COVID 19 devastates Northern Cheyenne

LAME DEER, MONT. – We are all tired of hearing COVID 19 news and earlier I vowed to leave that writing to others in favor of more positive thoughts. But, the reality is there is very little good news emanating from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation right now. And there has not been for a long time as the COVID 19virus has it’s hooks deeply set on our rurally isolated Montana Reservation. There are about 12,000 enrolled members, but the on-reservation population is roughly 5,000.

At latest report about 350 people have tested positive and the death toll is about 25, not all COVID related. This all within the past few weeks to a month.  Perhaps the subject is more on my mind because my 85 year old mother recently succumbed to the virus after a short struggle, leaving many of my immediate family members “positive and now under quarantine” and my best friend is in the same boat. While the disease does not have age preference, even attacking little children, it is in nearly every case a death sentence for the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. We have already lost many of the core group of elders who hold us together.

The only good news is that several tribal members have recovered/survived, with after-effects yet to be fully seen.  Yet Rosebud and Big Horn continue to be hot spots as are other Montana counties on and near other Reservations.

But in the meantime, every single family on the reservation has been affected. It is one thing to read that America has over 200,000 COVID deaths; it is entirely another to put a name and a face to 25 of them. That’s when the threat becomes more real, downright scary and sorrowful. We are all grieving.

The Cheyenne, indeed all Indian people in America, are no strangers to diseases brought to them by the white man and many of these have had disastrous consequences for our people. Smallpox, TB, diphtheria, diabetes, drug and alcohol abuse (yes that is a disease) have in the past taken care of what guns and bullets couldn’t do during the Indian wars – that is, seriously weaken our people.

The Tribal governments (heck even the national government) simply do not know how to handle this most recent threat. But then, who could have foretold or prepared for such a calamity?

So, it’s back to the drawing board: closing up businesses, tribal programs, instituting a mandatory 24/7 “stay at home” order efforts at road blocks, etc. But at Northern Cheyenne this is currently now in effect until September 29 and only on the weekends. Hopefully that will help contain the spread, but so far, such strategies have not worked even for those who exercise the most care, wearing masks, frequent hand washing. limiting public contact etc. It seems the virus can strike at will despite these precautions.

The Northern Cheyenne had a prophet, Sweet Medicine who provided guidance to the Tribe on social and religious matters, in essence crafting a strong warrior Tribe.  A long time ago (perhaps centuries) he foretold the coming of the white man and that the Cheyenne would fall away from Maheo’s (the Creator) teachings, and not be a “long-lived” people. There are different interpretations of that, but some elders fear those days may be upon us. It is one thing to be Cheyenne by blood, but it goes much deeper than that. For example, under Sweet Medicine’s teachings, the most heinous crime was to harm or kill another Cheyenne, that catastrophe requiring much ceremony and atonement to set the cosmic world right. Considering that, the Cheyenne did not practice corporal punishment, relying upon banishment, which was a living death in itself. And for centuries, it was nearly an unheard-of crime among our people. Yet, in today’s world it has become an all-to-common event, even among family members.

Fortunately we have not lost all of our elders and spiritual leaders. Soon, they plan to hold a prayer ceremony at Bear Butte, the spiritual heart of our nation, as it is to so many other Tribes. I, for one, am very glad to hear that. When technology, science and government edicts fail, it is time to go back to the essence of Cheyenneness. Maheo has seen us through many disasters and hopefully will do so again.

(Clara Caufield can be reached at acheyennevoice@gmail.com)

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