User:Elattin23/sandbox

Wind River Reservation

Relationship with Arapahoe High School

In 1993, the Northern Arapaho Tribe on the Wind River Reservation began a relationship with a high school in Centennial, Colorado, to “[promote] awareness to the co-existence of two very diverse cultures”. Despite previous controversy, Arapahoe High School and the Arapaho Nation established an agreement, in which the tribe endorsed the school mascot, the “Arapahoe Warrior”. The image of the mascot used by the school was drawn by Northern Arapaho artist, Wilbur Antelope. The agreement also promised a long-standing relationship between the school and the tribe. Signed September 17, 1993, this proclamation allowed for the “Arapahoe Warrior” to become a reminder of Elder Anthony Sitting Eagles words “Always take care of one another”, a phrase repeated often by students and faculty at Arapahoe High School.

As part of the agreement, Arapahoe High school and the Arapaho Nation alternate visiting each other every year. When the Arapaho tribe comes to visit the school, the daily activities are put on pause for an assembly. Arapahoe High School students accompany those visiting from the Wind River Reservation file into the large gymnasium, renamed in December 1994 after Arapaho Elder Anthony Sitting Eagle. Two cultures unite for a celebration, the Arapaho tribe performing traditional dances and the tribal leaders speaking to the students. When the students visit Wind River Reservation, they take a tour of the school and learn more about the Arapaho Nation’s culture. This tradition continues today, and the students benefit greatly from it.

Tourism

The Wind River Country, the wide expansion of land on which the Wind River Reservation resides, also provides opportunities for visitors to see and participate in important cultural experiences.

Scheduled powwows are available to attend by the public. There are three larger celebrations throughout the year in the Wind River County, including the Eastern Shoshone Powwow in June, the Ethete Celebration in July, and the Northern Arapaho Powwow in September. Beginning on Friday nights, these ceremonies are an important aspect of Native American culture, that involve feasting, singing and dancing. Saturday and Sundays also have Powwow festivities.

An important aspect of the powwow is showcasing the regalia of the dancers. Each piece is personally significant to the dancer, uniquely handmade, utilizing feathers, shells, bones, beadwork and sometimes family heirlooms. The dances performed are traditional dances, unique to the tribe they belong to, as is the music. The spectacle is described on the Wind River Country’s tourism website, windriver.org, telling prospective visitors “If you close your eyes for a second the music will sweep you away, Drumming and singing accompanies all dancing and the drumbeat is considered sacred, representing the heartbeat of the tribe. Each thumping note carries songs to the Great Spirit, along with the prayers of the people.” The website also advertises the Powwows as being free admission.

Arapaho

Historic political and dialect Arapaho: Arapaho divisions and bands

The Arapaho language is currently spoken in two different dialects, and it is considered to be a member of the Algonquian language family. The number of fluent speakers of Northern Arapaho dwindles at 250, most living on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, while the number of Southern Arapaho speakers is even more scarce, only a handful of people speak it, all advanced in age.

According to Cowell & Moss’s 2008 study of the Arapaho language, the Northern Arapaho have made a great effort to maintain the language through establishing the Language and Culture Commission. By producing audio and visual materials, they have provided ways for younger generations to learn the language. They have matched this effort with a preschool immersion program and is offered all throughout grade school. However, the number of students that take the subject is wavering and those who learn typically only retain a selection of memorized vocabulary. There is a widespread interest in keeping the language alive for the Northern Arapaho, and their outlook remains positive in their endeavors to perpetuate the learning of Arapaho in schools and among their children and young people. However this attitude is often counteracted by the lack of true commitment and willingness to really learn and become fluent, underscored by a misunderstanding of its deep roots and purpose.

For Southern Arapaho, the language is not quite as valued as it is on the Wind River Reservation. Most have lost interest in learning or maintaining it, and until recently, there were little to no efforts to preserve their dialect. There is a small number who have begun online courses conducted via video in an attempt to revitalize a desire to learn it, and popularity has increased over the past few years.

Events Leading to the Sand Creek Massacre

Several skirmishes had ignited hatred from the “white” folk that lived in the area, and left Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes in constant fear of being attacked by American troops. For example, on April 12, 1864, a rancher brought troops to attack a group of 15 warriors who had asked for reward from bringing his mules back to him. The warriors acted in self-defense, and sent the troops running. Word got back to General John Chivington, and they had told him the Indians shot first. He also heard there were 175 cattle head stolen from the government. Chivington “ordered troops to find and ‘chastise’ the ‘Indians’. Soldiers burned villages and sought out to kill Indians, the violence escalating months before the Sand Creek Massacre.

In an effort to establish peace, John Evans attempted to extend an offer of refuge and protection to “friendly” Indians. However, these efforts were trampled by General Cu rtis’ military expedition against tribes between the Platte and Arkansas Rivers. By this point, both Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes thought that an all out war of extermination was about to rage against them, so they quickly fled, and Curtis and his men never met them.

Why the Sand Massacre Occurred

The violence that ensued was deeply rooted in the Indian-hating by American settlers in the area. Their perception was that “their nascent settlements were indeed surrounded by Indians”, and their inexperience in dealing with Indians was what sparked the Sand Creek Massacre.

Works Cited

Anderson, Jeffrey D. "The History of Time in the Northern Arapaho Tribe." Ethnohistory 2011: 229-62. Web.

“Arapaho Relationship.” Littleton Public Schools, littletonpublicschools.net/schools/arapahoe-high-school/arapaho-relationship.

“Arapaho Tribe Visits Arapahoe High School.” KUSA, KUSA, 19 Mar. 2016, www.9news.com/article/news/local/arapaho-tribe-visits-arapahoe-high-school/73-88904957.

Cowell, Andrew & Ramsberger, Gail & Menn, Lise. "Dementia and grammar in a polysynthetic language: An Arapaho case study." Language, vol. 93 no. 1, 2017, pp. 97-120. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/lan.2017.0002

Blackhawk, Ned. Violence Over the Land. United States of America: Harvard University Press, 2006. Print.

Cowell, Andrew, and Alonzo Moss. The Arapaho Language. University Press of Colorado, 2015.

Fowler, Loretta. "Arapaho and Cheyenne Perspectives: From the 1851 Treaty to the Sand Creek Massacre." The American Indian Quarterly, vol. 39 no. 4, 2015, pp. 364-390. Project MUSE, muse.jhu.edu/article/595116.

Gilbert, David. “Arapaho Tribe Visits, Blesses Namesake School.” Colorado Community Media, 25 Mar. 2018, littletonindependent.net/stories/arapaho-tribe-visits-blesses-namesake-school,259728.

Koster, John. The 'Arapaho Five' at the Little Bighorn. 25 Vol., 2012. Web.

“Native American Powwows.” Wind River Country, windriver.org/experience/native-american-powwows/.