Cheyennes

First Americans

by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, Ronald Himler (Illustrator)

A study of the lifestyle, traditions, and practices of the Cheyenne examines the great changes that their culture suffered due to the introduction of the white man in their land, from the 1825 Friendship Pact and the 1865 Sand Creek massacre to the present

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve was born and raised on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. She was the daughter of an Episcopal priest and a Lakota Sioux mother. Sneve received her B.S. and M.Ed. in 1954 and 1969, respectively, from South Dakota State University. She has taught English in public school of South Dakota, and at the Flandreau Indian School in Flandreau. Her career also includes editor at the Brevet Press in Sioux Fall, S.D. Sneve is a member of the board of directors, Native American consortium, Corporation for Public Broadcasting ; member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe; member of board of directors of United Sioux Tribes Cultural Arts; and Historiographer of the Episcopal Church of South Dakota.

Reviews

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who are the Cheyennes? Where did they live before being pushed onto a reservation? What was their history?
This tribe, actually split into ten groups, started as farmers in Minnesota. They were pushed out onto the plains by the Ojibwa and became horsemen and traders from Oklahoma to Montana.
Theirs is a history of treaties and betrayals including massacres such as Sand Creek. They were part of the group at Little Big Horn fighting General Custer.
Family life is part of the book as well. The Cheyenne were known for their quill and bead work.
Modern Northern Cheyenne have a small reservation in Montana where they ranch, work in the coal industry and other professions. Southern Cheyenne have no reservation, but do have trust lands in Oklahoma.
Although richly illustrated, this book isn't strictly a picture book. The text is kept simple, but doesn't whitewash history. It is easy reading and informative.

[Krosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book cover two tribes creation stories and then describes their migration west. The book does a good job over going over interesting details of the Cheyennes people and the adversity that they faced.