ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that Northern Cheyenne government is strong and that this strength has been developed in a modern reservation setting and with adherence to old values. Among the Plains Indians, the Cheyenne had the distinct reputation of being "very much concerned with living up to an ideal of high-minded and responsible behavior." Northern Cheyenne religious and ethical values stem from belief in Maheo, the all wise and beneficent Creator. The Northern Cheyennes' welfare, including survival as a tribe, would depend on tribal integrity and fidelity to Cheyenne beliefs. The Northern Cheyenne view their 450,000 acres in ways beyond the land's economic potential—that is, not only as a resource for grazing, leasing or mining. The characteristic Northern Cheyenne attitude is that the tribe can stand for something unique and of value only if the reservation is maintained as a homeland. The Northern Cheyenne organized a fifteen-member business council in 1911.
