Tse-Tsehese-Staestse is what the Cheyenne call themselves.  The word Cheyenne was believed to come from the French word "chien" meaning dog.  The French traders called these people this because of the famous dog soldiers of the Cheyenne nation.  This is incorrect, however.  The accepted origin of the word Cheyenne is that it is the anglicized word Shyhela, which is Sioux.

The Cheyenne people are the most western branch of the Algonquian people.  They originally came from the great lakes area.  There are many theories about why the Cheyenne moved from the great lakes area.  Most of them involve competition in the area with the Ojibwe, Ree, and Mandan.  They originally lived as sedentary farmers in Northeastern Minnesota.  From there, they began migrating westward in the late 1600's.  They later settled along the Cheyenne River of North Dakota.  They were dislodged around 1770, and gradually moved southwestward.  They were encountered by Lewis and Clark around 1804.  At that time, they were living as nomadic buffalo hunters in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

In 1832, the tribe split into two branches...the northern Cheyenne, who inhabited the area around the Platte River, and the southern Cheyenne, who lived near the Arkansas River.  The Cheyenne's were constantly at war with the Crow until 1840, when an alliance was formed with the Kiowa, Apache, and Comanche.  From 1857 to 1879, they fought white settlers and the US Army; especially after the brutal Sand Creek Massacre of 1846 (in which an estimated 500 Cheyenne were killed).  The Cheyenne played an important role in the defeat of General George Custer and the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

The Cheyenne moved frequently.  In South Dakota, they lived along the Cheyenne River and in the Black Hills.  But bands of their tribe were known in every western state.  Before 1700, a large group settled on the Minnesota River, and some Cheyenne visited LaSalle's Fort in Illinois in 1680.  Between 1780 and 1790, their settlements were attacked by Chippewa's while Cheyenne men were away hunting.  Escapees settled on the Missouri River near other Cheyenne.

Religiously, the Cheyenne were guided to the plains area by Maheoo.  They also were sent a prophet named Sweet Medicine, who helped them organize themselves and develop a code to live by.  He gave them their first sacred item - the four sacred arrows.  It was at this point the Cheyenne became a powerful force to be reckoned with.  Their hunting territory extended form the Platte River to what is now eastern Montana.  A southern group also had hunting grounds around the Arkansas River.  Another group of people known as the Sohtaio also joined the Cheyenne.  It is said that these two groups of people were one day fighting, when the Cheyenne overheard the Sohtaio speak amongst themselves.  To their surprise, they could understand the people.  Peace was quickly pursued, and these people have lived with the Cheyenne ever since.

Today, the Cheyenne occupy two reservations - one at Tongue River, Montana, and the other in southwestern Oklahoma.  Their population was about 7,500 in 1989.