Cheyenne & Plains Indian history tours
| country: | USA |
| location: | Native America |
| departures: | 2008: 21 Sep |
| price: | From £1995 (13 days) excluding flights. All inclusive except food, local payments approx US $100 - US $150 |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The choice of two tours which delve into the history and culture of the Native Americans.
“Dog Soldiers were the most famous of the Cheyenne bands and the least understood by the whites” recollected George Bent, the illustrious Southern Cheyenne historian.
On this journey we search for that understanding and discover the Dog Soldiers as we traverse Colorado, Montana, the sacred Black Hills, Nebraska and the heartland of the Dog Soldiers, the Smokey Hill Country of Kansas, as we follow the Great Raids, the Hancock Campaign, and more.
Journey into the realm of the bear on this incredible trail into the physical and spiritual significance of the bear to the Plains Indians. A great healer, a potent symbol of power, a guardian and a grandfather who can engender fear - the bear is all of these and more. Through traditional stories and explanations and by actually entering the grizzly bear's domain we learn of the power and gifts he brings to the people.
Dog Soldiers of the Cheyenne 2008: 21 Sep.
The origin of the Dog Soldiers is found in the sacred narrative of Sweet Medicine, the holy Tsetsehesetahase (Cheyenne) prophet, and we travel with the Dog Soldiers from that sanctified beginning witnessing the Holy Mountain, Bear Butte, as we proceed. Walking within historic Dog Soldier Village sites, we explore the meanings of the most distinctive emblems of the society, including the Hotam’tsit, or Dog Rope, that a Dog Soldier uses to stake himself to the earth in the face of the enemy. We discover how - and if - the ‘Dog Soldiers’ really became known as ‘outlaws' for a period among some constituents of the Cheyenne Nation. Later, in 1854, the Dog Soldiers achieved recognition as not only one of the formative Cheyenne Military Societies, but also as a distinct Cheyenne band, and we explore how this happened and place into context the full impact of this dynamic sociological development on the Cheyenne Nation.
The rise of the Dog Soldiers coincided with the establishment of Colorado Territory, overland trails, transcontinental communications and railroads which devastated the Cheyenne. As Manifest Destiny marched Westward, the Dog Men rose to defend the Cheyenne Nation and to resist the invasion and conquest. The Dog Soldiers were in the vanguard of Cheyenne resistance and their power reached it’s apex after the Sand Creek Massacre; we follow the route of the post-Sand Creek Raids, entering 1865 as we trail the Dog Soldiers through that remarkable campaign, one of the greatest undertaken in American history.
We follow the Dog Soldiers during General Winfield Scott Hancock's campaign, visiting the site of the famous village on the Pawnee Fork, and tracking the conflict that raged from Fort Larned to the posts on the Smokey Hill Trail, as men such as Roman Nose, Tall Bull, and White Horse battled to preserve their nation, just as Hancock, Custer and Major Eugene Carr sought to push their nation westwards. We relive the triumph and tragedy at Beecher Island, and then gather at Summit Springs to explore July 11 1869, and to discuss the consequences of the Battle of Summit Springs and the reality, as opposed to the popular myth.
Spirit of the Bear 2008: 02 May.
A journey that leads you to the heart of indigenous homelands so inspiring they defy articulation, with the land’s true dimensional reality shared through the indigenous explanations relating to each prominent feature you experience. We begin our journey by one of the most sacred sites on the Northern Plains – Mato Paha - Bear Butte, standing before the holy center of the Cheyenne universe to learn of the great prophet Sweet Medicine and the blessings he received for the Cheyenne. The Vore Buffalo Jump is regarded as one of the world's premier archeological sites. We learn of the mechanics of enticing small groups of buffalo from the herds to run over the edges of cliff formations and our interest reflects also the ceremonial journey that is linked to the sun’s passage through the constellations and the relationship between the buffalo and human beings.
At the Bear’s Lodge – Mato Tipila (Devil’s Tower) we hear tribal explanations of the rock’s creation and the connecting star world. We experience the outstanding Lakota and Cheyenne sacred site of the Deer Medicine Rocks where Sitting Bull’s vision of soldiers without ears falling like grasshoppers into camp can still be seen, then visit significant cultural and historic areas of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. In Cody, Wyoming at the world’s premier museum of the West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Society, we spend time in the Plains Indian Gallery, associating exhibits to what we have learned so far.
Along the trail of the bear we learn that Yellowstone is Indian Country. We explore the region’s history, cultures and enter the pristine domain of the four-leggeds among the awe-inspiring mountains and verdant valleys of the Greater Yellowstone region. Heading north toward the Medicine Line, we follow the ‘Backbone of the World’, the ‘Shining’ or Rocky Mountains that define Glacier National Park; the traditional lands of the Blackfeet (Piegan) Nation. We experience sites such as Running Eagle Falls, Two Medicine, Heart Butte, the Sacred Sweetgrass Hills or Chief Mountain before winding our way back to northeastern Montana.
“Dog Soldiers were the most famous of the Cheyenne bands and the least understood by the whites” recollected George Bent, the illustrious Southern Cheyenne historian.
On this journey we search for that understanding and discover the Dog Soldiers as we traverse Colorado, Montana, the sacred Black Hills, Nebraska and the heartland of the Dog Soldiers, the Smokey Hill Country of Kansas, as we follow the Great Raids, the Hancock Campaign, and more.
Journey into the realm of the bear on this incredible trail into the physical and spiritual significance of the bear to the Plains Indians. A great healer, a potent symbol of power, a guardian and a grandfather who can engender fear - the bear is all of these and more. Through traditional stories and explanations and by actually entering the grizzly bear's domain we learn of the power and gifts he brings to the people.
Dog Soldiers of the Cheyenne 2008: 21 Sep.
The origin of the Dog Soldiers is found in the sacred narrative of Sweet Medicine, the holy Tsetsehesetahase (Cheyenne) prophet, and we travel with the Dog Soldiers from that sanctified beginning witnessing the Holy Mountain, Bear Butte, as we proceed. Walking within historic Dog Soldier Village sites, we explore the meanings of the most distinctive emblems of the society, including the Hotam’tsit, or Dog Rope, that a Dog Soldier uses to stake himself to the earth in the face of the enemy. We discover how - and if - the ‘Dog Soldiers’ really became known as ‘outlaws' for a period among some constituents of the Cheyenne Nation. Later, in 1854, the Dog Soldiers achieved recognition as not only one of the formative Cheyenne Military Societies, but also as a distinct Cheyenne band, and we explore how this happened and place into context the full impact of this dynamic sociological development on the Cheyenne Nation.
The rise of the Dog Soldiers coincided with the establishment of Colorado Territory, overland trails, transcontinental communications and railroads which devastated the Cheyenne. As Manifest Destiny marched Westward, the Dog Men rose to defend the Cheyenne Nation and to resist the invasion and conquest. The Dog Soldiers were in the vanguard of Cheyenne resistance and their power reached it’s apex after the Sand Creek Massacre; we follow the route of the post-Sand Creek Raids, entering 1865 as we trail the Dog Soldiers through that remarkable campaign, one of the greatest undertaken in American history.
We follow the Dog Soldiers during General Winfield Scott Hancock's campaign, visiting the site of the famous village on the Pawnee Fork, and tracking the conflict that raged from Fort Larned to the posts on the Smokey Hill Trail, as men such as Roman Nose, Tall Bull, and White Horse battled to preserve their nation, just as Hancock, Custer and Major Eugene Carr sought to push their nation westwards. We relive the triumph and tragedy at Beecher Island, and then gather at Summit Springs to explore July 11 1869, and to discuss the consequences of the Battle of Summit Springs and the reality, as opposed to the popular myth.
Spirit of the Bear 2008: 02 May.
A journey that leads you to the heart of indigenous homelands so inspiring they defy articulation, with the land’s true dimensional reality shared through the indigenous explanations relating to each prominent feature you experience. We begin our journey by one of the most sacred sites on the Northern Plains – Mato Paha - Bear Butte, standing before the holy center of the Cheyenne universe to learn of the great prophet Sweet Medicine and the blessings he received for the Cheyenne. The Vore Buffalo Jump is regarded as one of the world's premier archeological sites. We learn of the mechanics of enticing small groups of buffalo from the herds to run over the edges of cliff formations and our interest reflects also the ceremonial journey that is linked to the sun’s passage through the constellations and the relationship between the buffalo and human beings.
At the Bear’s Lodge – Mato Tipila (Devil’s Tower) we hear tribal explanations of the rock’s creation and the connecting star world. We experience the outstanding Lakota and Cheyenne sacred site of the Deer Medicine Rocks where Sitting Bull’s vision of soldiers without ears falling like grasshoppers into camp can still be seen, then visit significant cultural and historic areas of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. In Cody, Wyoming at the world’s premier museum of the West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Society, we spend time in the Plains Indian Gallery, associating exhibits to what we have learned so far.
Along the trail of the bear we learn that Yellowstone is Indian Country. We explore the region’s history, cultures and enter the pristine domain of the four-leggeds among the awe-inspiring mountains and verdant valleys of the Greater Yellowstone region. Heading north toward the Medicine Line, we follow the ‘Backbone of the World’, the ‘Shining’ or Rocky Mountains that define Glacier National Park; the traditional lands of the Blackfeet (Piegan) Nation. We experience sites such as Running Eagle Falls, Two Medicine, Heart Butte, the Sacred Sweetgrass Hills or Chief Mountain before winding our way back to northeastern Montana.
Highly Commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Tucked away within a national environment of consumer capitalism, traditional Native America clings to old values; respect for the environment; careful use of the earth’s resources and understanding of the important place of ceremony within native society and communities…not as a recreational activity for interested visitors. By joining a Go Native America journey you are endorsing and supporting the values traditional tribal elders want to pass to the generations to come. Part of your tour fee will be put to projects which preserve cultural heritage and you will see the tangible results in our indigenous cultural preservation products and schemes which help the spread of ‘Native Pride’.
We offer financial and practical help to the Cheyenne Children Services – a non-profit organization that offers hope and practical support to children living in the worst of conditions of poverty on the reservation. Wherever possible we include visits to CCS within trip itineraries and many tour members create lasting relationships with the traditional Cheyenne Nation through the CCS child sponsorship program. Most journeys are guided in the main by Serle Chapman – short-listed as one of the top 6 tour guides worldwide by Wanderlust. All of our local tribal representatives are respected members of the indigenous community and represent a broad cultural and professional spectrum: from spiritual and ceremonial leaders, to traditional chiefs and headsmen, to educators, award-winning and best-selling authors, TV documentarians, world-renowned artists, award-winning journalists, award-winning musicians, and movie advisors. Each is connected to the "grassroots" Native community, and many are descendants of legendary men and women whose names and deeds resonate through history to the present day. All tour members can feel secure that they will be guided culturally as well as geographically on every journey. Our website is rich with information for first-time visitors to Native America, and our Responsible Tourism Policy is clearly posted (both of which visitors can read or download) and all information and concepts are further promoted by guides throughout the tour including: cultural appropriation (and how to avoid it), tribal etiquette and relationships. "Red? It’s the Old Green" – our ways of applying traditional principles to modern life, our recycling policy, our green office policy, our paper policy – Want it not? We’ll waste it not! The "Leave no trace" campaign (or pack it out) and carbon offsetting with our partner NativeEnergy, the native-owned company which recently arranged the offsetting for Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, and supports reservation wind energy projects. 100% of your tour fee stays in the locale of your journey, with us using tribal services as a first choice, and independent service where there are no tribal options. Wherever possible we support tribally owned and operated properties but in lieu where necessary, we choose from independently owned hotels, log cabins in National Parks or Old West ambient properties. On these trips we stay at St Mary’s Lodge and Nine Pipes Lodge on the bear journey and The Latchstring Canyon Lodge on the Dog Soldiers tour. We eat local rather than in chains and also offer you the unique opportunity to experience traditional Native American foods or meals in a culturally appropriate environment. On these trips we visit Nine Pipes Lakeside or The Old Main Restaurant. We ask tour members, please take advice from your guides before you buy Native American jewelry and Art since the market is overwhelmed by mass-produced fakes from sweatshops in the Orient, Mexico and many other areas. This erosion of one of the few economic lifelines for many Native Americans is an insidious threat to their very survival, and so on most Go Native America journeys we facilitate opportunities for you to buy direct from the artists, either creating an Arts evening including dance, music and art presentations, or taking tour members to Indian-owned Arts facilities such as the Lakota Drum Company. In these tours we visit Cheyenne Artists offer their beadwork, and art on the reservation or a personal historic arts presentation. We ask tour members to be aware of the water situation here, and use water thoughtfully. The western states of the US have been on drought warnings for about six summers now and native farmers have been badly hit since few can afford to buy in hay for their animals at the presently much-inflated prices; consequently many have had to sell their livestock at rock bottom prices. Traditional Navajos who raised sheep for the wool for weaving are suffering, as are many Lakotas who are not able to feed their horses. It is our company policy to use hotels that both conserve and recycle water, and we offer suggestions on how tour members can help conserve resources in many small ways. We keep our groups sizes to a minimum on every journey we do – we believe small is beautiful and that while up to 10 people coming to a local community is a group of visitors, with many more than that you unavoidably morph into tourists. We pride ourselves on never taking tourists! Trips like ours depend on relationships of trust and sincerity and personal contact is integral to the whole experience. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |