Indigenous Tribes & Culture: How Colonialism and Borderlands Affected Tribal Nations

The Origin Story: In the Beginning..

In the origin story for the Cheyenne, The Person, Heamma Wihio, also referred to as the Creator in this story, is the creator of our world. Before the earth was formed by Heamma Wihio, there was only but water and sky, and out of what seemed like nothing, a Person (Creator) appears floating through the water surrounded by the birds like swan, ducks, and geese. The Person eventually grows tired of floating in the water for so long, he asks the birds for something solid- earth. All the birds begin to fulfill what Creator has asked, the large birds dive down and are unable to find anything that could satisfy what Creator needed to create the earth. Eventually, a small duck dove down into the water and brings a small glob of mud to Creator. He [Creator] takes it into his hands and works with it until the mud grows, and eventually, all the dust from the mud that Creator grew with his hand's spans as far as he can see. And with that, we have land.

As the Creator begins to walk upon the land he grew from his own hands, he begins to feel lonely and creates Man and Woman. The Woman will control Hoimaha who is the winter or storm, that possesses the power to bring cold, snow, sickness and death, but must always obey the Woman. The Man was meant to control the summer and warmth. He would bring goodness, life and prosperity where wildlife can be free and plentiful. However, the Man would never be able to control the Woman-- he will always be defeated by her and Hoimaha, as their winter winds would drive him away. 

Creation stories throughout history has helped us make sense of the things we did not understand in our natural world. The narratives in which our own cultures perceived our existence, challenges we faced, and how we came to be all are unique in their own way. This much is true also for the Cheyenne Tribe. Consider the fact that we now understand weather patterns, seasons, and the why as to which these events occur. Before we developed our knowledge on weather patterns, we shared stories that bring us closer to our natural world, and give us a divine being to hold close and honor for prosperity. The earth in this story is a gift from The Creator. The Cheyenne knew that they could not control the weather, the same way that The Man could not control the harshness that The Woman and Hoimaha would show to the people. This story is important because it describes how the Cheyenne Tribe viewed our natural world, and in some ways how they understood the relationships between weather and their survival. 

How these stories change over time are directly caused by interactions with other tribes, and incoming settlers, as we will see in the coming pages. The Cheyenne Tribe was heavily connected to nature, their body and spirituality, soon becoming important figures in the Fur Trade, and as we'll see, will appear in Lewis and Clark's Expedition notes as excellent traders.

 

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