Before 1866, I was a happy Cheyenne

I used to hunt buffaloes and I lived freely in my land

I used to have many horses and tipis made out of buffalo hides in my heaven,

Life was not always sweet,

the painful reality was crystal clear

The Louisiana Purchase changed our lives and moved our tears

Our lands in the Dakotas got invaded, but we had no voice, and no one wanted to hear

Lewis and Clark visited our lands, recorded facts about us, and spied with no fear

 

The white men started pouring into our lands,

We waited,

we anticipated,

and soon heard the bullets flying over our tipis

and saw the fire devouring our memories, our men and our babies

The white men wanted peace,

and we just wanted to appease

They called it the Friendship Treaty,

and we called it the “have-to-obey,” Treaty

Their treaties helped them to survive,

but they killed us

and made us starve to death

 

As the white men started building their Forts,

Our buffalo herds disappeared

and we could not find enough to eat

 

Our tribe broke apart, Northerners and Southerners, we became,

we became migrant warders

Living far away from our beloved ones

Should we blame ourselves for trusting?

Or should we blame them for betraying?

because their treaties never solved our problems

 

The Cherokee were pushed back, to Oklahoma

The horrible trip was called the “Trail of Tears,”

it was a drama

The Cherokee starved,

died from disease,

they were left with a Trauma

They ended our lives in the name of freedom,

and pushed us aside to expand their kingdom

“extending the boundaries of freedom”

“spreading democracy,”

That’s what they called the “Manifest Destiny”

 

The danger continued getting closer,

and we started getting beaten down, shrinking, getting smaller

After our lands were taken,

and our hearts were broken

We bowed again,

after decades of suffering and pain

The white men gathered our men and the Lakota to sign a new treaty

Fort Laramie made the white men more greedy,

they passed through our camps,

but it also made some of us retreat from our ancestors’ lands

Forts were built,

lands were taken

and the treaties were soon violated

 

Our blood was spilled, with no mercy,

forgive me God, I’m so ashamed of humanity

They said they discovered Gold in our lands,

what a lame justification for some of their racists acts,

they passed their meaningless Homestead Act,

Without considering the fact that they were negotiating over our ancestors’ sacred land

700 of them, in Sand Creek Massacre,  raided the Southern Cheyenne territories,

They killed the women and the newborn babies

 

Oh, what a long journey we had to go through

Oh, what a burden we had to carry

Oh, what a shame on human race

To see massacres happening and never talk

To see injustice and never say a word

 

My grandmother once said, “we are the ones who can make a change”

But, now I am drowning in injustice and pain

I am pushed to attack and kill men who are innocent and plain

A battle after battle destroying those who belong to the human race

We never won the war

We were forced to submit, and were told to stop using force

They saw us attacking the iron horse,

we only needed to avenge and continue moving on

 

Blood is blood,

I’m not giving up,

I will attack,

and make more “hundred slain”

I’m not an angel,

I’m not a satan,

I’m just one Northern Cheyenne filled with pain

 

Now, our brothers,

the Southern Cheyenne still getting attacked by settlers controlled by an evil brain

They settled with the Arapaho at the Darlington Agency in Oklahoma,

I’m now sitting next to my grandfather who is in a coma

He was injured by Custer’s men, who he tried to stop from taking over our black hill

He bled,

he buried the dead,

he felt sad when his men fled

He hated the white men,

who broke their word,

slaughtered and killed

 

After the second Fort Loramie was violated,

camps were burned,

women wept,

We were forced to stay on the government’s agencies,

I did not say a word, and understood that it was one of the emergencies,

 

I knew a brave Cheyenne who fought like a man

When a girl saved her brother, he felt ashamed

and decided to join the fight over again

Yes, it was the Great Battle of the Greasy Grass

When our men decided to wipe out Custer’s men,

When our men used to slain,

No heart,

no faith,

nothing can erase ignorance in one’s brain

 

We won one battle,

but we never won the war

We were beaten badly,

Oh, this left a mark,

a painful scar

The Greasy Grass was one mistake,

it left us with no home,

We lived in a scary place

 

We were forced to live on Darlington Agency with no food

We became rude,

and since we were unable to move, we were glued

Dull Knife and Little wolf, our great men, escaped,

but got separated after they had a feud

Our life never get better, it’s screwed

After lots of battles, we acquired the goal we pursued

we became scouts and decided to cope

 

Now, we own the Tongue River reservation  

Years and years have passed,

we moved on, with no hesitation

The white men gave us our citizenship,

They started treating us like men,

 

After we thought that we became guests in our ancestors’ lands

We began to understand the government’s different stands

They do not hate us,

they know we’re strong,

our destiny is in our hands

Forming the tribe’s constitution was hard,

but my band agreed with the other bands,

and our constitution became similar to that of the white men

 

We continued living on our reservation in Montana

We sued,

and received settlements

remember Laramie? Oh, America

We built our colleges,

our society,

resilience gave us power, like Boston’s irrepressibility

 

We became free again, once the AIRFA was passed,

it was just satisfying, it was okay

We petitioned to get the ancient bodies of our heros back

Can you believe they were scattered in the land after every attack?

Our lives are really changing now,

we are getting honored after living in black

The federal government recognized the Rosebud

and Wolf Mountain battle sites as National Historic Landmarks,

Oh, but wait, we still get used and beaten down like sick dogs

 

Now they name their teams, “Redskins,”

They disrespect us, but no!

Our heritage and pride are twins

God will never forgive their sins

And I’m sure, in the future we are going to have more wins

The war is still on, and now it only begins

 

Yes, I’m a Northern Cheyenne

Yes, I’m a proud Native American man

Yes, I’m a poor reservation handyman

Yes, I’m worshiping this sacred land,

This land is covered with the blood of my grandfather and his band,