Cheyenne Welcome Ceremony at FPK

Bringing people together was the theme for the Cheyenne Welcome Ceremony at Fort Phil Kearny.

Dave McKee, President of the Fort Phil Kearny/ Bozeman Trail Association, (FPK/BTA) welcomed the large crowd and introduced the Master of Ceremonies, Spur Roundstone.

The Last Bear Drum group played Cheyenne songs; several dancers performed the Gourd Dance, which started after some early battles between the Cheyenne and the Kiowa.

The Kiowa did attack in the morning, and left one survivor, who went home and gathered together a war party, and the next year the Cheyenne warriors went back and annihilated the Kiowa there.

There were several other songs and dances, including the Round Dance, and everyone was invited to participate in the dance.

Mark Roundstone, Cheyenne elder, talked about some Cheyenne history of the area, including Lake DeSmet, which is sacred to the Cheyenne.

He said that at one time the U.S. Government gave free blankets to the Cheyenne, but they were infected with smallpox, killing Cheyenne women and children. “We were the first people to be introduced to chemical warfare,” he said.

He also talked about the Sand Creek Massacre, where many friendly Cheyenne people, including women and children, were killed by U.S. Army Troops.

Saturday’s ceremony was the second one to be hosted by the FPK/BTA, and they hope to continue the tradition of the Cheyenne Welcome Ceremony.