-two of the members, a great disaster in Cheyenne history. Untrue. It was Old Little Wolf the Southerner who did so.	2
The description of the Council of the Forty-four, the peace chiefs of the Cheyenne people, is flawed, ignoring its essentially sacred role. Nor does the author note the priestly roles of the Sweet Medicine chief and the four Old Man chiefs—the head chiefs—whose roles as leaders and servants of the people required that they possess sacerdotal power.	. . .