Native American Quillwork.
Before Native Americans acquired glass beads, they embellished their clothing and objects with quillwork. Quills from the porcupine were used and so were bird quills. This was probably the oldest form of Native American embroidery. Quills could be twisted, folded, plaited and wrapped to create a wide range of patterns on many items including clothing, moccasins, baskets, tool handles, pipe stems, bags, mats, horse gear and birch bark containers.

The quills had to be washed, dyed and flattened, usually by running them through one’s teeth but special tools were also used to flatten the quills. The natural color of porcupine quills range from white to pale yellow with the tips being black. The quills were dyed with natural elements derived from plants until aniline dyes were available through trade. Holes would be punched through the hides or bark and sinew was used to attach the quills until thread was available. Quillwork is considered a lost art but there are many Native Americans who still practice this old craft.

One wonders how the quills of the porcupine were obtained prior to being able to purchase them. Of course finding a dead porcupine is one way but native women seeking porcupine quills used the sneak-up method. They would cautiously sneak up behind a porcupine and throw a blanket over it. The natural defense of the animal would be to raise it quills, which would get caught in the blanket. When they removed the blanket, they simply had to pull out the quills that got stuck in the blanket.

Obviously porcupine quills are a valuable find on the road. A dead porcupine will not remain on the road for long. Once while traveling in New Mexico near the four corners area, we spotted a dead porcupine on the side of the road. I told my husband to turn around and go back. In the five minutes in took to backtrack, some industrious artisan had already removed the animal off the road.

The basic techniques of quillwork are zigzag, simple band, single thread line, wrapping and plaiting.

Zigzag: This is the simplest, most versatile and most natural form of quill work and the sturdiest. It can be worked into many shapes.

Simple Band or Parallel: This technique looks simple but flaws are easily detected and care must be taken to select quills that are similar in width and color. It is similar to the zigzag technique except the quills on the top row are folded away from you rather than toward you.

Single Thread Line: This is executed the same way as the band/parallel technique except one thread is used instead of two. The quill is also left whole instead of the tips being trimmed until the work is completed.

Wrapping: This technique enables one quill to be wrapped upon itself; two quills can also be intertwined.

Plaiting: This type of quillwork has the appearance of being woven. It’s one of the fastest to execute once one has mastered the skill, even though it looks complicated. It uses the single band/parallel or zigzag technique but many quills are used throughout the work rather than just one or two quills at a time.

Native American Names & Meanings

Female
ABEDABUN: Cheyenne name meaning sight of day."
ABEQUA, ABEQUE: Cheyenne name meaning stays at home."
ABETZI: Omaha name meaning "yellow leaf."
ABEY: Omaha name meaning "leaf."
ABEYTU: Omaha name meaning "green leaf."
ADOETTE: large tree
ADSILA: Cherokee name meaning blossom."
AIYANA: eternal blossom
ALAMEDA: grove of cottonwood
ALAQUA: sweet gum tree
ALAWA: Algonquin name meaning pea."
ALGOMA: valley of flowers
ALSOOMSE: Algonquin name meaning independent."
ALTSOBA: Navajo name meaning all war."
AMADAHY: Cherokee name meaning forest water."
AMAYETA: Miwok name. Meaning is unknown
AMITOLA: rainbow
ANABA: Navajo name meaning returns from war."
ANEVAY: superior
ANGENI: spirit
ANGWUSNASOMTAQA: Hopi name meaning crow mother spirit."
ANKTI: Hopi name meaning repeat dance."
ANNA: Algonquin name meaning mother."
ANPAYTOO: Sioux name meaning "radiant."
APONI: butterfly
AQUENE: peace
ASDZA: Navajo name meaning woman."
AT'EED: Navajo name meaning girl."
ATEPA: Choctaw name meaning wigwam."
AWANATA: Miwok name meaning "turtle."
AWENASA: Cherokee name meaning my home."
AWENDELA: morning
AWENTIA: fawn
AWINITA: Cherokee name meaning fawn."
AYASHE, AYASHA: Cheyenne name meaning little one."
AYITA: Cherokee name meaning first to dance."
BENA: pheasant
BLY: tall
CATORI: Hopi name meaning spirit."
CHA'KWAINA: Hopi name meaning one who cries."
CHA'RISA: Hopi name meaning elk."
CHAPA: Sioux name meaning "beaver."
CHENOA: dove
CHEPI: Algonquin name meaning fairy."
CHILAILI: snowbird
CHIMALIS: bluebird
CHITSA: fair
CHOCHMINGWU: Hopi name meaning corn mother."
CHOLENA: bird
CHOSOVI: Hopi name meaning bluebird."
CHOSPOSI: Hopi name meaning bluebird eye."
CHU'MANA: Hopi name meaning snake maiden."
CHU'SI: Hopi name meaning snake flower."
CHUMANI: Sioux name meaning "dewdrops."
COCHETA: stranger
DENA: valley
DEZBA: Navajo name meaning goes to war."
DIBE: Navajo name meaning "sheep."
DOBA: Navajo name meaning "no war."
DOLI: Navajo name meaning "bluebird."
DONOMA: Omaha name meaning "sight of the sun."
DYANI: deer
EHAWEE: Sioux name meaning "laughing maiden."
ENOLA: solitary
ETENIA: rich
EYOTA: great
FALA: Choctaw name meaning crow."
FLO: arrow
GAHO: mother
GALILAHI: Cherokee name meaning attractive."
HAKIDONMUYA: Hopi name meaning time of waiting moon."
HALOKE: Navajo name meaning "salmon."
HALONA: of happy fortune
HANTAYWEE: Sioux name meaning "faithful."
HAUSIS, HAUSISSE: Algonquin name meaning old woman."
HEHEWUTI: Hopi name meaning warrior mother spirit."
HELKI: Miwok name meaning "touch."
HONOVI: Hopi name meaning strong deer."
HUATA: Miwok name meaning "carrying seeds in a basket."
HUMITA: Hopi name meaning shelled corn."
HURIT: Algonquin name meaning beautiful."
HUYANA: Miwok name meaning "falling rain."
IMALA: disciplines
ISI: Choctaw name meaning deer."
ISTAS: snow
ITUHA: sturdy oak
ITUHA: white stone
KACHINA: Hopi name meaning spirit, sacred dancer."
KAI: Navajo name meaning "willow tree."
KAKAWANGWA: Hopi name meaning bitter."
KALISKA: Miwok name meaning "coyote chasing deer."
KANTI: Algonquin name meaning sings."
KASA: Hopi name meaning dressed in furs."
KAYA: Hopi name meaning elder sister."
KEEGSQUAW: Algonquin name meaning virgin."
KEEZHEEKONI: Cheyenne name meaning burning fire."
KIMAMA: Shoshone name meaning butterfly."
KIMI: Algonquin name meaning secret."
KIMIMELA: Sioux name meaning "butterfly."
KINEKS: rosebud
KIWIDINOK: Cheyenne name meaning of the wind."
KOKO: Blackfoot name meaning night."
KOKYANGWUTI: Hopi name meaning spider woman at middle-age."
KOLENYA: Miwok name meaning "coughing fish."
KUWANLELENTA: Hopi name meaning to make beautiful surroundings."
KUWANYAMTIWA: Hopi name meaning beautiful badger going over the hill."
KUWANYAUMA: Hopi name meaning butterfly showing beautiful wings."
LEOTIE: flower of the prairie
LENMANA: Hopi name meaning flute girl."
LEQUOIA: meaning unknown (probably an alteration of sequoia, name of a giant redwood tree)
LILUYE: Miwok name meaning "singing chicken hawk that soars."
LISELI: Zuni name. Meaning unknown
LITONYA: Miwok name meaning "darting hummingbird."
LOMAHONGVA: Hopi name meaning beautiful clouds arising."
LOMASI: pretty flower
LULU: rabbit
LUYU: wild dove
MACAWI: Sioux name meaning "generous."
MAGASKAWEE: Sioux name meaning "graceful."
MAGENA: moon
MAHAL: woman
MAHU: Hopi myth name.
MAI: coyote
MAKA: Sioux name meaning "earth."
MAKAWEE: Sioux name meaning "mothering."
MAKKITOTOSIMEW: Algonquin name meaning she has large breasts."
MALIA: Zuni name meaning "bitter."
MALILA: Miwok name meaning "fast salmon swimming up a rippling stream."
MANABA: Navajo name meaning "return to war."
MANKALITA: Zuni name. Meaning unknown
MANSI: Hopi name meaning plucked flower."
MAPIYA: Sioux name meaning "sky."
MARALAH: born during an earthquake
MAUSI: plucks flowers
MEDA: prophetess
MELI: Zuni name meaning "bitter."
MEMDI: henna
MEOQUANEE: Cheyenne name meaning wears red."
MIGISI: Cheyenne name meaning eagle."
MIAKODA: power of the moon
MIGINA: Omaha name meaning "returning moon."
MIKA: intelligent raccoon
MIMITEH: Omaha name meaning "new moon."
MINAL: fruit
MISAE: Osage name meaning white sun."
MITUNA: Miwok name meaning "wraps salmon in willow leaves."
MONA: gathered of the seed of a jimson weed
MOSI: Navajo name meaning "cat."
MUNA: Hopi name meaning overflowing spring."
NADIE: Algonquin name meaning wise."
NAHIMANA: Sioux name meaning "mystic."
NAMID: Cheyenne name meaning star dancer."
NARA: from Nara
NASCHA: Navajo name meaning "owl."
NASHOTA: twin
NATA: speaker
NIABI: Osage name meaning fawn."
NIDAWI: Omaha name meaning "fairy."
NIJLON: Algonquin name meaning mistress."
NINA: strong
NITA: Choctaw name meaning bear."
NITTAWOSEW: Algonquin name meaning she is not sterile."
NITUNA: daughter
NOKOMIS: Cheyenne name meaning grandmother."
NOVA: Hopi name meaning chases butterfly."
NUKPANA: Hopi name meaning "evil."
NUMEES: Algonquin name meaning sister."
NUNA: land
NUTTAH: Algonquin name meaning my heart."
ODAHINGUM: Cheyenne name meaning rippling water."
OGIN: wild rose
OLATHE: beautiful
OMINOTAGO: Cheyenne name meaning beautiful voice."
OMUSA: Miwok name meaning "misses with arrows."
ONATAH: Iroquois name meaning of the earth."
ONAWA: wide awake
ONIDA: the one searched for
OOLJEE: Navajo name meaning "moon."
OOTA DABUN: Algonquin name meaning day star."
ORENDA: Iroquois name meaning magic power."
PAKWA: Hopi name meaning "frog."
PAKUNA: Miwok name meaning "deer jumping downhill."
PAMUYA: Hopi name meaning "water moon."
PAPINA: Miwok name meaning "vine growing around an oak tree."
PATI: Miwok name meaning "break by twisting."
PAUWAU: Algonquin name meaning "witch."
PAVATI: Hopi name meaning "clear water."
PETA: Blackfoot name meaning "golden eagle."
PETUNIA: flower name
POLIKWAPTIWA: Hopi name meaning "butterfly sitting on a flower."
POLOMA: Choctaw name meaning "bow."
POSALA: Miwok name meaning "farewell to spring flowers."
POWAQA: Hopi name meaning "witch."
PTAYSANWEE: Sioux name meaning "white buffalo."
PULES: Algonquin name meaning pigeon."
ROZENE: rose
SAHKYO: Navajo name meaning "mink."
SALALI: Cherokee name meaning squirrel."
SANUYE: Miwok name meaning "red cloud at sundown."
SATINKA: magical dancer
SHADA: pelican
SHADI: Navajo name meaning "older sister."
SHESHEBENS: Cheyenne name meaning small duck."
SHIDEEZHI: Navajo name meaning "younger sister."
SHIMA: Navajo name meaning "mother."
SHIMASANI: Navajo name meaning "grandmother."
SHUMAN: Hopi name meaning "rattlesnake handler."
SIHU: Hopi name meaning "flower."
SINOPA: Blackfoot name meaning fox."
SISIKA: bird
SITALA: Miwok name meaning "of good memory."
SITSI: Navajo name meaning "daughter."
SOKANON: Algonquin name meaning rain."
SOKW: Algonquin name meaning sour."
SOOLEAWA: Algonquin name meaning silver."
SOYALA: Hopi name meaning "time of the winter solstice."
SULETU: Miwok name meaning "flies."
SUNKI: Hopi name meaning "to catch up with."
TABLITA: Hopi name meaning "tiara."
TADEWI: Omaha name meaning "wind."
TADITA: Omaha name meaning "one who runs."
TAIGI, TAINI: Omaha name meaning "returning moon."
TAIMA: thunder
TAIPA: Miwok name meaning "spread wings."
TAKALA: Hopi name meaning "corn tassel."
TAKCHAWEE: Sioux name meaning "doe."
TAKHI: Algonquin name meaning cold."
TALA: wolf
TALULAH: Choctaw name meaning leaping water."
TALUTAH: Sioux name meaning "blood-red."
TAMA: thunder
TANSY: Hopi name meaning "name of a flower."
TAYANITA: Cherokee name meaning young beaver."
TEHYA: precious
TIPONI: Hopi name meaning "child of importance."
TIS-SEE-WOO-NA-TIS: Cheyenne name meaning she who bathes with her knees."
TIVA: Hopi name meaning "dance."
TOLINKA: Miwok name meaning "flapping ear of a coyote."
TOTSI: Hopi name meaning "moccasins."
TUWA: Hopi name meaning "earth."
UNA: Hopi name meaning "remember."
URIKA: Omaha name meaning "useful to all."
UTINA: meaning unknown
WACHIWI: Sioux name meaning "dancer."
WAKANDA: Sioux name meaning "possesses magical power."
WAKI: Hopi name meaning "shelter."
WANETA: charger
WAUNA: Miwok name meaning "singing snow goose."
WEEKO: Sioux name meaning "pretty."
WENONA: firstborn daughter
WICAPI WAKAN: Dakota name meaning holy star."
WIHAKAYDA: Sioux name meaning "little one."
WIKIMAK: Algonquin name meaning wife."
WINEMA: chief
WINONA, WENONA, WENONAH: Sioux name meaning giving."
WITASHNAH: Sioux name meaning "virginal."
WUTI: Hopi name meaning "woman."
WYANET: beautiful
YAMKA: Hopi name meaning "blossom."
YAZHI: Navajo name meaning "little one."
YEPA: snow woman
YOKI: Hopi name meaning "rain."
ZALTANA: high mountain
ZIHNA: Hopi name meaning "spins."
ZITKALA: Dakota name meaning bird."

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Male
ABUKCHEECH: Algonquin name meaning "mouse."
ACHAK: Algonquin name meaning "spirit."
ADAHY: Cherokee name meaning "lives in the woods."
AHANU: Algonquin name meaning "he laughs."
AHIGA: Navajo name meaning "he fights."
AHILIYA: Hopi name. Meaning unknown
AHMIK: beaver
AHOTE: Hopi name meaning "restless one."
AHTUNOWHIHO: Cheyenne name meaning "one who lives below."
AKANDO: ambush
AKECHETA: Sioux name meaning "fighter."
AKULE: looks up
ALO: Hopi name meaning "spiritual guide."
ALOSAKA: Hopi myth name
ANAKAUSUEN: Algonquin name meaning "worker."
ANOKI: actor
APENIMON: worthy of trust
APONIVI: Hopi name meaning "where the wind blows down the gap."
ARANCK: Algonquin name meaning "stars."
ASHKII: Navajo name meaning "boy."
ASKOOK: Algonquin name meaning "snake."
ASKUWHETEAU: Algonquin name meaning "he keeps watch."
ATA'HALNE': Navajo name meaning "he interrupts."
AVONACO: Cheyenne name meaning "lean bear."
AWAN: somebody
AYAWAMAT: Hopi name meaning "one who follows orders."
BEMOSSED: walker
BIDZIIL: Navajo name meaning "he is strong."
BILAGAANA: Navajo name meaning "white person."
BIMISI: slippery
BODAWAY: fire-maker
CHA'AKMONGWI: Hopi name meaning "crier chief."
CHA'TIMA: Hopi name meaning "the caller."
CHANKOOWASHTAY: Sioux name meaning "good road."
CHANSOMPS: Algonquin name meaning "locust."
CHAS-CHUNK-A: Winnebago name meaning "wave."
CHAVATANGAKWUNUA: Hopi name meaning "short rainbow."
CHAYTON: Sioux name meaning "falcon."
CHESMU: gritty
CHEVEYO: Hopi name meaning "spirit warrior."
CHOCHMO: Hopi name meaning "mud mound."
CHOCHOKPI: Hopi name meaning "throne for the clouds."
CHOCHUSCHUVIO: Hopi name meaning "white-tailed deer."
CHOGAN: Algonquin name meaning "blackbird."
CHOOVIO: Hopi name meaning "antelope."
CHOVIOHOYA: Hopi name meaning "young deer."
CHOWILAWU: Hopi name meaning "joined together by water."
CHU'A: Hopi name meaning "snake."
CHUCHIP: Hopi name meaning "deer spirit."
CHUNTA: Hopi name meaning "cheating."
CIQALA: Dakota name meaning "little one."
DELSIN: he is so
DEMOTHI: talks while walking
DICHALI: speaks a lot
DOHOSAN: bluff
DUSTU: Cherokee name. Meaning unknown
DYAMI: eagle
ELAN: friendly
ELKI: Miwok name. Meaning unknown
ELSU: flying falcom
ELUWILUSSIT: Algonquin name meaning "holy one."
ENAPAY: Sioux name meaning "brave."
ENKOODABOOAOO, ENKOODABAOO: Algonquin name meaning "one who lives alone."
ENYETO: walks as a boar
ETCHEMIN: Algonquin name meaning "canoe man."
ETLELOOAAT: Algonquin name meaning "shouts."
ETU: sun
EZHNO: solitary
GAAGII: Navajo name meaning "raven."
GAD: Navajo name meaning "juniper tree."
GOSHEVEN: leaper
GUYAPI: frank
HAHKETHOMEMAH, HARKAHOME: Cheyenne name meaning "little robe."
HAHNEE: beggar
HAKAN: fire
HANIA: Hopi name meaning "spirit warrior."
HASSUN: Algonquin name meaning "stone."
HASTIIN: Navajo name meaning "man."
HAWIOVI: Hopi name meaning "going down the ladder."
HE-LUSH-KA: Winnebago name meaning "fighter."
HEAMMAWIHIO: Cheyenne name meaning "wise one above."
HELAKU: full of sun
HELKI: Miwok name meaning "touch."
HESKOVIZENAKO: Cheyenne name meaning "porcupine bear."
HESUTU: Miwok name meaning "yellow jacket nest rising out of the ground."
HEVATANEO: Cheyenne name meaning "hairy rope."
HEVOVITASTAMIUTSTO: Cheyenne name meaning "whirlwind."
HIAMOVI: Cheyenne name meaning "high chief."
HINUN: myth name
HINTO: Dakota name meaning "blue."
KOHKAHYCUMEST: Cheyenne name meaning "white crow or white antelope."
HOHNIHOHKAIYOHOS, NEEHEEOEEWOOTIS: Cheyenne name meaning "high-backed wolf."
HOK'EE: Navajo name meaning "abandoned."
HONANI: Hopi name meaning "badger."
HONAW: Hopi name meaning "bear."
HONIAHAKA: Cheyenne name meaning little wolf."
HONON: Miwok name meaning "bear."
HONOVI: strong
HOTAH: Sioux name meaning "white."
HOTOTO: Hopi name meaning "warrior spirit who sings; he who whistles"
HOTUAEKHAASHTAIT: Cheyenne name meaning "tall bull."
HOWAHKAN: Sioux name meaning "of the mysterious voice."
HOWI: Miwok name meaning "turtle-dove."
HURITT: Algonquin name meaning "handsome."
IGASHO: wanders
ISTAQA: Hopi name meaning "coyote man."
INTEUS: has no shame
ISTU: sugar
IYE: smoke
JACY: moon
JOLON: valley of the dead oaks
KACHADA: Hopi name meaning "white man."
KAGA: chronicler
KAJIKA: walks without sound
KANGEE: Sioux name meaning "raven."
KELE: Hopi name meaning "sparrow."
KEME: Algonquin name meaning "secret."
KESEGOWAASE: Algonquin name meaning "swift."
KESTEJOO: Algonquin name meaning "slave."
KITCHI: Algonquin name meaning "brave."
KNOTON: wind
KOHANA: Sioux name meaning "swift."
KOLICHIYAW: Hopi name meaning "skunk."
KONO: Miwok name. meaning unknown
KOSUMI: Miwok name meaning "fishes for salmon with spear."
KOTORI: Hopi name meaning "screech owl spirit."
KUCKUNNIWI: Cheyenne name meaning "little wolf."
KURUK: Pawnee name meaning "bear."
KWAHU: Hopi name meaning "eagle."
KWATOKO: Hopi name meaning "bird with big beak."
LANGUNDO: peaceful
LANSA: Hopi name meaning "lance."
LANU: Miwok name. Meaning unknown
LAPU: Hopi name meaning "cedar bark."
LEN: Hopi name meaning "flute."
LENNO: man
LEYATI: Miwok name meaning "shaped like an abalone shell."
LISE: Miwok name meaning "salmon head rising above water."
LIWANU: Miwok name meaning "growl of a bear."
LOKNI: Miwok name meaning "rain falls through the roof."
LONATO: flint
LOOTAH: Sioux name meaning "red."
MACHAKW: Hopi name meaning "horny toad."
MACHK: Algonquin name meaning "bear."
MAHKAH: Sioux name meaning "earth."
MAHPEE: Sioux name meaning "sky."
MAKKAPITEW: Algonquin name meaning "he has large teeth."
MAKYA: Hopi name meaning "eagle hunter."
MANIPI: amazing
MANTOTOHPA: Cheyenne name meaning "four bears."
MASICHUVIO: Hopi name meaning "gray deer."
MASKA: strong
MASOU: myth name
MATCHITEHEW: Algonquin name meaning "he has an evil heart."
MATCHITISIW: Algonquin name meaning "he has bad character."
MATOSKAH: Sioux name meaning "white bear."
MATUNAAGA: Algonquin name meaning "fights."
MATWAU: Algonquin name meaning "enemy."
MAZA BLASKA: Dakota name meaning "flat iron."
MEGEDAGIK: Algonquin name meaning "kills many."
MELKEDOODUM: Algonquin name meaning "conceited."
MELVERN: meaning unknown
METURATO, MOKATAVATAH, MOKETAVATO, MOKETAVETO, MOKETOVETO, MOKOVAOTO, MOTAVATO: Cheyenne name meaning "black kettle."
MILAP: charitable
MINGAN: gray wolf
MINNINNEWAH: Cheyenne name meaning "whirlwind."
MISU: Miwok name meaning "rippling brook."
MOCHNI: Hopi name meaning "talking bird."
MOJAG: never silent
MOKI: Hopi name meaning "deer."
MOLIMO: Miwok name meaning "bear walking into shade."
MOMUSO: Miwok name. Meaning unknown
MONA: Miwok name meaning "gathers jimson weed seed."
MONGWAU: Hopi name meaning "owl."
MOTEGA: new arrow
MUATA: Miwok name meaning "yellow jackets inside a nest."
MUKKI: Algonquin name meaning "child."
MURACO: white moon
NAALNISH: Navajo name meaning "he works."
NAALYEHE YA SIDAHI: Navajo name meaning "trader."
NAHCOMENCE: Cheyenne name meaning "old bark."
NAHELE: forest
NAHIOSSI: Cheyenne name meaning "has three fingers."
NAPAYSHNI: Sioux name meaning "strong, courageous."
NASTAS: Navajo name meaning "curve like foxtail grass."
NAWAT: left-handed
NAWKAW: Winnebago name meaning "wood."
NAYATI: he who wrestles
NEKA: wild goose
NIGAN: ahead
NIICHAAD: Navajo name meaning "swollen."
NIKITI: round, smooth
NITIS: friend
NIXKAMICH: Algonquin name meaning "grandfather."
NIYOL: Navajo name meaning "wind."
NODIN: wind
NOOTAU: Algonquin name meaning "fire."
NOSH, NOSHI: Algonquin name meaning "father."
NUKPANA: Hopi name meaning "evil."
OCUMWHOWURST, OCUNNOWHURST: Cheyenne name meaning "yellow wolf."
ODAKOTA: Sioux name meaning "friend."
OGALEESHA: Sioux name meaning "wears a red shirt."
OHANKO: reckless
OHANZEE: Sioux name meaning "shadow."
OHCUMGACHE, OKHMHAKA: Cheyenne name meaning "little wolf."
OHITEKAH: Sioux name meaning "brave."
OMAWNAKW: Hopi name meaning "cloud feather."
OTAKTAY: Sioux name meaning "kills many."
OTOAHHASTIS: Cheyenne name meaning "tall bull."
OTOAHNACTO: Cheyenne name meaning "bull bear."
OURAY: arrow
OYA: Miwok name. Meaning unknown
PACHU'A: Hopi name meaning "feathered water snake."
PACO: eagle
PAHANA: Hopi name meaning "lost white brother."
PAJACKOK: Algonquin name meaning "thunder."
PALLATON: warrior
PANNOOWAU: Algonquin name meaning "he lies."
PAT: fish
PATAMON: tempest
PATWIN: man
PAYAT, PAY, PAYATT: he is coming
PAYTAH: Sioux name meaning "fire."
PINON: myth name
PIVANE: Hopi name meaning "weasel."
POWWAW: Algonquin name meaning "priest."
QALETAQA: Hopi name meaning "guardian of the people."
QOCHATA: Hopi name meaning "white man."
ROWTAG: Algonquin name meaning "fire."
SAHALE: falcon
SAKIMA: king
SANI: Navajo name meaning "the old one."
SEGENAM: Algonquin name meaning "lazy."
SEWATI: Miwok name meaning "curved bear claw."
SHILAH: Navajo name meaning "brother."
SHIRIKI: Pawnee name meaning "coyote."
SHIYE: Navajo name meaning "son."
SHIZHE'E: Navajo name meaning "father."
SHOEMOWETOCHAWCAWEWAHCATOWE: Cheyenne name meaning "high-backed wolf."
SICHEII: Navajo name meaning "grandfather."
SIK'IS: Navajo name meaning "friend."
SIKE: Navajo name meaning "he sits at home."
SIKYAHONAW: Hopi name meaning "yellow bear."
SIKYATAVO: Hopi name meaning "yellow rabbit."
SIWILI: tail of the fox
SKAH: Sioux name meaning "white."
SONGAN: strong
SOWI'NGWA: Hopi name meaning "black-tailed deer."
SUCKI: Algonquin name meaning "black."
SUNUKKUHKAU: Algonquin name meaning "he crushes."
T'IIS: Navajo name meaning "cottonwood."
TAHKEOME: Cheyenne name meaning "little robe."
TAHMELAPACHME: Cheyenne name meaning "dull knife."
TAIMA: thunder
TAKODA: Sioux name meaning "friend to everyone."
TANGAKWUNU: Hopi name meaning "rainbow."
TAREGAN: Algonquin name meaning "crane."
TASUNKE: Dakota name meaning "horse."
TATANKA-PTECILA: Dakota name meaning "short bull."
TATE: he who talks too much
TEETONKA: Sioux name meaning "talks too much."
TELUTCI, TUKETU: Miwok name meaning "bear making dust."
TIHKOOSUE: Algonquin name meaning "short."
TOCHO: Hopi name meaning "mountain lion."
TOGQUOS: Algonquin name meaning "twin."
TOHOPKA: Hopi name meaning "wild beast."
TOKALA: Dakota name meaning "fox."
TOOANTUH: Cherokee name meaning "spring frog."
TSE: Navajo name meaning "rock."
TSIISHCH'ILI: Navajo name meaning "curly-haired."
TUPI: Miwok name meaning "to pull up."
UZUMATI: Miwok name meaning "bear."
VAIVEAHTOISH, VAIVE ATOISH: Cheyenne name meaning "alights on the cloud."
VIHO: Cheyenne name meaning "chief."
VIPPONAH: Cheyenne name meaning "slim face."
VOHKINNE: Cheyenne name meaning "Roman nose."
VOISTITOEVITZ, VOISTTITOEVETZ: Cheyenne name meaning "white cow."
VOKIVOCUMMAST: Cheyenne name meaning "white antelope."
WAHANASSATTA: Cheyenne name meaning "he who walks with his toes turned outward."
WAHCHINKSAPA: Sioux name meaning "wise."
WAHCHINTONKA: Sioux name meaning "has much practice."
WAHKAN: Sioux name meaning "sacred."
WAKIZA: desperate warrior
WAMBLEE: Sioux name meaning "eagle."
WAMBLEESKA: Sioux name meaning "white eagle."
WAMBLI-WASTE: Dakota name meaning "good eagle."
WANAGEESKA: Sioux name meaning "white spirit."
WANAHTON: Sioux name meaning "charger."
WANIKIYA: Sioux name meaning "savior."
WAPI: lucky
WAQUINI: Cheyenne name meaning "hook nose."
WEAYAYA: Sioux name meaning "setting sun."
WEMATIN: Algonquin name meaning "brother."
WEMILAT: of wealthy parents
WICASA: Dakota name meaning "sage."
WIKVAYA: Hopi name meaning "one who brings."
WILNY: meaning unknown
WOHEHIV: Cheyenne name meaning "dull knife."
WOKAIHWOKOMAS: Cheyenne name meaning "white antelope."
WUYI: Miwok name meaning "soaring turkey vulture."
WYNONO: firstborn
YAHTO: Sioux name meaning "blue."
YANCY: Englishman
YANISIN: Navajo name meaning "ashamed."
YAS: Navajo name meaning snow."
YISKA: Navajo name meaning the night has passed."
YOSKOLO: meaning unknown
YUMA: son of a chief

12 Ethics of Walking the Red Road

As mentioned and posted before at different times and places here once again as a whole. In order to be a part of NDN culture and socitey, or if you are learning about NDN traditions, one must be able to walk the Red Road or the Good Red Road. Here is some Ethic's of traveling the Red Road. There are lesson's to be learned form them so I hope you injoy them. Let me finish by quoting a woman I have come to greatly respect. Traveling along the path of the Red Road, is not an easy one, it is full of disappointments, obstacles, and temptations. But we must continue on it, for we know it is the right path to follow.” -Grandma Rosetta, White Eagle, OK.







Ethic 1

Honor the Great Spirit



Every element of creation expresses the Creator. Within each mountain, each stone, and each heart lies the Great Spirit. All are of the Creator, each particle of the universe is equally deserving of respect and admiration. When looking upon a sunset, the trees, or even your worst enemy, you are looking at the Creator. Know this and give praise and prayer.



“A wee Child toddling in a wonder world, I prefer to their dogma my excursions into the natural gardens where the voice of the Great Spirit is heard in the twittering of the birds, and the sweet breathing of flowers. If this is Paganism, then at present, at least, I am a Pagan...” - Zitkala-Sa, (Red Bird), Sioux author and activist. 1876-1938



Ethic 2

Honor Mother Nature



Mother Nature is not for us…she is part of us and we, like everything else that lives and breathes upon her, are her children. Your own direct connection with Mother Earth is to be encouraged daily. Paint her portraits, swim in her waters, tend to her flowers, stroll through her glorious forest, and care for her many children: all plants, people, and animals. We must live according to her principals and choose not to pollute her body. The alternative is death to our Mother - and death to her children.



“The Great Spirit is our father, but the Earth is our mother. She nourishes us; that which we put into the ground she returns to us, and healing plants she gives us likewise. If we are wounded, we go to our mother and seek to lay the wound part against her, to be healed.” - Bedagi (Big Thunder), Wabanaki Algonquin, 1900’s



Ethic 3

Search for Yourself, by Yourself



Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your path road and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you. Accept yourself and your actions. Own your thoughts. Speak up when wrong, and apologize. Know your path at all times. To do this you must know yourself inside and out, accept your gifts as well as your shortcomings, and grow each day with honesty, integrity, compassion, faith and brotherhood.



“I have made myself what I am.” - Tecumseh, Shawnee, 1768-1813



Ethic 4

Community Code of Conduct



Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed, and treat them with respect. Honor the thoughts, wishes, and words of others. Never interrupt another or mock or mimic them. Allow each person the right to freedom of opinion. Respect that opinion. Never speak ill of others. As you travel along life’s road never harm anyone, nor cause anyone to feel sad. On the contrary, if at any time you can make a person happy, do so.



“Even as you desire good treatment, so render it. -Handsome Lake, Seneca, C. 1735-1815



Ethic 5

Banish Fear from Your Life



Fear stunts your soul and limit’s the amount of road needed to travel to reach the Tree of Life, and to know the Great Spirit. Fear is nonbeneficial and body, and leads to an unbalanced mind, body, and spirit. To banish fear you must know your path and trust yourself and the world around you. With trust comes confidence. Self-confidence banishes fear.



“I fear no man, and I depend on the Great Spirit.” - Kondiaronk, Huron, late 17th century.



Ethic 6

Respect



Respect is to be given for all beings placed upon this earth by the creator.

Respect is to be given to elders, who are rich with wisdom.

Respect one’s privacy, thoughts, and wishes.

Respect human siblings by only speaking of their good qualities.

Respect one’s personal space and belongings.

Respect another’s spiritual path and do not judge their choices.



“Trouble no one about their religion; respect others on their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, and beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and it’s purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and bow to one….” - Tecumseh, Shawnee, 1768-1813



Ethic 7

Speak the Truth



Speak only the truth and do right always. You are what you say and what you say needs to be honest, forthright, and of your own personal belief. Without truth you cannot achieve inner balance - balance within yourself, with other beings, with Mother Earth, and with the Creator.



“Good words do not last long until they amount to something.” - Chief Joseph (..Hin-..Mah-..Too-..Yah-Lat-Kekt), Nez Perce, 1840-1904



Ethic 8

Reject Materialism



When one is materialistic, one is not right with the Red Road. To value and appreciate what you have to know that you are loved and save under the limbs of the Tree of Life, is to reject materialism and to live a life of virtue and appreciation. Materialism only fills your heart with envy and greed, while appreciation breeds contentment, balance, and true happiness.



“… These are young men. I am their Chief. Look among them and see if you can find among them who are rich. The are all poor because they are all honest.” - Red Dog, Oglala Sioux, 1870



Ethic 9

Seek Wisdom



Those who are wise have lived a lifetime with ears open and a willingness to not only experience truth, but to pursue it well.

Wisdom is gained by:

Listening to your elders. They have walked a longer path than you.

Seeking all that is true. Wisdom lies within honesty, not deception.

Realizing education is never-ending. Even death is a final lesson.

Learning from Mother Nature. Her wisdom is infinite.



“The greatest obstacle to the internal nature is the mind. If it relies on logic such as the white man’s mind, the domain of the inner nature is inaccessible. The simple fact is man does not challenge the wisdom of the Holy Mystery.” - Turtleheart, Teton Sioux.



Ethic 10

Practice Forgiveness



Your journey upon the Red Road will be filled with acts requiring forgiveness - forgiveness of others and forgiveness of yourself. Mindfully practice this incredible act of humanity and the Red Road will be an easy path to follow. Also, absolution breeds the same in others. Be quick ot forgive and others will grant you the same kindness.



“Indians love their friends and kindred, and treat them with kindness.” - Cornplanter Seneca, 1736-1836



Ethic 11

Practice Optimism

It is easy to live within the shadow of fear, procrastination and pessimism. But these are bad habits and stumbling blocks the keep you from experiencing life, the Red Road, and the Great Spirit. It is well know to the Native people that optimism is the key to good health. Worry makes you sick - as do bad thoughts. Replace them with happiness and optimism and you shall live a long and healthy life.

“Oh hear me, Grandfather, and help us, that our generation in the future will live and walk the good road with the flowering stick of success. Also, the pipe of peace, we will offer it as we walk the good road to success.Hear me, and hear our plea……” - Black Elk, Oglala Sioux, 1863-1950



Ethic 12

Take What You Need, Leave the Rest Be

There is nothing placed on this Erath that deserves to be destroyed or wasted for the purpose of human convenience. To destroy trees and leave them unused because they simply block the graden, or to kill animals only for their fur, is not a rightful way to share the world with another. To waste or discard due to own selfishness is an act that goes against the Creator, and strays you from the good Red Road.

“Now tell me this one little thing, if thou hast any sense: Which of these two is the wisest and happiest - he who labors without ceasing and only obtains, and that great trouble, enough to live on, or he who rest in comfort and finds all that he needs in the pleasure of hunting and fishing? - Gaspesian Chief



Taken from 365 Days of Walking The Red Road by Terri Jean

The ‘Dream Catcher’ Story

Long ago when the world was young an old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In this vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and teacher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider.

Iktomi the spider picked up the elder's willow hoop which had feathers, horsehair, beads and offerings on it, and began to spin a web. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life; how we begin our lives as infants, move on through childhood and onto adulthood.

Finally, we go to the old age where we must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle.

"But," Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web,

"in each time of life there are many forces; some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen to the bad forces, they'll steer you in the wrong direction, and may hurt you. So these forces can help or can interfere with the harmony of Nature."

While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web.

When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the elder the web and said, "the web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. Use the web to help your people reach their goals, make good use of their ideas, dreams and visions. If you believe in the Great Spirit, the web will catch your good ideas and the bad ones will go through the hole."

The elder passed on his vision to the people, and now many Indian people hang a dream catcher above their bed to sift their dreams and visions. The good is captured in the web of life and carried with the people, but the evil in their dreams drops through the hole in the center of the web and are no longer a part of their lives. These are the words of a Lakota Elder which were given to Grandfather Hawk With Seven Eyes.

The Many Legends of Kokopelli

Bringer of Spring

One such characteristic is that Kokopelli is the bringer of spring; the exact opposite of the famed Anglo-Saxon winter sprite, Jack Frost.

As the ancient legend of Kokopelli goes, the wandering Kokopelli ushers in the warmer weather by playing his flute. It is even said that his music can be heard in the spring breeze.

The deity is often depicted with a humped back, which is interpreted as seeds for spring planting. As a symbol of the spring season, Kokopelli was a celebrated figure; however, good music and spring sowing was not the only thing Kokopelli brought with him.

Fertility

The deity was also the personification of what we would call spring fever. That time of year when not only the weather warms, but so does our blood.

Spring has often been associated with amorous activities and the arrival of Kokopelli is no different. The deity is not only depicted with a pretty long flute, but also an over-exaggerated phallus.

As the legend goes, Kokopelli would dance into the village, usher in spring and spread seed from his sack. However, it said that the god of spring would also have babies in his sack. As he passed through the village, the women of the village would find themselves pregnant.

Healer

The pied piper of spring did not only make crops plentiful and women pregnant, but the sound of his flute could heal the sick.

Much of the legends of Kokopelli mentioning his healing powers point back to fertility because most of the stories told of his healing powers revolve around him restoring the fertility of women who could not conceive children. However, the flute alone is a symbol of healing in Native American lore, which lends credence to the idea of Kokopelli the healer.

Prankster

Even though Kokopelli is known as the bringer of good crops, children, and health, it seems that the deity has a mischievous side, as well.

According to some legends, Kokopelli could detach his penis and float it down river. Being a god, he apparently still had full control of his floating phallus because when it reached a spot in the river where the young women bathed, he would have his way with the young women.

Storyteller

Not only did Kokopelli wander the American southwest bringing music and cheer, but apparently he also brought tales and stories. Whether these stories were told through music and song or simply just told is unclear. However, the deity is often associated with spreading stories and even news.

legends of kokopelli
A Welcome Spirit

Kokopelli is a deity that is akin to the ancient Greek god Dionysus or the ancient Roman God Apollo with just a touch of Puck from old English folklore.

Needless to say, he was a welcome spirit in the homes of the ancient Native Americans.

As the bringer of music, joy, and plenty, Kokopelli has been a mainstay in the culture of the Native American southwest.

The Ark On Superstition Mountain - A Pima Legend

The Pima Indians of Arizona say that the father of all men and animals was the butterfly, Cherwit Make (earth-maker), who fluttered down from the clouds to the Blue Cliffs at the junction of the Verde and Salt Rivers, and from his own sweat made men. As the people multiplied they grew selfish and quarrelsome, so that Cherwit Make was disgusted with his handiwork and resolved to drown them all.



 But, first he told them, in the voice of the north wind, to be honest and to live at peace.

The prophet Suha, who interpreted this voice, was called a fool for listening to the wind, but the next night came the east wind and repeated the command, with an added threat that the ruler of heaven would destroy them all if they did not reform. Again they scoffed, and on the next night the west wind cautioned them. But this third warning was equally futile.

On the fourth night came the south wind. It breathed into Suha's ear that he alone had been good and should be saved, and bade him make a hollow ball of spruce gum in which he might float while the deluge lasted. Suha and his wife immediately set out to gather the gum, that they melted and shaped until they had made a large, rounded ark, which they ballasted with jars of nuts, acorn-meal and water, and meat of bear and venison.

On the day assigned Suha and his wife were looking regretfully down into the green valleys from the ledge where the ark rested, listening to the song of the harvesters, and sighing to think that so much beauty would presently be laid waste, when a hand of fire was thrust from a cloud and it smote the Blue Cliffs with a thunder-clang.

It was the signal. Swift came the clouds from all directions, and down poured the rain. Withdrawing into their waxen ball, Suha and his wife closed the portal. Then for some days they were rolled and tossed on an ever-deepening sea. Their stores had almost given out when the ark stopped, and breaking a hole in its side its occupants stepped forth.

There was a tuna cactus growing at their feet, and they ate of its red fruit greedily, but all around them was naught but water. When night came on, they retired to the ark and slept--a night, a month, a year, perhaps a century, they weren't sure, but when they awoke the water was gone, the vales were filled with verdure, and bird-songs rang through the woods. The delighted couple descended the Superstition Mountains, on which the ark had rested, and went into its valleys, where they lived for a thousand years, and became the parents of a great tribe.

But the evil was not all gone.

There was one Hauk, a devil of the mountains, who stole their daughters and slew their sons. One day, while the women were spinning flax and cactus fibre and the men were gathering maize, Hauk descended into the settlement and stole another of Suha's daughters. The patriarch, whose patience had been taxed to its limit, then made a vow to slay the devil.

He watched to see by what way he entered the valley. He silently followed him into the Superstition Mountains; he drugged the cactus wine that his daughter was to serve to him; then, when he had drunk it, Suha emerged from his place of hiding and beat out the brains of the stupefied fiend.

Some of the devil's brains were scattered and became seed for other evil, but there was less wickedness in the world after Hauk had been disposed of than there had been before.

Suha taught his people to build adobe houses, to dig with shovels, to irrigate their land, to weave cloth, and avoid wars. But on his death-bed he foretold to them that they would grow arrogant with wealth, covetous of the lands of others, and would wage wars for gain.

When that time came there would be another flood and not one should be saved--the bad should vanish and the good would leave the earth and live in the sun.

So firmly do the Pimas rely on this prophecy that they will not cross the Superstition Mountains, for there sits Cherwit Make--awaiting the culmination of their wickedness to let loose on the earth a mighty sea that lies dammed behind the range.

Trail of the Dog Soldiers

Native American Story of Trail of the Dog Soldiers
The Boy's Book of Border Battles by Edwin L. Sabin
The Story of Famous Indian Wars and Battles

The Story of Trail of the Dog Soldiers
While the Indians in the Southwest were troubling the white men during the Civil War, the Indians of the great western plains had not been idle. The Cheyennes, the Arapahos and the Sioux forayed through Kansas, Nebraska and eastern Colorado; the Sioux carried terror into even Minnesota.

After the close of the War of the Rebellion the United States sent a peace commission into the plains, to talk with the Indians. The Indians were told that now the white armies were done fighting one another; unless the red soldiers made peace also, the thousands of blue-coat soldiers would be turned loose upon them.

There were many councils, with the Sioux and the Northern Cheyennes and the Crows, in the north; with the Southern Cheyennes, the Araphos, the Comanches, the Kiowas and the Apaches in the south.

The plains Indians had been objecting to the white travel through their buffalo grounds. The Overland Stage road and the emigrants were frightening the game by their Platte River trail through Nebraska; the Butterfield Overland Dispatch stages (not the same stages that had pioneered in Arizona before the war) and the emigrants were doing the same in Kansas, on their way between the Missouri River and Denver; and along the Arkansas River, farther south, the old thronged Santa Fe Trail was thronged with wagons bound for New Mexico.

Forts had been built by the United States, to guard the roads. The Indians did not wish soldiers in their country.

Satanta the Kiowa said:

"A long time ago this land belonged to our fathers, but when I go up the river I see a camp of soldiers, and they are cutting my wood down and killing my buffalo. I don't like that, and when I see it my heart feels like bursting with sorrow."

Other chiefs spoke in similar words. But by new treaties they were satisfied. The Southern Cheyennes, the Arapahos, Kiowas, Comanches and Apaches were given all of the Indian Territory, or that which today is Oklahoma. They were pledged to live south of the Arkansas River and the white man's trails; they might hunt, but they must keep away from the traveled roads and the settlements; they would be given food and clothing and powder and lead, on their reserve, and would not be bothered, as long as they were good.

The Sioux and the Northern Cheyennes were granted that which is today the west half of South Dakota. They likewise were to keep away from the white man's roads and settlements.

The wagon roads and military posts were not the only matters that had alarmed the Indians. The white man's thunder wagons were following the horse wagons. The Union Pacific Railroad had started to cross the buffalo range in Nebraska and present southern Wyoming; and a second iron road, the Kansas Pacific, was creeping through northern central Kansas on its way to Denver of Colorado.

The Sioux themselves had won a great victory. A white man's wagon road had been opened, which from Fort Laramie of the Oregon Trail in southern Wyoming should cross northern Wyoming and pass on into Montana. It was a gold seekers' road. The Sioux would not have it. All northern Wyoming had been given them, they said, for their hunting ground, so that they would not need to hunt in the south near the emigrant road.

Under Chief Red Cloud they stopped travel on the new road; they besieged the new forts; and finally the Government ordered the forts to be abandoned and the road closed.

When the Southern Cheyennes and the Arapahos learned what had been granted to the Sioux and the Northern Cheyennes, they decided that if they made a strong fight, then they would be given their own prized hunting grounds of Kansas.

The summer and the fall of 1867; and all the winter had been very quiet in Kansas. The Kansas Pacific trains and workmen, and the stage stations and the ranches were little annoyed. And when the spring of 1868 passed without fighting, there were hopes of continued peace, for at the greening of the grass the young braves always grew restless. The spring was the danger time.

Early this spring the troops were withdrawn from the Wyoming Powder River country of the Sioux. The Indians had only been waiting. The Sioux sent runners down, into the south, to tell the news.

"The white men are afraid," they said. "Now you see. We stood in the way and they yielded. The road is closed. You have a road through your country. If you stand firmly, it will be closed."

The Arapahos and the Southern Cheyennes listened.

In August two hundred Cheyennes, twenty Arapahos and four Sioux made up a war party. They put on their war paint and left their hunting camp in southern Kansas. They said that they were going against the Pawnees, in the north. Instead of going against the Pawnees they stopped and attacked the ranches of north central Kansas, beyond the railroad line.

This was war. It was the beginning of the dreadful plains war of 1868 and 1869, which turned western Kansas and eastern Colorado red.

Major-General Phil Sheridan was in command of all this region, as chief of the Military Department of the Missouri. He had under him twelve hundred cavalry and fourteen hundred infantry, to guard Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico and Indian Territory. But when his troops had been scattered, for garrison duties in the posts, and for escorting the trains and the stage coaches, there were only about eight hundred left, for chasing raiders.

The Southern Cheyennes were the most to be feared. The Cheyennes have been a great nation. Their men and women are splendidly built, and handsome, and of lighter skin than the Sioux and the Arapahos. They are smart, their lodges are clean, in the old days their horses were the best. As fighters they have ranked very high; they waged terrible war—their losses in battles with the white men have been larger, when numbers are counted, than the losses of the Sioux, the Kiowa or the Comanches.

Formerly all the Cheyennes lived together in the north, on the Upper Missouri River and in the Dakotas. They are Algonquians, like the Shawnees, the Sacs, the Blackfeet, the Comanches, and so many others. Their name comes from the Sioux name Shai-ena—Strange Speech People; for when they entered the Sioux country nobody there could understand them.

The Sioux drove them west and south. When Bents' Fort was ready for trade, in southeastern Colorado, part of the Cheyennes moved down, to be near it. They became the Southern Cheyennes. The others stayed in the north. They became the Northern Cheyennes.

The Cheyennes and the Arapahos were close friends. The Sioux and the Kiowas made peace with them. So after a time the Cheyennes and the Sioux and the Arapahos, the Kiowas and the Comanches had joined against the whites.

The range of the Southern Cheyennes extended on both sides of the Arkansas River of southern Kansas. They raided in New Mexico and Texas with the Comanches and Kiowas; they raided to the Platte River of Nebraska with the Arapahos and the Sioux. But the hunting grounds between the Arkansas River and the Platte River were their especial field.

At this time, in the summer of 1868, the head chief of the Southern Cheyennes was Black Kettle. He had been head chief for many years. Among the other chiefs there were Tall Bull and Roman Nose. They were not tribal chiefs, but chiefs of Cheyenne clans or secret societies.

The Cheyennes were divided into warrior clans. These were the clans of the Dog Men, Fox Men, Strong Heart or Flint Men, Medicine Lance Men, Red Shield or Buffalo Bull Men, and Bowstring Men.

Tall Bull was chief of the Dog Men or Dog Soldiers, who were supposed by the whites to be the fighting clan, because their members seemed to be as brave as the no-surrender Real Dogs of the Kiowas. The Dog Men were the largest in number, and the most in-dependent; they camped by themselves, they leagued with the Sioux and the Araphos, so that Dog Soldiers came to mean, upon the plains, professional red fighters.

It was Tall Bull's Dog Soldiers that led in the war of 1868.

Roman Nose (whose name was Sauts, or Bat) was chief of the Medicine Lance Men. No finer looking Cheyenne ever rode the plains: a strapping, stately Indian, six feet three, broad chested, clean limbed, with well-shaped head, flashing black eyes, straight thin-lipped mouth, large beaked nose and flaring nostrils, and a stride like a monarch's. The Cheyennes were a proud people; Roman Nose as proud as the proudest. In a peace talk at old Fort Ellsworth of Kansas in 1866 he had said:

"This is the first time that I have ever shaken the white man's hand in friendship. If the railroad is not stopped I shall be his enemy forever."

To the peace commission last year Black Kettle had said:

"We were once friends with the whites, but you nudged us out of the way by your scheming. Now when we are in council you keep nudging each other. Why don't you talk, and go straight?"

Roman Nose himself had not come in to this council. Almost all the Southern Cheyennes had stayed away; they were not to be hurried into giving up their hunting grounds. But Black Kettle and other chiefs had at last signed a treaty.

When General Sheridan heard that the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers were out raiding he started from Fort Leavenworth on the Missouri River of northeastern Kansas to take command of his troops in person. He traveled on the Kansas Pacific Railroad to Fort Harker, first.

On today's map of Kansas the Kansas Pacific is the division of the Union Pacific which crosses northern central Kansas. It had been commenced at Wyandotte, on the east bank of the Missouri River opposite Kansas City. It followed up along the north bank of the Kansas or Kaw River, to Junction City. Here the Republican River from the north and the Solomon River from the northwest join to form the Kansas. The iron trail followed the Solomon for a short distance; then struck westward up the north side of the Smoky Hill Fork of the Solomon, for Denver of Colorado.

That was also the route of the B. O. D. stage road and the emigrant road across the Kansas buffalo plains claimed by the Cheyennes and the Arapahos.

In the summer of 1868 the Kansas Pacific had run trains to Sheridan Station, four hundred and five miles from the Missouri River, and had graded to Fort Wallace, ten miles beyond—or fifteen miles by stage. The trail from Junction City had been bloody; the plains Indians were fighting the surveyors and the graders and the train crews and the station hands; it had proved to be a tough job, to build the Kansas Pacific through the Cheyenne and Arapaho country.

There were four army posts on the road: Fort Riley, near Junction City, at Mile Post 140, Fort Harker (which had been Fort Ellsworth) at Mile Post 230, Fort Hays at Mile Post 290, and Fort Wallace at Mile Post 412 or thereabouts.

Fort Riley was well constructed, of stone; and it is still an army headquarters. Fort Harker was smaller and meaner, constructed of boards and logs; it has disappeared. Fort Hays was no better, upon the treeless buffalo plains about a mile from Hays City. Much of Hays City had moved on, to end of track at Sheridan. Little Fort Wallace, out beyond everything except the stage stations, was the most desolate of all.

So General "Little Phil" hastened by branch line and main line from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Harker; then when the news of the raiding grew he went on to Fort Hays.

Matters looked bad indeed. Wagon trains and stages and ranches were being attacked with bullet, arrow and fire; forty and more persons, men and women, had been killed; other women had been carried from their ruined homes into dreadful captivity. The raids covered all western Kansas and southeastern Colorado. The Arapahos and the Sioux were helping the Cheyennes. Sheridan Station, at end of track, had been threatened with a siege—two hundred miles of railroad travel on the Kansas Pacific was being halted, the stages feared to run to Denver, and to New Mexico by the southern trail—Colorado appealed for soldiers at once. General Sheridan proclaimed war. He divided his field force into columns and sent them out.

Upon his staff of officers there was Brevet Colonel George Alexander Forsyth, aged thirty-one, and major of the Ninth Cavalry. "Sandy" Forsyth, the army called him. He deserved the name. Nothing ever downed him; he had the "sand."

He had entered the army for the Civil War as a private in the Chicago Dragoons; he had cone out in 1865 with the brevet of brigadier general of Volunteers and the double brevet of lieutenant-colonel and colonel of Regulars, as reward for distinguished bravery; had been one of the two staff officers with General Sheridan upon the famous "Sheridan's Ride," October 19, 1864, from Winchester to Cedar Creek, Virginia, which turned defeat into a Union victory.

Now when at Fort Hays General Sheridan started his columns out to strike the Indians, that left Colonel "Sandy" Forsyth with no fighting. This did not please him at all. He wished action. He asked to be detailed for field service, but the columns were sup-plied with officers of his rank. So General Sheridan told him that he might enlist a scout company, and reconnoiter to the north; might try to find the Indians who had been raiding the ranches there.

The plan just suited Colonel Forsyth. General Sheridan assigned First Lieutenant Frederick H. Beecher of the Third Infantry as his assistant. That suited, also Lieutenant Beecher (who happened to be the nephew of the great Henry Ward Beecher, New York preacher and orator) was a slight, quiet young man, but he had a record. He had entered the Civil War as sergeant of Maine Volunteers, had acted the hero at Gettysburg, had been wounded in the leg and lamed for life; and had come back to the army with a limp.

Doctor John H. Mooers of Hays City was accepted as surgeon. He was a middle-aged man, from Plattsburg, New York; had served as surgeon of New York Volunteers in the Civil War, and now had located upon the frontier, to practice his profession and to hunt.

All the enlisted men were civilians: ex-soldiers of the Blue or the Gray, or else for the main part skilled frontiersmen. As soon as Colonel Forsyth announced at Fort Hays that he was forming a company to trail the Indians down, volunteers offered themselves by scores, up and down the line.

He chose as his first sergeant William II. II. McCall, another Civil War veteran. Sergeant McCall had risen from sergeant to lieutenant-colonel of Pennsylvania Volunteers; had been brevetted brigadier general for gallantry on the field; and after having been mustered out in 1865 he had moved into the Far West, as so many ex-soldiers did.

The other men were of the right kind, too: Abner Sharp Grover, called "Sharp" Grover, who would act as guide and was reckoned to be the best Government scout on the plains; Dick Parr, "Pet" Trudeau and natty, smooth-checked Jack Stillwell, aged nineteen, likewise daring Government scouts; Plainsmen Donovan, Clark, William Wilson, J. A. Pliley, Chauncey B. Whitney, Lou McLaughlin, George W. Culver, Frank Herrington, Howard Morton; Martin Burke the Irish-man who had served in the British army in India; old Louis Farley and his son Hudson, aged eighteen, who were considered extra fine shots; trappers, buffalo hunters, clerks, surveyors, railroad hands, graders, settlers, including college graduates who had made good here on the plains.

Fifty were enlisted at Fort Hays, Hays City and Fort Harker. The last upon the roll was a Jew boy, named Sigmund Schlesinger. He was eighteen and under-sized and insignificant and of no reputation as a fighter; had been in America only four years. Colonel Forsyth was in a hurry; finally accepted him in order to fill out. The company did not think much of this latest recruit, but he might prove handy around camp.

Each man was to be paid one dollar a day; he furnished his own horse—was allowed thirty cents a day for that. He was equipped with canteen, blankets, knife, tin cup, Colt's revolver, and repeating Henry or Spencer caibines. The Henry rifle was like the modern Winchester; the Spencer carried six cartridges in the stock and one in the chamber. They both were good guns.

Each man had one hundred and forty rounds of carbine ammunition and thirty rounds of revolver ammunition; there were seven days' rations of bread, salt pork and dried meat, coffee and salt; but no tents or wagons. Four pack mules bore the extra ammunition, the medical supplies, and part of the rations. Colonel Forsyth was resolved to travel light and catch the Indians.

It took only five days to fill the company. He led out from Fort Hays on August 29; scouted to the north, where the Cheyennes had been killing and plundering; and swung in to Fort Wallace—the last of the posts. He had not sighted an enemy. Then at Fort Wallace he heard that a band of the hostiles had stolen horses from the stage company station only a few miles away.

This made "Sandy" Forsyth hot. He telegraphed General Sheridan, saying that he wished to go out again instead of returning to Fort Hays. General Sheridan replied: "Go ahead."

The hardy Forsyth Scouts started afresh; left Fort Wallace on September 10. Two of the men were ill and had to remain behind. Now the company numbered forty-eight men and three officers. In a day or two they struck an Indian trail heading for the northwest. They followed it; it split into several trails—an Indian trick. Keeping to one of the trails the Forsyth Rough Riders steadily pursued farther and farther out, clear to the Republican River beyond the northern border of Kansas.

The land was flat and bare, except for the lone buttes or sharp hills that now and then broke the surface, and except for the trees of the stream banks, and the short curly buffalo grass browned by the September sun.

Suddenly, September 14, they came upon a large trail, recently made, pointing up the south bank of the Republican. The next day two other trails joined it. It was so broad and so trampled with pony hoofs and cattle hoofs, that evidently all the Indians whom they were seeking had traveled it.

"We're following the whole Cheyenne nation," said Sharp Grover. "I calculate that four thousand reds have passed here; that likely means fifteen hundred warriors."

"We'll keep after, boys," Colonel "Sandy" declared. "Sheridan sent us out to find Indians."

The North Republican River forks in southwestern Nebraska.. One fork is the Arikaree. The Arikaree wends out of northeastern Colorado, and meets the other fork in Nebraska, to help form the main Republican. The broad Indian trail proceeded on, up along the shallow, rippling Arikaree. The fifty-one white men pressed after the four thousand red men and women. On course southwest they crossed into north-eastern Colorado.

The Cheyennes seemed to have been in a hurry. The trail began to be littered with lodge poles, moccasins, antelope and buffalo meat. The scouts were short on rations and game had been scarce. The Indians had scattered the buffalo herds. But the scouts did not dare to eat the Indian meat, for fear that it was poisoned. They rode on, nevertheless, hoping for a fight. Every man, said one of them, had a fighting back as stiff as a cat's!

In the afternoon of September 16 they entered a narrow ravine or little gorge, of the Arikaree. At the other end the river came down in a curve through a grassy valley some two miles wide and two miles long. About the middle the river broadened in a bed one hundred and forty yards wide, divided by a little island. Most of the bed was dry and sandy; a current of shallow water, a few feet wide and eight or ten inches deep, washed the island on either side. The banks of the river bed had been cut by the spring floods, and were grown to grasses, willows and wild plums.

The valley itself was beautiful, covered with long grass. On the northeast there was a range of bare bluffs, through the north point of which the river passed. The land extended flatly to the base of the bluffs, three quarters of a mile from the island. In the other direction, or toward the west, the land rose in a long slope.

Everything looked peaceful in the late afternoon sun. Colonel Forsyth made camp on the slope side, opposite the little island.

The mules were unpacked and the horses unsaddled, so that they might graze at the limits of their picket ropes. The orders were strict : Every animal was to be staked close in, and strongly staked. Colonel Forsyth suspected that his march had been watched. He wished to take no chances of a stampede.

After sentries had been posted and supper had been eaten, the camp went to sleep, rolled in blankets, here beside the quiet Arikaree, under the stars. It was a silent country, a red man's country still; few white persons, save old trappers and daring buffalo hunters, ever had been into it. No white trails penetrated it. Cavalry scouting between the Platte River and the Kansas River had passed it by.

The Cheyennes were not far. They had been spying upon the column for five days. Now they had turned—had Colonel Forsyth marched on until evening they would have ambushed him at the upper end of this very valley. They were going to attack anyway.

Roman Nose was their war chief. The foolish fifty, cut off by one hundred and ten miles from Fort Wallace and rescue, were to be crushed by seven hundred warriors—Cheyennes, Sioux and Arapahos.

Colonel Forsyth felt anxious. He sensed danger in the air. This evening Indian fire signals flashed through the dusk, from the bordering hills. Tonight he was up and around, every hour, inspecting the sentries and the horses.

When the darkness had thinned a little, and the sky was faintly pink over the crest of the eastern bluffs, he was standing beside the farthest sentry in the rear of camp. Gazing keenly, he chanced to see an alarming sight: the feathered head of an Indian cautiously rising above the brush of a shallow, brushy draw, near by.

Colonel "Sandy" shot instantly; he and the sentry shouted: "Indians! Indians!" But the carbine report and the shouts were drowned by a tremendous outburst of noise. A party of the enemy, yelling, shaking rattles and dry hides, had dashed to stampede the horses.

The scouts had been almost as quick. They were Indian wise—they had dived for the picket ropes. Only two pack mules and five horses broke away; those horses had been hobbled, in disobedience of orders. The Indians drove the seven before them, up the valley, pursued by bullets.

"Saddle up, men! Saddle up, quick! This isn't the end."

Colonel Forsyth and Lieutenant Beecher worked; Sergeant McCall and Sharp Grover worked; the other men worked. In a few minutes they were ready and waiting. The dawn brightened. The colonel and Scout Grover were together, peering and listening. Suddenly Sharp's hand clutched Colonel "Sandy's" shoulder.

"Good Heavens, general, look at the Injuns!"

The Story of Trail of the Dog Soldiers
This story of Trail of the Dog Soldiers is featured in the book entitled the Indian History for Young Folks by Edwin L. Sabin and was published by George W. Jacobs and Company in Philadelphia in 1920.