The 'Sagebrush People' have a dramatic history. The Northern Arapaho tribe is a division of a once mighty people group; there is also a southern remnant. Today the northern branch lives on the Wind River Indian Reservation, originally given to the Shoshones but the designated refuge for the Arapaho since the Treaty of 1868.
Today this federally recognized tribe is know by many as the owners and operators of Wyoming's biggest hotel and casino. The casino was opened in 2005 and is intended to provide a better life for tribal members. It offers revenues that are earmarked for medical clinics and better schools and was supposed to offer employment opportunities as well.
The colorful history of these natives began at least 3000 years ago in Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada. An agricultural society, they were gradually pushed to the northern Great Plains by invading tribes and became a nomadic people. Scholars think that five main sub-tribes developed, each with its own dialect of the original Algonquian language.
The tribes shared the Plains with the Cheyenne, with whom they formed an alliance. Both peoples benefited from the acquisition of the horse in the early 18th century. Roaming from Oklahoma and Kansas to Colorado and Montana, these nomads developed a complex social structure, with a rich spiritual life and efficient camp social order based on the warrior, with prowess in battle and hunting the key to prominence.
The Arapaho were mostly peaceful toward early traders and explorers, coming to the trading posts and sharing their knowledge of the terrain. However, they resented settlers either stopping on or crossing their land. The fierce warriors struck terror in the hearts of the pioneers, who banded together for safety as they headed further west. Several influential chiefs saw the wisdom of seeking peace with the invaders, however.
Unfortunately, history records much deceit and hostility on the part of American leaders, both in the military and in government. The Sand Creek Massacre, when soldiers attacked a sleeping camp of mostly women and children, is one of the bloodiest examples of this. The Treaty of 1851 granted them a wide territory, but the Treaty of 1868 forced them onto a barren piece of Wyoming.
Visitors who want to get up close and personal with history can visit the Wind River Reservation and the Arapaho Cultural Center. This storehouse of artifacts and treasury of traditional handicrafts is located in a former mission. Visitors can see and even engage in the traditional arts. A virtual museum found online at windrivervirtualmuseum.org has great photographs of artifacts and explanations of their use and/or significance.
People are familiar with some of the culture, since it has been part of Hollywood movies and pulp fiction, as well as being recorded in actual frontier memoirs. 'Counting coup' was a way a warrior could gain respect by touching an enemy or seizing a possession - a less drastic approach than killing. Important societies challenged warriors to excel in hunting or in battle and gave them positions of authority in the camp. War paint and regalia made the warriors fearsome to behold and granted them spiritual protection in war.
Today this federally recognized tribe is know by many as the owners and operators of Wyoming's biggest hotel and casino. The casino was opened in 2005 and is intended to provide a better life for tribal members. It offers revenues that are earmarked for medical clinics and better schools and was supposed to offer employment opportunities as well.
The colorful history of these natives began at least 3000 years ago in Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada. An agricultural society, they were gradually pushed to the northern Great Plains by invading tribes and became a nomadic people. Scholars think that five main sub-tribes developed, each with its own dialect of the original Algonquian language.
The tribes shared the Plains with the Cheyenne, with whom they formed an alliance. Both peoples benefited from the acquisition of the horse in the early 18th century. Roaming from Oklahoma and Kansas to Colorado and Montana, these nomads developed a complex social structure, with a rich spiritual life and efficient camp social order based on the warrior, with prowess in battle and hunting the key to prominence.
The Arapaho were mostly peaceful toward early traders and explorers, coming to the trading posts and sharing their knowledge of the terrain. However, they resented settlers either stopping on or crossing their land. The fierce warriors struck terror in the hearts of the pioneers, who banded together for safety as they headed further west. Several influential chiefs saw the wisdom of seeking peace with the invaders, however.
Unfortunately, history records much deceit and hostility on the part of American leaders, both in the military and in government. The Sand Creek Massacre, when soldiers attacked a sleeping camp of mostly women and children, is one of the bloodiest examples of this. The Treaty of 1851 granted them a wide territory, but the Treaty of 1868 forced them onto a barren piece of Wyoming.
Visitors who want to get up close and personal with history can visit the Wind River Reservation and the Arapaho Cultural Center. This storehouse of artifacts and treasury of traditional handicrafts is located in a former mission. Visitors can see and even engage in the traditional arts. A virtual museum found online at windrivervirtualmuseum.org has great photographs of artifacts and explanations of their use and/or significance.
People are familiar with some of the culture, since it has been part of Hollywood movies and pulp fiction, as well as being recorded in actual frontier memoirs. 'Counting coup' was a way a warrior could gain respect by touching an enemy or seizing a possession - a less drastic approach than killing. Important societies challenged warriors to excel in hunting or in battle and gave them positions of authority in the camp. War paint and regalia made the warriors fearsome to behold and granted them spiritual protection in war.
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