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Cheyenne Welcome Day at Fort Phil Kearny
Bringing neighbors together was the theme on Sunday, May 25, at the Cheyenne Welcome Ceremony at Fort Phil Kearny.
Michael Bear Comes Out, of the Cheyenne Tribe, gave the invocation in his native language, and then the Braided Hair Family sang and played a memorial song, a chief’s song, a victory song as well as several others.
Mark Roundstone, is the lead headman of the Bowstring Society, sometimes called the Wolf Society, one of the seven societies of the Northern Cheyenne. He talked about the songs that they played and some of the history of the Cheyenne People in this area, adding he felt this area was ‘very beautiful.’
He said that the Welcome Ceremony came about when Dave McKee, president of the FPK/BTA, reached out to the tribe about including the Cheyenne tribe in his Native American Student Interpretive Ranger Program.
He added that the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Sioux have been traditional allies against their joint enemies. He felt an event that included these three tribes would be a good thing to bring to the fort.
He said he one way the various cultures can get together is to “visit and talk with each other.”
Roundstone added that the Cheyenne have two upcoming celebrations, one is the Fourth of July Celebration at Lame Deer, and all are welcome to come to the event. There is drumming, chanting, dancing and traditional foods. The other will be a Cheyenne celebration at the Little Big Horn Battlefield in June.
He added,
Dave McKee said it the program was about honoring ancestors, learning about each other cultures, and he said that these are my neighbors, and I want to know about them as my neighbor.
Otto Braided Hair Jr. who is the headman of the Elkhorn Scraper Society, also gave a presentation to the crowd, added about the day’s event and why he felt it was important.
He added that the Cheyenne songs are not just songs, but they are prayers.
A large crowd attended the program and learned about Cheyenne songs and the tipi and the culture of the tribe.
